Who won the very first Open Championship, held at Prestwick in 1860?

Willie Park Sr. won the very first Open Championship, held at Prestwick in Scotland on October 17, 1860. He finished two strokes ahead of Old Tom Morris in a field of eight professional golfers.

The inaugural event was created after the death of Allan Robertson, widely regarded as the leading golfer of his era. Organizers wanted a competition to determine his successor as the champion golfer. The tournament consisted of three rounds on Prestwick’s 12-hole links course.

Park’s prize was the Challenge Belt, a red Moroccan-leather belt with a large silver buckle. There was no winner’s prize money at the first event. The belt could become the permanent property of a golfer who won the championship three consecutive times.

Park went on to win the Open again in 1863, 1866, and 1875. The first tournament was restricted to professionals; amateurs were admitted the following year, when Old Tom Morris won the championship.