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.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network
Conflict of Interest: The Summer of Jan Opperman
In the seventh episode of “Tim Coffeen Talks Indy Car and Racing History,” Tim
1986 New York Giants: The Greatest Season in G-Men History?
The New York Giants joined the National Football League in 1925. From that time
Sports History On This Day: August 16
August 16, 1920 – It was a truly tragic day in MLB history. A pitch
Fantasy Football? When Halas Played Rockne (Great Lakes vs. Notre Dame 1918)
With electronic, board, and online fantasy games extremely popular for both football and baseball
Sports History On This Day: August 15
August 15, 1971 – It wasn’t exactly the easiest and most rewarding way to win
Sports History On This Day: August 14
August 14, 1936 – If I gave you a final sports score of 19-8 what
Sports History On This Day: August 13
August 13, 1910 – A mirror image on the baseball diamond? The Brooklyn Superbas and the
Sports History On This Day: August 12
August 12, 1948 – This really had to be a fun game to witness. Amazingly the Cleveland