Golfers Who Have Won the British Open

'Champion Golfer of the Year' at Every Open Championship

Padraig Harrington - British Open Winners
Padraig Harrington celebrates his second consecutive Open Championship win in 2008.

Andrew Redington/Getty Images
By
Brent Kelley
Brent Kelley
Brent Kelley is an award-winning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism.
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Updated on 07/21/19

The Open Championship—often called the British Open by Americans—has been contested since 1860, when Willie Park Sr. won the inaugural event. Little did he, or the other seven golfers who competed, know that the tournament that year at Prestwick would grow to become golf's oldest and arguably most prestigious major championship.

Most Frequent Winners

Park and the man he beat in that first British Open by two strokes, Old Tom Morris, are among those golfers who have won the Open Championship multiple times, but they did not win the most titles. That honor goes to Harry Vardon, who earned six Open titles. 

In 2009 at the age of 59, Tom Watson nearly equaled Vardon's achievement. He was tied with Stewart Cink at the end of regulation but lost the playoff that would have given him his sixth title.

A complete list of those with more than one victory follows:

  • 6 wins - Harry Vardon, 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911, 1914
  • 5 wins - James Braid, 1901, 1905, 1906, 1908, 1910
  • 5 wins - J.H. Taylor, 1894, 1895, 1900, 1909, 1913
  • 5 wins - Peter Thomson, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1965
  • 5 wins - Tom Watson, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983
  • 4 wins - Old Tom Morris, Young Tom Morris, Willie Park Sr., Walter Hagen, Bobby Locke
  • 3 wins - Jamie Anderson, Bob Ferguson, Bobby Jones, Henry Cotton, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Tiger Woods
  • 2 wins - Bob Martin, Willie Park Jr., Harold Hilton, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Greg Norman, Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els

British Open Champions

Here are all the winners in Open Championship history. Amateurs who have won are indicated by "a."

2019 - Shane Lowry
2018 - Francesco Molinari
2017 - Jordan Spieth
2016 - Henrik Stenson
2015 - Zach Johnson
2014 - Rory McIlroy
2013 - Phil Mickelson
2012 - Ernie Els
2011 - Darren Clarke
2010 - Louis Oosthuizen
2009 - Stewart Cink
2008 - Padraig Harrington
2007 - Padraig Harrington
2006 - Tiger Woods
2005 - Tiger Woods
2004 - Todd Hamilton
2003 - Ben Curtis
2002 - Ernie Els
2001 - David Duval
2000 - Tiger Woods
1999 - Paul Lawrie
1998 - Mark O'Meara
1997 - Justin Leonard
1996 - Tom Lehman
1995 - John Daly
1994 - Nick Price
1993 - Greg Norman
1992 - Nick Faldo
1991 - Ian Baker-Finch
1990 - Nick Faldo
1989 - Mark Calcavecchia
1988 - Seve Ballesteros
1987 - Nick Faldo
1986 - Greg Norman
1985 - Sandy Lyle
1984 - Seve Ballesteros
1983 - Tom Watson
1982 - Tom Watson
1981 - Bill Rogers
1980 - Tom Watson
1979 - Seve Ballesteros
1978 - Jack Nicklaus
1977 - Tom Watson
1976 - Johnny Miller
1975 - Tom Watson
1974 - Gary Player
1973 - Tom Weiskopf
1972 - Lee Trevino
1971 - Lee Trevino
1970 - Jack Nicklaus
1969 - Tony Jacklin
1968 - Gary Player
1967 - Roberto de Vicenzo
1966 - Jack Nicklaus
1965 - Peter Thomson
1964 - Tony Lema
1963 - Bob Charles
1962 - Arnold Palmer
1961 - Arnold Palmer
1960 - Kel Nagle
1959 - Gary Player
1958 - Peter Thomson
1957 - Bobby Locke
1956 - Peter Thomson
1955 - Peter Thomson
1954 - Peter Thomson
1953 - Ben Hogan
1952 - Bobby Locke
1951 - Max Faulkner
1950 - Bobby Locke
1949 - Bobby Locke
1948 - Henry Cotton
1947 - Fred Daly
1946 - Sam Snead
1940–45 - Not played
1939 - Richard Burton
1938 - R.A. "Reg" Whitcombe
1937 - Henry Cotton
1936 - Alf Padgham
1935 - Alf Perry
1934 - Henry Cotton
1933 - Denny Shute
1932 - Gene Sarazen
1931 - Tommy Armour
1930 - Bobby Jones (a)
1929 - Walter Hagen
1928 - Walter Hagen
1927 - Bobby Jones (a)
1926 - Bobby Jones (a)
1925 - Jim Barnes
1924 - Walter Hagen
1923 - Arthur Havers
1922 - Walter Hagen
1921 - Jock Hutchison
1920 - George Duncan
1915–19 - Not played
1914 - Harry Vardon
1913 - J.H. Taylor
1912 - Ted Ray
1911 - Harry Vardon
1910 - James Braid
1909 - J.H. Taylor
1908 - James Braid
1907 - Arnaud Massy
1906 - James Braid
1905 - James Braid
1904 - Jack White
1903 - Harry Vardon
1902 - Sandy Herd
1901 - James Braid
1900 - J.H. Taylor
1899 - Harry Vardon
1898 - Harry Vardon
1897 - Harold "Hal" Hilton (a)
1896 - Harry Vardon
1895 - J.H. Taylor
1894 - J.H. Taylor
1893 - William Auchterlonie
1892 - Harold "Hal" Hilton (a)
1891 - Hugh Kirkaldy
1890 - John Ball (a)
1889 - Willie Park Jr.
1888 - Jack Burns
1887 - Willie Park Jr.
1886 - David Brown
1885 - Bob Martin
1884 - Jack Simpson
1883 - Willie Fernie
1882 - Bob Ferguson
1881 - Bob Ferguson
1880 - Bob Ferguson
1879 - Jamie Anderson
1878 - Jamie Anderson
1877 - Jamie Anderson
1876 - Bob Martin
1875 - Willie Park Sr.
1874 - Mungo Park
1873 - Tom Kidd
1872 - Young Tom Morris
1871 - Not played
1870 - Young Tom Morris
1869 - Young Tom Morris
1868 - Young Tom Morris
1867 - Old Tom Morris
1866 - Willie Park Sr.
1865 - Andrew Strath
1864 - Old Tom Morris
1863 - Willie Park Sr.
1862 - Old Tom Morris
1861 - Old Tom Morris
1860 - Willie Park Sr.