The Open Championship

The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf, holding its first tournament in 1860 at Prestwick Gold Club in Scotland. It is the only major held outside the United States and is run by the R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside North America, with the tournament played on one of nine links courses in Scotland and England. 

The winner of the tournament is awarded the Claret Jug, along with a cheque for close to £1million, with prize money awarded to the rest of the field making the cut. The Silver Medal is awarded to the leading amateur, provided that the player completes all 72 holes. It was first awarded in 1949 to Frank Stranahan, who went on to win the award again in 1950 and 1951. 

The Open is the third major of the golfing calendar, following The Masters and the US Open, and coming before the PGA Championship. The event is a 72-hole stroke play tournament, with the field cut after 36 holes, and the top 70 players continuing into the weekend. Unlike the three other majors, The Open features a four-hole playoff, and continues into sudden death if tied after four holes. The PGA Championship followed the Open's lead and implemented a three-hole playoff, first used in 2000, after using sudden death since 1977.

Harry Vardon's six titles at the beginning of the 20th century remains the most Open victories in the history of the tournament, while American Tom Watson has been the most successful player in the past 60 years with five Open titles to his name, winning back-to-back titles in 1981 and 1982, a feat matched in recent times by Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington. 

In the 142 Open Championships, Scotland has hosted 93 events while England has hosted 48, with Northern Ireland playing host for the first and last time in 1951 at Royal Portrush. The Old Course at St Andrews has been the most used course in the history of The Open, hosting the tournament 28 times and scheduled to welcome The Open back in 2015. Prestwick Golf Club hosted 24 tournaments between 1860 and 1925. Muirfield is third in the list after hosting 16 events, including the 2013 tournament. Royal St George's Golf Club has played host to The Open more than any other English venue, last welcoming the third major of the year in 2011. 

For all the latest The Open Championship Betting Tips place check out betting.betfair