Top 5 players in the British Open Championship’s history
The Claret Jug is awarded to the winner of the British Open Championship and is considered to be the most prestigious and the oldest trophy in golf. Every year, players from all over the world fight for it.
The Open was played in 1860 for the first time, from then, the game and the tournament both have greatly evolved. This year it is going to be the 141st Open.
There has always been a tough fight for this tournament. Over the years, many players have left their mark in the history books of the British Open. Out of all those, the top five players of the British Open are:
Tom Watson: Tom Watson’s achievements have made him the number one in the list of the top British Open golfers. Watson has won five British Opens and this year he will be looking to participate in the tournament once again, at the Royal Lytham & St Annes
Golf Course.
Watson has had 70 professional wins. Out of these 70 wins, 39 came from the PGA Tour, 4 came from the Japan Tour and 14 came from the Championship Tour.
He also managed 8 wins in the majors. Currently, the American is 62 years old and not retired. This means he still has a chance to win more titles.
Harry Vardon: Harry Vardon is considered to be one of the best players of the game. He has the most British Open Champions. He has bagged six British Open titles in his career.
His run was ruined by the First World War. In those years, the tournament had to be cancelled. He had 62 professional wins in the 1800’s and 1900’s.
Peter Thomson: Peter Thomson is a player who became one of the best in the British Open in very little time. He was able to bag four titles in only five appearances in the event, from 1954 to 1958.
All of these wins came on different courses. The Australian professional golfer’s last win in the British Open came in the year 1965, this was his fifth title, being his second one at the Royal Birkdale.
J.H Taylor: He was born in the year 1871. In the year 1890, he turned professional, at the time he was only 19 years old. He won his first British Open Championship at the age of 23, in the year 1894.
In total, he won five Open Championships. The next one came in the very next year, in 1895. He won the other three in the years 1900, 1909 and 1913.
J.H Taylor is considered to be one of the legends and still is in the World Golf Hall of Fame. He retired in the year 1946 and died in 1963, at the time, he was 91 years.
James Braid: The fifth in the list of top golfers in the British Open Championship is James Braid. The Scottish professional golfer is also a part of the World Golf Hall of Fame. He was born in the year 1870 and retired in the year 1912.
He bagged 5 titles in the British Open Championship. All his wins came in the span of ten years (from 1901 to 1910). James never played in any other major. Otherwise, he has 15 professional wins. He died in the year 1950.
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