The Open Championship
 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1860 |
| Course | courses |
| Organised by | The R&A |
| Tours | European Tour PGA Tour Japan Golf Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | US$17,750,000 |
| Month played | July |
| Website | theopen.com |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 264 Henrik Stenson (2016) |
| To par | −20 Henrik Stenson (2016) −20 Cameron Smith (2022) |
| Current champion | |
 Ryan Fox | |
| Current tournament | |
 2026 Open Championship | |
The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open outside of the UK, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later the venue rotated among a select group of coastal links golf courses in the United Kingdom. It is organised by The R&A.
The Open is one of the four men's major golf championships, the others being the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open. Since the PGA Championship moved to May in 2019, the Open has been chronologically the fourth and final major tournament of the year. It is held in mid-July.
It is called The Open because it is in theory open to all, i.e. professional and amateur golfers. In practice, the current event is a professional tournament in which a small number of the world's leading amateurs also play, by invitation or qualification. The success of the tournament has led to many other open golf tournaments to be introduced around the world.
The winner is named "The Champion Golfer of the Year", a title that dates to the first Open in 1860, and receives the Claret Jug, a trophy first awarded in 1872. The reigning champion is New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, who won the 2026 Open at Royal Birkdale with a score of 270 (10 under par).