Golfing Championships
Where do all the best handicaps wind up? With all the players who make it to the big tournaments. These big golf championships have been going on for a very long time and they’ve got a tradition and history behind them that’s almost as venerated and long as the game itself. The biggest tournaments that draw the names like Tiger Woods today started way back across The Pond in the birthplace of golf, Europe.
Not surprisingly, the British open is the oldest golf tournament. It was first held at Preswick course in Scotland in 1860 and was won first by Willie Park who subsequently won again three times starting in 1863. The first American to win the British Open was Scottish-born Jock Hutchinson in 1921, but Americans dominated the Open winning 12 of 13 tournaments between 1921 and 1933. That was all before the game skipped over to the United States.
The tournament idea didn’t take hold in the United States until 1894 when the first U.S. Open was held in Yonkers. The United States Golf Association was organized later that year and the first officially sanctioned U.S. Open was held the following year in 1895. The British turned the tables in 1900 when they sent one of their own, a Brit named Harry Vardon, to win the tournament at the turn of the century.
Because British professional golfers dominated tournament play, the English amateur players started their own championship tournament in 1885. John Ball won the coveted title eight times up to 1912. The very first US Amateur tournament was held in Newport in 1894.
Soon it became apparent that the only avenue left unexplored was team golfing and competitions between British and American golfers began in 1922, and professional team play for the Ryder cup began in 1927 with the competition between women golfers starting up in 1932 with the Curtis Cup.
Not surprisingly, the British open is the oldest golf tournament. It was first held at Preswick course in Scotland in 1860 and was won first by Willie Park who subsequently won again three times starting in 1863. The first American to win the British Open was Scottish-born Jock Hutchinson in 1921, but Americans dominated the Open winning 12 of 13 tournaments between 1921 and 1933. That was all before the game skipped over to the United States.
The tournament idea didn’t take hold in the United States until 1894 when the first U.S. Open was held in Yonkers. The United States Golf Association was organized later that year and the first officially sanctioned U.S. Open was held the following year in 1895. The British turned the tables in 1900 when they sent one of their own, a Brit named Harry Vardon, to win the tournament at the turn of the century.
Because British professional golfers dominated tournament play, the English amateur players started their own championship tournament in 1885. John Ball won the coveted title eight times up to 1912. The very first US Amateur tournament was held in Newport in 1894.
Soon it became apparent that the only avenue left unexplored was team golfing and competitions between British and American golfers began in 1922, and professional team play for the Ryder cup began in 1927 with the competition between women golfers starting up in 1932 with the Curtis Cup.
