Sports History On This Day: May 20

May 20, 1897 – At just the second-ever playing of the British Open Men’s Golf, an amateur player took the tournament. Englishman Harold Hilton won the Open title by overcoming Scotland’s James Braid by 1 stroke at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club. There have been only six times in history that an amateur has won the Open.

The British Open is the oldest golf tournament in the world and one of the most respected. Originally it was founded in 1860 and was held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland.

Years later in 1873, the venue started to rotate among a select group of coastal links golf courses in the United Kingdom including St. Andrews, Musselburgh, Muirfield, Royal St. Georges, and others. Winners now get to claim the trophy known as the Claret Jug.