THE Open Championship returns to Royal Liverpool Golf Club in England for just the 13th time and is the venue where the late, great Peter Thomson won his third of five Opens in 1956.
The 151st Open Championship gets underway this month (July 20-23) and the Aussies in the field will be vying to become only the sixth player from Down Under to lift the Claret Jug.
Kel Nagle, Greg Norman, Ian Baker-Finch and Cameron Smith joined Thommo as an Open champion. The Shark won it twice – at Royal St George’s and Turnberry.
Can one of the Australians in the field win the Claret Jug and join Peter Thomson as Open champion at Royal Liverpool GC? Of course, Rory McIlroy will fancy his chances after winning there in 2014.
Royal Liverpool Golf Club (RLGC) was founded in 1869 on what was then the racecourse of the Liverpool Hunt Club.
Past champions at RLGC include Harold Hinton, Sandy Head, Arnaud Massy, John Henry Taylor, Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones, Alf Padgham, Fred Daly, Peter Thomson, Robert De Vicenzo, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP STATISTICS
AUSSIE WINNERS
Peter Thomson 1954-’55-’56-’58-’65
Kel Nagle 1960
Greg Norman 1986-93
Ian Baker-Finch 1991
Cameron Smith 2022
AUSSIE RUNNER-UPS
Peter Thomson 1952-’53 to Bobby Locke and Ben Hogan
Kel Nagle 1962 to Arnold Palmer
Jack Newton 1975 to Tom Watson
Rodger Davis 1987 to Nick Faldo
Greg Norman 1989 to Mark Calcavecchia
Wayne Grady 1989 to Mark Calcavecchia
Mike Harwood 1991 to Ian Baker-Finch
Stuart Appleby 2002 to Ernie Els
Steve Elkington 2002 to Ernie Els
Adam Scott 2012 to Ernie Els
Marc Leishman 2015 to Zach Johnson
MOST VICTORIES
Harry Vardon (6) 1896-’98-’99-1903-’11-’13
OTHER MULTIPLE WINNERS
Five wins: James Braid, John Henry Taylor, Tom Watson and Peter Thomson.
Four wins: Walter Hagen, Tom Morris Sr, Tom Morris jr, Willie Park Sr and Bobby Locke.
Three wins: Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods, Bob Ferguson, James Anderson and Henry Cotton.
Two wins: Willie Park Jr, Bob Martin, Greg Norman, Ernie Els, Harold Hilton, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Padraig Harrington.
CHAMPIONS BY NATIONALITY
| Nationality | Wins | Winners |
| United States | 45 | 30 |
| Scotland | 41 | 22 |
| England | 22 | 13 |
| Australia | 10 | 5 |
| South Africa | 10 | 4 |
| Jersey | 7 | 2 |
| Northern Ireland | 3 | 3 |
| Spain | 3 | 1 |
| Ireland | 3 | 2 |
| Zimbabwe | 1 | 1 |
| Argentina | 1 | 1 |
| France | 1 | 1 |
| Italy | 1 | 1 |
| New Zealand | 1 | 1 |
| Sweden | 1 | 1 |
MOST CONSECUTIVE VICTORIES
Young Tom Morris (4) 1868-’69-’70-’72
There was no championship in 1871 – cancelled as no trophy was available.
MOST RUNNER-UP FINISHESS
Jack Nicklaus (7) 1964-’67-’68-’72-’76-’77-’79
LOWEST SCORE AFTER (36 HOLES)
Louis Oosthuizen 2021 (64-65 – 129)
LOWEST SCORE AFTER (54 HOLES)
Shane Lowry 2019 (67-67-63 – 197)
LOWEST FINAL SCORE (72 HOLES)
Henrik Stenson 2016 (68-65-68-63 – 264) 20-under par
LOWEST FINAL SCORE BY A CHAMPION AT ST ANDREWS
Cameron Smith 64, including eight birdies
GREATEST VICTORY MARGIN
Old Tom Morris (1862) 13 strokes. This remained a record for all majors until 2000 when Tiger Woods won the US Open by 15 strokes. Old Tom’s 13-stroke margin was achieved over 36 holes.
LOWEST ROUND
62 Branden Grace – 3rd round, 2017
LOWEST ROUND IN RELATION TO PAR
Paul Broadhurst 9-under – 3rd round, 1990
Rory McIlroy 9-under – 1st round, 2010
OLDEST CHAMPION
Old Tom Morris (1867) 46 years, 102 days
YOUNGEST CHAMPION
Young Tom Morris (1968) 17 years, 156 days
OLDEST PLAYER TO MAKE CUT
Tom Watson (2014) 64 years old
WIRE-TO-WIRE WINNERS
After 72 holes with no ties after rounds): Ted Ray in 1912, Bobby Jones in 1927, Gene Sarazen in 1932, Henry Cotton in 1934, Tom Weiskopf in 1973, Tiger Woods in 2005, and Rory McIlroy in 2014.
SILVER MEDAL WINNERS
Since 1949, the silver medal is awarded to the leading amateur, provided that the player completes all 72 holes.
Tasmania’s Peter Toogood is the only Australian to win the Silver Medal. That was in 1954, the year Peter Thomson won the Claret Jug. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are the only silver medal winners who have gone on to win the Open.
HOSTING RECORD
29 – St Andrews – (Scotland)
24 – Prestwick – (Scotland)
Scottish courses have hosted the Open 96 times, England courses 51 and Northern Ireland one.
In England, Royal St George’s has hosted the Open 15 times, three more than Royal Liverpool. Northern Ireland’s Royal Portrush host the Open twice (1951 and 2019.
Chief writer David Newbery has been living, breathing and writing and editing golf for more than 30 years. His extensive knowledge of the game comes from covering golf around the world. Hired by Inside Golf in 2009, David previously worked as the editor of The Golfer for 25 years and before that worked for numerous daily newspapers in Australia and overseas. The Brisbane-based journalist describes his golf game as “a work in progress”, but has had the privilege of playing golf with some of the game’s best players including nine-time major winner Gary Player. David enjoys travelling, reading, music, photography and spending time with family and friends – on and off the golf course. 
