All-Time Bests From the British Open

Which golfers hold the tournament records at the British Open? You can browse through various categories—wins, scores, youngest/oldest, and more—to view the tournament's top golfers. You can also find more historical facts and figures on the British Open FAQ and British Open Winners pages.

Most Victories

• 6 career wins: Harry Vardon, 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911, 1914
• 5: James Braid, 1901, 1905, 1906, 1908, 1910
• 5: J.H. Taylor, 1894, 1895, 1900, 1909, 1913
• 5: Peter Thomson, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1965
• 5: Tom Watson, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983

Vardon and Jack Nicklaus (at The Masters) are the only 6-time winners at any of golf's four professional majors.

Most Second-Place Finishes

• 7: Jack Nicklaus, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1979
• 6: J.H. Taylor, 1896, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1914

Nicklaus had three victories to go along with his seven runner-up finishes, and those seven second-place finishes are the record at any of the four majors.

Scoring Records

Here are the tournament records that relate to scores: overall totals plus 18-hole and 9-hole scores, along with a few relating to margins, comebacks and the like.

Lowest Winning Scores

• 264: Henrik Stenson, Royal Troon, 2016
• 267: Greg Norman, Royal St George's, 1993
• 268: Tom Watson, Turnberry, 1977
• 268: Nick Price, Turnberry, 1994
• 268: Jordan Spieth, Royal Birkdale, 2017
• 269: Tiger Woods, St. Andrews, 2000
• 270: Nick Faldo, St. Andrews, 1990; Tiger Woods, Royal Liverpool, 2006

Lowest Winning Scores in Relation to Par

• 20-under: Henrik Stenson, Royal Troon, 2016
• 19-under: Tiger Woods, St Andrews, 2000
• 18-under: Nick Faldo, St Andrews, 1990
• 18-under: Tiger Woods, Hoylake, 2006

Lowest 72-Hole Scores by Amateurs

• 281: Iain Pyman, Royal St George's, 1993
• 281: Tiger Woods, Royal Lytham, 1996
• 282: Justin Rose, Royal Birkdale, 1998
• 282: Matteo Manassero, Turnberry, 2009
• 283: Guy Wolstenhome, St Andrews, 1960
• 283: Lloyd Saltman, St Andrews, 2005

Lowest 18-Hole Score

• 62: Branden Grace, third round, Royal Birkdale, 2017
• 63: Mark Hayes, second round, Turnberry, 1977
• 63: Isao Aoki, third round, Muirfield, 1980
• 63: Greg Norman, second round, Turnberry, 1986
• 63: Paul Broadhurst, third round, St. Andrews, 1990
• 63: Jodie Mudd, fourth round, Royal Birkdale, 1991
• 63: Nick Faldo, second round, Royal St. George's, 1993
• 63: Payne Stewart, fourth round, Royal St George's, 1993
• 63: Rory McIlroy, first round, St. Andrews, 2010
• 63: Phil Mickelson, first round, Royal Troon, 2016
• 63: Henrik Stenson, fourth round, Royal Troon, 2016
• 63: Haotong Li, fourth round, Royal Birkdale, 2017
• 63: Shane Lowry, third round, Royal Portrush, 2019

Lowest 9-Hole Score
28: Denis Durnian, front nine, Royal Birkdale, 1983

Largest Margin of Victory

• 13 strokes: Old Tom Morris, 1862
• 12 strokes: Young Tom Morris, 1870
• 11 strokes: Young Tom Morris, 1869
• 8 strokes: J.H. Taylor, 1900
• 8 strokes: J.H. Taylor, 1913
• 8 strokes: James Braid, 1908
• 8 strokes: Tiger Woods 2000

Biggest Final-Round Comeback to Win
10 strokes: Paul Lawrie, 1999 (Lawrie began the final round 10 shots off the lead)

Biggest 54-Hole Lead Lost
5 strokes: Macdonald Smith, 1925; Jean Van de Velde, 1999

Most Career Rounds in the 60s

• 39: Ernie Els
• 37: Nick Faldo
• 33: Jack Nicklaus

Age-Related Records

Following are records relating to the youngest and oldest champions, plus the youngest/oldest to play in this major.

Oldest Winners

• Old Tom Morris, 1867, 46 years 99 days
• Roberto de Vicenzo, 1967, 44 years 93 days
• Harry Vardon, 1914, 44 years 41 days

Youngest Winners

• Young Tom Morris, 1868, 17 years 5 months 8 days
• Willie Auchterlonie, 1893, 21 years 24 days
• Seve Ballesteros, 1979, 22 years 3 months 12 days

Youngest Competitor

• Young Tom Morris, 14 years 4 months, 25 days, 1865

Oldest Competitor

• Old Tom Morris, 74 years, 11 months, 24 days, 1896
• Gene Sarazen, 74 years, 4 months, 9 days, 1976

Top Finishes

Here are few more victory-related tournament records at the Open Championship:

Players Who Won the Open in Three Decades

• Harry Vardon - 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911, 1914
• J.H. Taylor - 1894, 1895, 1900, 1909, 1913
• Gary Player - 1959, 1968, 1974

Longest Span Between First and Last Wins

• 19 years: J.H. Taylor, 1894 – 1913
• 18 years: Harry Vardon, 1896 – 1914
• 15 years: Gary Player, 1959 – 74
• 15 years: Willie Park, 1860-75
• 14 years: Henry Cotton, 1934 - 48

Wire-to-Wire Winners
Leading after all four rounds, including ties for the lead:

• Harry Vardon, 1899
• J.H. Taylor, 1900
• Harry Vardon, 1903
• Lee Trevino, 1971
• Gary Player, 1974

Holding the outright lead after each round:

• Ted Ray, 1912
• Bobby Jones, 1927
• Gene Sarazen, 1932
• Henry Cotton, 1934
• Tom Weiskopf, 1973
• Tiger Woods, 2005

Most Consecutive Wins

• 4 in a row: Young Tom Morris, 1868-72 (tournament not played in 1871)
• 3 in a row: Jamie Anderson, 1877-79
• 3: Bob Ferguson, 1880-82
• 3: Peter Thomson, 1954-56

Most Top-5 Finishes

• 16: J.H Taylor
• 16: Jack Nicklaus
• 15: Harry Vardon
• 15: James Braid

Miscellaneous Records

Most Appearances

• 46: Gary Player
• 38: Jack Nicklaus

Most Frequent Venues

• St. Andrews: 29
• Prestwick: 24
• Muirfield: 16
• Royal St. George's: 14
• Royal Liverpool: 12
• Royal Lytham & St. Annes: 11
• Royal Birkdale: 9
• Royal Troon: 9