Where does this come from, and can I check it?

It was started to find a champion to replace Allan Robertson. The figure is taken from The R&A, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a sports fact?

Yes. It sits on the Sports shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

The Open began at Prestwick in 1860

It was started to find a champion to replace Allan Robertson Prestwick staged the first Open Championship on 17 October 1860, with a small field of professionals playing 36 holes in a day. Willie Park Sr. won the Challenge Belt, which passed to whoever won three years running; when Tom Morris Jr. did that, the belt was retired and the claret jug replaced it in 1873. It sits in Mondo's sports collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

The R&A

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

Go further

History trivia

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Golf has 18 holes because of St AndrewsThe Old Course settled on 18 holes in the 18th century Many curling stones come from one Scottish islandGranite from Ailsa Craig has made stones for Olympic curling The Ryder Cup dates from 1927A seed merchant donated the trophy for a match between the US and Britain The Masters winner gets a green jacketThe jacket was introduced in 1937 and given to the champion from 1949 Golf handicaps went global in 2020The World Handicap System replaced six separate schemes in January that year The word birdie came from American slangIt was first used at Atlantic City in 1899 for a shot worthy of a bird

Tags: golf, open, scotland

The Open began at Prestwick in 1860: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: It was started to find a champion to replace Allan Robertson. The figure is taken from The R&A, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a sports fact?: Yes. It sits on the Sports shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.