Did You Know There Are Seven Open Championship Trophies to Be Won?

Since 1966 there have been seven trophies that can be awarded

The Claret Jug is displayed during previews for The 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Claret Jug is awarded every year to the winner of The Open Championship. This replaced the belt the winner used to win, but there are seven different trophies to be won.

The Silver Medal is the next best known of the other trophies to be won at The Open, and has been handed out to the amateur with the lowest score since 1949. It is only awarded to someone who has played all four rounds, so it is not awarded if no amateur has made the 36-hole cut. If one or more amateurs miss the cut, they will receive a bronze medal.

The winner of The Open gets a gold medal. The award of a gold medal was first made in 1872.

Up until 1870 The Challenge Belt was awarded to the winner, but when Old Tom Morris won it three times in a row he was allowed to keep this trophy.

There was no Open in 1871. For 1872 a new trophy was to be provided, The Golf Champion Trophy is was called, but it is now known as the Claret Jug. The Claret Jug was not ready when The Open of 1872 was held, so the winner was given a gold medal instead. Thus started the tradition of the winner being also presented with a gold medal. 

The Tooting Bec Cup is in fact another medal rather than an actual cup. In 1924, it has been awarded to the golfer who shoots the lowest round at The Open.

The Ryle Memorial Medal was instigated in 1920 in memory of Arthur Ryle, a former chairman of The PGA, and is awarded to a PGA member who wins The Open.

The Braid-Taylor Memorial Medal is awarded to the PGA member who finishes in the highest position in The Open Championship. It is named after two of the founding members of the PGA, James Braid and J.H. Taylor, and was first awarded in 1966.

Roderick Easdale

Contributing Writer Golf courses and travel are Roderick’s particular interests and he was contributing editor for the first few years of the Golf Monthly Travel Supplement. He writes travel articles and general features for the magazine, travel supplement and website. He also compiles the magazine's crossword. He is a member of Trevose Golf & Country Club and has played golf in around two dozen countries. Cricket is his other main sporting love. He is the author of five books, four of which are still in print: The Novel Life of PG Wodehouse; The Don: Beyond Boundaries; Wally Hammond: Gentleman & Player and England’s Greatest Post-War All Rounder.