Letter from Prestwick: Home to the  first 'Open' Championship

While it's approaching a century since Prestwick last played host to the Open, the R&A has allowed the club to market its own merchandise with the Open logo and its distinction as '1st'

A view of the approach to the green on the par 4, 17th hole 'Alps'1 at Prestwick Golf Club. 

Prestwick - No doubt you’ve heard ad nauseum that this will be the 150th playing of the Open Championship at the Old Course. The hype has been incessant for years, with an extra season of buildup added courtesy of COVID-19 that pushed the celebration at St. Andrews into 2022.

Technically, however, that “150th” emblazoned across the bleachers lining both sides of the Old Course is incorrect. It’s really only the 149th “open” championship. This might be the 150th tournament to determine the “champion golfer of the year, dating back to 17 October 1860, but that first playing wasn’t “open.” The original “Challenge Belt” was closed to only eight professional golfers and won by Willie Park Snr.