It’s hard to believe, but the season's final men’s major is nearly here. (Time flies, huh?!?) So far, we have Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and J.J. Spaun adding (or in McIlroy and Scheffler’s cases re-adding) their names to the history books in 2025. All three will be teeing at the 153rd British Open Championship, where a treasured trophy and the coolest name in the game are on the line at Royal Portrush, the third time the storied championship will be played in Northern Ireland.
Along with McIlroy, Scheffler and Spaun, the field will have the best pros in the world competing for golf immortality. Ireland’s Shane Lowry will be a fan favorite as he returns to the venue where he won the claret jug in 2019. But nobody in the loaded field will have a bigger spotlight on him than McIlroy—a Northern Ireland native—who completed the career Grand Slam at the Masters nearly three months ago. Though for McIlroy to win on his native ground, he’ll have tough competition and a world-famous course throwing everything at him.
To get you ready for the major, we offer this British Open primer, answering some of the frequently asked questions about golf's oldest major championship.
When is the Open Championship played?
With the PGA Tour schedule re-arranged in 2019, the Open Championship is now the year’s final men's major. It is still, however, played in mid-July. This year, it will be held July 17-20.
Who conducts the Open Championship?
The R&A conducts the championship.
In 2019, the British Open returned to Royal Portrush for just the second time, with Shane Lowry winning that year in a runaway.
Richard Heathcote/R&A
Is the British Open the same as the Open Championship?
Well, yes. Kind of. It depends on who you ask. In the United States and other parts of the world, the tournament is often referred to as the British Open to help distinguish the championship from Opens in other countries. However, the official name of the tournament is The Open Championship.
When and where was the first British Open? And who won?
The first British Open was played in 1860 at Prestwick in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It was a one-day, 36-hole competition. Willie Park Sr. won by two strokes with a total score of 174.
What is the format of the British Open? How many players are in the field?
The Open is a four-round, 72-hole stroke-play competition, with a cut after 36 holes. Among the 156 players who will be in the field, 142 have solidified their spots after the R&A conducted its four 36-hole Final Qualifying events on July 1. The remaining spots will be determined through the last qualifying event, the Genesis Scottish Open, with the rest of the field filled in off the Official World Golf Ranking.
If players are tied after 72 holes, how is the winner determined?
The British Open uses a four-hole aggregate playoff if players are tied after four rounds. If players are still tied after four holes, they play sudden death until a winner is determined. It’s not the only major to use the aggregate format in the event of a tie—the PGA Championship uses a three-hole aggregate playoff, and the U.S. Open made the switch from an 18-hole playoff to a two-hole aggregate in 2018.
Since 2000, there have been four playoffs at the Open, the most recent occurring in 2015 at the Old Course when Zach Johnson defeated Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman to claim his second career major title.
Where is the British Open being held in 2025?
Royal Portrush's Dunluce Links in Northern Ireland.
Mark Alexander
The 153rd Open Championship will be held at Royal Portrush in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is set to be the third Open played at Royal Portrush. It most recently hosted the Open in 2019, with Ireland’s Shane Lowry emerging victorious by shooting 15 under, finishing six strokes ahead of second-place Tommy Fleetwood. The iconic course first hosted the Open in 1951, which was won by Max Faulkner, marking the first time the tournament was held outside of Great Britain.
Royal Portrush is known as one of the most iconic golf courses in the world. The following is from Golf Digest Architecture Editor Derek Duncan and Managing Editor Stephen Hennessey: “Portrush is still the only Irish course to host The Open. The Old Tom Morris design, reworked by H.S. Colt in the 1930s, was the Open site back in 1951, and was again in 2019, won by Irishman Shane Lowry. In preparation for that event, architect Martin Ebert added new seventh and eighth holes, fashioned from land on the club's Valley Course (ranked 82nd), to replace its weak 17th and 18th holes. That means the notorious Calamity Hole, an uphill 210-yard par 3, will now be the 16th instead of the 14th, and the old dogleg-right par-4 16th will now be the closing hole, with a new back tee. Ebert retained Colt's greens, considered one of the best set of putting surfaces in the world. The Dunluce course will host the Open again in 2025.”
Who won the 2024 British Open?
Anchored by a final round bogey-free 65, Xander Schauffele claimed his first Open Championship. The American shot a nine-under 275, finishing two strokes better than second-place Justin Rose and Billy Horschel. It was Schauffele’s second-career major win, following his triumph two months prior at the PGA Championship.
Who has won the most British Opens?
Harry Vardon holds the record for most victories at the Open Championship with six. Four golfers have won the Open five times: James Braid, J.H. Taylor, Peter Thomson and Tom Watson.
How can you qualify for the British Open?
There are several ways players can qualify for the Open, including through the Open Qualifying Series and Final Qualifying, which you can learn more about here.
Click here for the most up-to-date field list for the 2025 British Open.
More From Golf Digest
Will Tiger Woods be playing in this year's Open?
Though Tiger Woods is eligible to compete in the Open via an exemption as a previous winner—which allows him to automatically be able to play in golf’s oldest major until he’s 60—he unfortunately won’t be competing in 2025. In March, Woods announced he had ruptured the Achilles tendon in his left leg while training and underwent "minimally invasive" surgery to repair the tendon. That has kept him from playing at all in 2025. Woods has yet to announce a timeline for his return.
Tiger Woods walks off the 18th green in tears with his caddie Steve Williams following his victory at Royal Liverpool in 2006.
Ross Kinnaird
Will Phil Mickelson be playing in this year's Open?
Yes, Phil Mickelson is scheduled to tee it up at Royal Portrush this year. The 55-year-old won the 2013 Open, one of his six career major titles. However, Lefty missed the cut by shooting an eight-over 150 the last time Royal Portrush hosted the Open. The LIV golfer is coming off missed cuts at the Masters, PGA Championship and U.S. Open.
Phil Mickelson holds the Claret Jug after winning the 142nd Open Championship at Muirfield in 2013.
Rob Carr
What other sites host the British Open?
The Open Championship uses a rotation or “rota” of courses in the United Kingdom. There are currently nine courses in the rota. Four of them are in Scotland: Carnoustie, Old Course at St. Andrews, Royal Troon and Muirfield. The other four are in England: Royal Birkdale, Royal Liverpool, Royal St. George’s and Royal Lytham. Royal Portrush is the most recent course to join the rota.
Which country has hosted the most British Opens?
Scotland has hosted the most, with 98 Open Championships.
How many players make the 36-hole cut?
The top 70 players and ties make the cut at the British Open.
Who is the oldest winner of the British Open?
Old Tom Morris is the oldest, winning the Open in 1867 at Prestwick at age 46.
Print Collector
The youngest?
Young Tom Morris—Old Tom’s son—is the youngest, winning the Open the following year in 1868 at Prestwick at age 17. He also holds the record for most consecutive victories (four), winning the next three in a row after his first.
What is the lowest round shot in the British Open?
Ten players held the record of 63 up until eight years ago at Royal Birkdale, when South Africa's Branden Grace set a new record for all major championships, carding a third-round eight-under 62.
What is the lowest round in relation to par in British Open history?
McIlroy and Paul Broadhurst hold the record for lowest rounds in relation to par, with Broadhurst carding a nine-under 63 in the third round of the 1990 Open at St. Andrews. McIlroy's nine-under 63 also came at St. Andrews in the first round of the 2010 Open.
What is the 72-hole scoring record? And the record in relation to par?
Henrik Stenson set both records in 2016 at Royal Troon, with 264 strokes and 20 under par.
Henrik Stenson caps off his record-breaking 2016 Open win at Royal Troon.
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
What is the largest margin of victory?
The largest margin of victory in an Open came in 1862 at Prestwick when Old Tom Morris won by 13 strokes while the event was still contested over 36 holes.
The largest margin since World War II is eight strokes by Woods over Thomas Bjorn and Ernie Els during the 2000 Open at St. Andrews.
What is the highest winning score in British Open history?
The highest winning total came in 1894 when England's J.H. Taylor won with 326 strokes at Royal St. George's.
Has there ever been a wire-to-wire winner of the British Open?
There have been seven wire-to-wire winners in Open Championship history. They are: Ted Ray (1912, Muirfield), Bobby Jones (1927, St. Andrews), Gene Sarazen (1932, Prince's), Henry Cotton (1934, Royal St. George's), Tom Weiskopf (1973, Royal Troon), Woods (2005, St. Andrews) and McIlroy (2014, Royal Liverpool).
Has an amateur ever won the British Open?
An amateur has won the Open Championship six times. The list includes: John Ball (1890, Prestwick), Harold Hilton (1892, Muirfield and 1897, Royal Liverpool) and Bobby Jones (1926, Royal Lytham and St. Annes; 1927, St. Andrews; 1930, Royal Liverpool).
What is the Silver Medal at the British Open?
The Silver Medal is awarded to the leading amateur of the Open Championship, provided he completes all 72 holes. In 2024, it was awarded to Scotland’s Calum Scott. The then 20-year-old rising senior at Texas Tech finished T-43 (eight-over 292). He was one of the four amateurs to make the cut at Royal Troon. Scott is currently not in the field for the Open this year.
Calum Scott holds the silver medal won at Royal Troon for being the low amateur in 2024.
Harry How
How many times has an American won the British Open?
Of the 152 Open Championships that have been contested, an American has won 47 of them, the most of any country. Those 47 wins are split between 32 different golfers.
Which country has produced the next most Open?
The United States has the most with 47. Scotland has produced the next most with 41 winners, while England has produced 22.
What type of conditions is the British Open played in?
The Open Championship is played at classic links golf courses that feature deep bunkers, no trees, large and undulating greens, and high fescue. It's typically played in high winds, colder temperatures and, often, rain.
What does the winner of the British Open receive?
In the early days of the Open Championship, the winner received the Challenge Belt, which was returned the next year and awarded to the next winner. If, however, a golfer won the Open for three straight years, he would be able to keep the belt permanently. Young Tom Morris accomplished that feat in 1870. With the retirement of the belt, the R&A created a new award—the claret jug, which has become the most widely recognized trophy in golf. The claret jug was first awarded in 1873. Today, winners' names are engraved on the trophy just as they are completing their victory, and appear on the jug when they are handed the trophy at the prize ceremony after the championship. Winners return the claret jug each year (although they also receive a replica that they can keep).
The winner also carries the honorific label of "The Champion Golfer of the Year."
John Daly holds the Claret Jug after his British Open win in 1995 at St. Andrews.
J.D. Cuban
What is the British Open's purse?
The Open Championship purse has yet to be announced, but the 2024 first-place prize money payout was $3.1 million from a $17 million purse.
What are the confirmed future sites in the Open rota?
Future sites have been confirmed through 2027. They are as follows:
2026: Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England.
2027: Old Course, St Andrews, Scotland.
Who broadcasts the British Open?
The par-5 seventh hole at Royal Portrush.
David Cannon
NBC signed a 12-year deal to broadcast the Open Championship, and this year will be its ninth televising the event, along with its cable network, Golf Channel. Thursday and Friday coverage will be on both Peacock and Golf Channel, while the weekend will be on NBC.
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Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is a subject of continued discussion. The event’s official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilize both names in its coverage.