The Open Championship

Golf's oldest major championship The Open was first played at Prestwick in 1860. in 1873 it was played on the Old Course for the first time and since then it has been staged a further 27 times at the famous links. Organised by the R&A, The Open continues to grow in popularity with millions of people tuning in to watch on television from all over the world.

Tom Kidd was the first St Andrews champion and some of the game's greatest figures have followed in his footsteps to win at the birthplace of the game. The likes of JH Taylor, James Braid, Bobby Jones, Sam Snead, Peter Thomson, Bobby Locke, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods have won on the Old Course and made their own special contributions to its illustrious history. When Nicklaus waved farewell to his adoring fans from the Swilcan Bridge in his final round of professional golf at the 2005 Open it demonstrated the warmth and affection that both golf legends and fans have for the place where the game started.

The 150th anniversary Open Championship was played on the Old Course in 2010 with young South African Louis Oosthuizen victorious. The Open will return to the Old Course in 2015.