Tom Kidd won the first Open Championship played at St Andrews in 1873. The event was held on the Old Course on 4 October, making Kidd the champion of the first Open staged away from Prestwick.
Kidd was a local professional and former caddie who won on his home links. He carded rounds of 91 and 88 for a total of 179, finishing one stroke ahead of Jamie Anderson. The course was extremely wet after heavy rain, and the rules did not yet provide a modern free relief option for casual water.
The 1873 event was also historically important because it was the first Open in which the new championship trophy, later known as the Claret Jug, was presented to the winner. Young Tom Morris had won the previous Open, but the trophy was not ready in time.
Readers sometimes confuse Kidd with Jamie Anderson because Anderson shared the best first-round score and finished runner-up. Kidd’s decisive advantage came in the second round, where his 88 beat Anderson’s 89.