British Open 2011 Purse: Where Claret Jug Ranks Among Sports' Top Prizes

The Claret Jug, which is presented to the winner of The Open Championship, aka British Open, is the second oldest trophy in sports, and is definitely the oldest one in golf.  It is also the oldest trophy given to an individual in sports.  As such it holds a special place in the history of sports as well as in golf. 

Today’s trophy is not the original prize for the contest which began at Prestwick GC in 1860.   The original, a belt made of Moroccan leather with several silver emblems and a silver buckle, was purchased by the Prestwick GC members.  The tournament was held there the first 12 years of the contest. It was presented to the winner to hold for a year until Tom Morris, Jr., won it three times in a row, and they gave it to him permanently. That was in 1870.

Once the belt was no longer available as a prize, there was disagreement among the various golf clubs in the area over a replacement.  Whether it was because of the discord or not, the Open Championship was not held in 1871.  Perhaps the other clubs who were sending players to the tournament were jealous of Prestwick.  The first 10 contests had been held there, and it was reported that the other clubs did not want to contribute to a second belt for an event that was hosted only by Prestwick. 

Despite the controversy, the Open Championship was resumed 1872, even though a new trophy had not been created.  In the fall of that same year, there was agreement that three clubs would host The Open Championship in the future, the ones we now call Prestwick, Musselburgh ( then home to The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers), and St. Andrews. The clubs also decided the winner would receive a medal and that all three of the clubs would chip in to purchase a new trophy, what has become known as the Claret Jug. 

The original Claret Jug was made by Mackay Cunningham & Company of Edinburgh in 1873 and was awarded for the Open Championship that year to Tom Kidd. Tom Morris Jr.’s name was the first to be engraved on it as the 1872 winner. 

Nearly 50 years later, in 1920, responsibility for The Open Championship became the purview of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.  After Bobby Jones won the 1927 Open at St Andrews, the R&A decided to retain the original Claret Jug and to present the winner with a replica.  When Walter Hagen won the third of his four Open titles in 1928, he was given the replica for a year, although he had the original in 1922 and 1924.   In 1990 a second copy was made for display in the new British Golf Museum at St Andrews. In 2000 a third was made for travelling exhibitions, followed by a fourth one in 2003.

The original Claret Jug is on permanent display in The Royal and Ancient Golf Clubhouse. It sits alongside the original first prize, the Challenge Belt, which was donated to the club in 1908 by the grandchildren of Tom Morris, Sr.   

In 1985, on the 125th anniversary of the Open Championship, the R&A presented the winner of the tournament, Sandy Lyle, with a replica belt.  A another replica of the belt is on display at Prestwick.  This week, the tournament returns to Royal St. George’s where Lyle won. 

What trophy is older?

The America’s Cup trophy which is awarded to the winner of the America's Cup yachting races is the oldest active trophy in international sports.  It was awarded for the first time in 1851 by the Royal Yacht Squadron for a race around the Isle of Wight.  The race was won by a boat named America, and the trophy became named for it. It was subsequently donated to the New York Yacht Club.

What other trophies have history?

The Stanley Cup, hockey’s greatest prize, was donated by Sir Frederick Arthur Stanley in 1892.  He was Governor General of Canada the Lord Stanley of Preston.  However, the award was originally for Canada's top-ranking amateur ice hockey club, not for professional play.

The first U.S. Open was played in 1895 at the Newport Country Club, Newport, RI.  The winner was Horace Rawlins, and his club received the Open Championship Cup trophy.  That trophy was destroyed in a fire in 1946. The current trophy dates to 1947 and is similar to the original.

Soccer, what the rest of the world calls football, had its first FA Cup competition in 1871-72.  Their first trophy which was called the “little tin idol” was used from 1871 until it was stolen in 1895.