Welcome to our “virtual” Open Championship Facts & Trivia Quiz!
The ultimate test of even the most seasoned golf aficionados Claret Jug knowledge!
Our 18-hole quiz course is laid out in the same par format as the Royal Troon links – host of the 152nd Open.
Read on below to discover how you get points then compare your score against Par for the Course!
Alternatively you can also now try our Ryder Cup Facts and Trivia Quiz here.
Each question, or hole, is given a par rating depending on difficulty with a par 5 being the hardest and a par 3 a little easier.
You score points equivalent to the “par” dificulty and then according to your total we’ll let you know how you’ve scored against your fellow golf fans and if you’re a Champion Golfer or have missed the cut!
So if you’re up to the challenge, grab your lucky pencil, slip on your favorite golf hat and maybe a refreshment then please step onto the virtual tee-box.
Let’s get started and test your knowledge of Open Championship facts and trivia! ⛳️💥
Hole #1 – Par 4: What year was the first Open Championship held?
A: 1860
B: 1854
C: 1870
D: 1901
If you answered A: 1860 – congratualtions you’ve opened your round of our Open Championship Facts Quiz with a solid 4 point par!
Hole #2 – Par 4: Which course has hosted the most Open Championships?
A: Prestwick
B: Muirfield
C: St Andrews Old Course
D: Royal St Georges
Answer: C – St Andrews Old Course
St Andrews Old Course has hosted 30 Open Championships to date – more than any other course. In second place is Prestwick with 24 Championships between 1860 and 1924.
Outside Scotland Royal St Georges has held the most Championships with 15 putting them 4th on the overall list behind St Andrews, Prestwick and Muirfield.
Add 4 to your par total if you went for the most famous golf courses in the world at St Andrews!
Hole #3 – Par 4: Who was the first US born golfer to win the Open Championship?
A: Jack Falls Hutchison
B: Ben Hogan
C: Bobby Jones
D: Walter Hagen
Answer: D – Walter Hagen
While Jack “Jock” Falls Hutchison (below) was officially a US based player when he won his second major Championship at St Andrews in 1921 – as his nickname suggests – he was actually born in Fife Scotland.
The following year Walter Hagen became the first US born player to be crowned Champion Golfer at Royal St George’s.
If you didn’t fall for the trick question and chose Hagen mark your scorecard with another 4 points!
Hole #4 – Par 5: What did the winner of first Open Championship receive as a prize?
A: A Silver Tankard
B: A Claret Jug
C: A Leather Belt
D: A Mashie Niblick
Answer: C – Leather belt
The winner of the first Open Championship won a red leather belt with a silver buckle – shown below.
The belt was donated by the Earl of Erlington.
It is thought to be worth about £25 – equivalent to about £3900 today!
It was replaced by the Gold Medal from 1872, which winners still receive, with the Claret Jug first introduced in 1873.
If you answered option C: Add a par 5 points to your tally!
What does the 2023 Open Champion Win?
The winner of the 151st Open at Royal Liverpool will take home not only the Claret Jug (well a replica anyway!), but a cheque for £3 million – the biggest in Open history!
Victory also gives the Champion entry to Open Championships until the age of 60, and entry to the next ten Opens, even if over the age of 60.
The winner also receives:
- entry to the next five Masters, US PGA and US Open tournaments
- five-year membership to both the DP World Tour and PGA Tour – or whatever the new golfing world tours look like!
- automatic invitation to three of the five senior majors once the winner turns 50, with a one-year invitation to the US Senior Open and a lifetime invitation to the Senior PGA Championship and Senior Open Championship.
- 100 Official World Golf Ranking points and the 600 FedEx Cup points – which should see them through to the respective Tours end of season play-offs and finales! (if they are eligible!).
Hole #5 – Par 3: Which of these players is the only one to have won the Open Championship three years in a row?
A: Tom Watson
B: Peter Thomson
C: Tiger Woods
D: Jack Nicklaus
Answer: B – Peter Thomson
The only man to achieve the three-year hat-trick since the dawn of the 20th century is Peter Thomson.
He was also the first Australian to become Champion Golfer and went on to win four in five years. Thomson also had a remarkable streak of finishing either first or second for seven championships in a row.
There has to be an arguement that this often overlooked Champ could be the best Open Championship player of all time?
If you went for Thomson over the other three multiple Champions add 3 par points to your Open Championship Facts Quiz scorecard!
Hole #6 – Par 5: Which of these South African golfer has won the most Open Championships?
A: Gary Player
B: Bobby Locke
C: Ernie Els
D: Louis Oosthuizen
Answer: B – Bobby Locke
Although he is a 9 time major champion Gary Player is not the most successful South African golfer at the Open Champioship.
That mantle goes to Bobby Locke who is a four time champion. Player comes in with three titles. Els with two and Oosthuizen has one Open Championship to his name so far.
Par 5 points to your Open Championship Facts Quiz scorecard if you answered Bobbly Locke
Hole #7 – Par 4: Which golfer prevented 59-year-old Tom Watson becoming the oldest winner of the Claret Jug by beating Watson in a play-off in 2009?
A: Jack Nicklaus
B: Retief Goosen
C: Justin Leonard
D: Stewart Cink
Answer: D – Stewart Cink
Tom Watson captured the golfing world over the final two rounds of the 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry.
After a final round birdie on 17, Watson needed a par four at the 18th to win, his approach shot took a hard bounce and rolled well over the green.
Watson was unable to get up and down carded a bogey and entered into a four-hole playoff with Stewart Cink the clubhouse leader.
On 17th Watson’s dream turned to a nightmare when he scored a double-bogey. Cink won the playoff by 6 shots to take his first major Championship.
A memory testing 4 par points if you remembered Tom and most of the golfing world’s dream were sunk by Cink!
Hole #8 – Par 3: Who has finished in second place the most times in Open Championship history?
A: Jack Nicklaus
B: Arnold Palmer
C: Lee Westwood
D: J.H. Taylor
Answer: A – Jack Nicklaus
Although he has won the Open Championship 3 times the Golden Bear Jack Nicklaus holds the record of being a 7 time runner-up!
Of those 7 second places twice Nicklaus has done it back-to-back!
Here are the years he almost got his hands on that Claret Jug 1964, 1967, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1979
Pencil in a par 3 points for a correct Jack answer!
Moments in Open Championship History: Duel in the Sun!
Watch highlights from one of the greatest final days in the history of The Open as Jack Nicklaus & Tom Watson battle it out at Turnberry in 1977
Hole #9 – Par 4: Which multiple Major champion won his only Open in 2013?
A: Phil Mickelson
B: Zach Johnson
C: David Duval
D: Jordan Spieth
Answer: A – Phil Mickelson
Perhaps not the most popular golfer these days after the whole LIV Golf situation but 6 time Major winner Phil Mickelson has only won the Open Champioship once – in 2013!
Played at Muirfield Mickelson came from 5 shots back in the final round to beat the field by 3 shots in an amazing closing 18 holes. Henrick Stenson came in second followed by Ian Poulter, Adam Scott and Lee Westwood who were all tied for third. That’s a pretty heavy future LIV contingent in the top 3 spots!
Close the outward 9 holes with 4 par points on your scorecard if you answered Phil!
End of the Front 9 – Take a Break!
Time to take a break at our spectacular halfway house and reflect on your outward 9 holes!
How’s your scorecard looking for our 18 Hole Open Championship Facts & Trivia Quiz?
From our early entries we reckon a 9 hole score of between 28 and 32 is about par for the course!
If you have 32 to 36 points you’re looking good at the turn, lower than 28 and you may need to sharpen your putter for the back 9!
The trickiest holes to score on seem to be the two par 5’s on holes 3 & 8 plus the tough par 4 5th!
Good luck for the homeward 9 hope you’re feeling refreshed, grab some snacks and get ready to tackle some pretty tricky holes to come!
Hole #10 – Par 4: After the infamous “make it stop” events on the 72nd hole at Carnoustie in 1999, who was the “third man” in the three-way play-off with eventual Champion Paul Lawrie and Jean Van de Velde?
A: David Duval
B: Thomas Bjorn
C: Mark O’Meara
D: Justin Leonard
Answer: D – Justin Leonard
Thanks to Van de Velde the 1999 Open Championship will always have a place on the list of the biggest collapses in sport! USA today listed as the 4th worst sporting collapses of all time! (just ahead of Greg Norman at the 1996 Masters!)
Going into the final round the Frenchman held a five shot lead and after a solid last 17 holes he stood on the 18th tee needing just a double-bogey to become only the second Frenchman to win the Claret Jug!
Everyone knows what happened next which eventually led to Scotsman Paul Lawrie becoming a surprise Champion Golfer after a play-off that also involved US 1997 Open Championship winner Justin Leonard!
If you answered option D – 4 par points for your knowledge of one of the most famous moments in Open Championship history!
Watch as Jean Van Der Velde Relives the Horrors of Carnoustie Years Later!
Hole #11 – Par 4: Why in the Open of 2001 at Royal Lytham & St Annes, was Ian Woosnam penalised when in a share of the lead at the start of the final round?
A: He played the wrong ball out of the rough on the first hole
B: He hit his tee shot out of bounds on the first hole
C: He was late to the first tee for his allocated tee time
D: He had too many clubs in his bag
Answer: D – too many clubs!
At the 2001 British Open Ian Woosnam was in contention to win his first open at Royal Lytham & St. Anne’s.
He was tied for the lead with three others after the third round. On the final day he started his round with a birdie at the opening par 3.
Then the drama began. His caddie, Myles Byrne, came up to him and said, “You’re going to go ballistic” – “We’ve got two drivers in the bag!”. That meant Woosnam was carrying 15 clubs instead of the maximum allowance of 14. When he immediately fessed up to the oversight he received a two-stroke penalty. Understandably, realtions between player and caddie were a little frosty for the next few holes but they recovered to finish third.
Despite Byrne, being responsible for the error, Woosnam decided at the time not to dismiss him saying “It is the biggest mistake he will make in his life. He won’t do it again. He’s a good caddie. I am not going to sack him. He’s a good lad.”
However, Woosnam did dismiss his caddie two weeks later when, after a night drinking on the town, Byrne failed to turn up to tee-time. He was last heard of working in the building industry!
Give yourself 4 more par points if you correctly remembered this heart-breaking moment for one of British golf’s most popular players.
Hole #12 – Par 4: Who was the first golfer to take home over $1 million first prize for winning the Open Championship?
A: Zach Johnson in 2015
B: Rory McIlroy in 2014
C: Henrik Stenson in 2016
D: Ernie Els in 2012
Answer: A – Zach Johnson
2015 was the first time the winners prize money broke through the seven-figure barrier making Zach Johnson the first million pound Champion.
Not bad considering that in 1978 Jack Nicklaus won his last Open title and just £12,500! (about £64,000 in 2015 money)
4 par points for answer A
Hole #13 – Par 4: Which of these countries has produced more than one Open Champion golfer?
A: 🇪🇸 Spain
B: 🇮🇪 Republic of Ireland
C: 🇸🇪 Sweden
D: 🇫🇷 France
Answer: B – Republic of Ireland
Spain, France & Sweden have all had a long list of high performing major golfers but each has only had one Open Champion – the great three time winner Seve Ballesterous for Spain, Arnaud Massy for France in 1907 and Henrik Stensen is still Sweden’s only Champ.
The Republic of Ireland has had three winners but only two different Champions with Padraig Harrington winning back-to-back titles in 2007 & 2008 followed by Shane Lowry in 2019.
4 par points if you selected the emerald isle 🇮🇪 and didn’t fall for the Spanish trap!
Hole #14 – Par 3: The 2017 Open Championship held at Royal Birkdale was memorable for many reasons but which of these events also made it special?
A: It was the first time someone won after leading wire-to-wire
B: It was the first time Sky Sports televised an Open Championship
C: It was the first time prize money was paid in US Dollars rather than Pounds Sterling
D: It was the first time the Champion golfer also broke the record for the lowest 18 hole score in a Major
Answer C: It was the first time prize money was paid in US Dollars rather than Pounds Sterling
Up until 2017 the Champion Golfer was always paid in pounds sterling. The Open was one of the few tournaments across the golfing globe not to use the US Dollar as it’s prize currency. But finally the R&A accepted the fact that it made financial sense to convert given most of the top golfers in the World lived and plied their trade in the US.
As winner Jordan Speith was the first beneficiary of this change and could slip his cash straight into his savings account rather than have to go through XE.com and have to mess about with currency exchange fees!
4 par points for answer C – it’s all about the Benjamins!
Hole #15 – Par 4: Which year and course combination did Tiger Woods win his latest Open Championship?
A: 2006 at Royal Liverpool
B: 2005 at Royal Birkdale
C: 2013 at Muirfield
D: 2016 at Royal Troon
Answer A: 2006 at Royal Liverpool
Tiger’s last Open Championship win was his third in six years and a back-to-back victory after he also took the title in 2005 at St Andrews.
Having held the lead since the second round Woods held off Chris DiMarco, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, and Sergio García for a two-shot victory.
Many will remember the final green scenes as a tearful Woods hugged caddie Steve Williams – this was his first Major win following the death of his father a few weeks earlier.
4 par points if you added answer A to your card
Hole #16 – Par 5: Which golfer is awarded the Tooting Bec Cup at the Open Championship?
A: The lowest scoring amateur golfer
B: The highest finishing PGA Tour member
C: The PGA member who records the lowest single round during the championship
D: The golfer who wins the Open Championship and the US Open in same calendar year
Answer C
Maximum 5 par points for a correct answer to a tricky question
Hole #17 – Par 3: Who was the last player to win the Open Championship with a 72 hole over par total final score?
A: Ben Curtis at Royal St George’s
B: Paul Lawrie at Carnoustie
C: Mark O’Meara at Royal Birkdale
D: Padraig Harrington at Royal Birkdale
Answer D: Padraig Harrington at Royal Birkdale in 2008 (+3)
The second leg of Harrington’s back-to-back Open wins was the last time the Championship was won with an over par score. Since then the average winning number has been -12. According to the winners scores Royal Birkdale and Royal St George’s seem to have the most winners scores over par.
Ominously for competitors in this years tournament the highest winning total for an Open Champion is +21 carded by Northern Irishman Fred Daly in 1947. The course where the Championship was held that year?…Royal Liverpool!
However, more encouragingly the average score for the last three winners at Royal Liverpool has been -15 so on that basis anyone with a total 72 hole score around 272 or less should be in for a shout this year.
Pencil in a tricky 3 par points if you gave Padraig as your answer
Hole #18 – Par 4: 2023 at Royal Liverpool will be the 151st Open Championship but who won the last Open to be hosted at the course?
A: Tiger Woods
B: Rory Mcilroy
C: Ernie Els
D: Tom Lehman
Answer B: Rory Mcilroy in 2014
Rory’s only Open Championship so far came at Royal Liverpool in 2014 when he won by 2 strokes from Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia.
With his recent form and finishes plus the story post his Masters missed cut we think this year could be his time again although there will be fierce competition from some of the leading US golfers such as Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Speith. Jon Rahm and defending Champ Cam Smith may not be far away come the final 9 holes. For two outsiders who seem to be back in form how about Tommy Fleetwood and Rickie Fowler?
Add a final 4 par points for Rory and 4 more if he is lifting the Claret Jug on 23 July at Royal Liverpool!
Open Championship Facts & Trivia Quiz – How Did You Score?
Congratulations on making it back to our virtual Clubhouse and completing your scorecard!
Let’s see how you scored…
Par for the Course: Currently from results we’ve seen it’s looking like par score is around 60 Par Points, so anything above that is a great score!
68-72: Champion Golfer Standard
62-67: Play-off contention
56-61: Made the cut
55 or below: Unfortunately, you’ve missed the cut!
We hope you had some fun on our virtual Royal Troon quiz course, but If you’re not happy with your scorecard and would like to top up your Open Championship knowledge then we suggest you visit here first or watch the video below for just about everything you’d need to know and probably a bit more you don’t!
Enjoy the 2024 Open- we’re endlessly rooting for another Rory win, but mostly for a mainly rain free, competitive and memorable few days viewing the 152nd Open Championship!