0 pounds was on offer for the first three Open Championships (1860-61-62).
2 Claret Jugs have been lifted by eight players including Greg Norman.
3 left-handers have won The Open Championship – Kiwi Bob Charles (1963), Phil Mickelson (2013) and Brian Harman (2023). And 3 is the number of decades spanning Gary Player’s Open victories – 1959, 1968 and 1974.
4 is the number of successive victories by Tom Morris Jr (1868-1872). There was no championship in 1871.
5 Aussies have won the Open – Peter Thomson, Kel Nagle, Greg Norman, Ian Baker-Finch and Cam Smith.
6 is the record number of Open victories by Harry Vardon between 1896-1914.
8 Eight is the number of players who contested the first Open in 1860.
9 is the number of times Royal Troon has hosted the Open. This year will be the 10th.
10 pounds was the total prizemoney for the Open in 1863.
13 strokes is the biggest winning margin by Old Tom Morris in 1862. The event was played over 36 holes.
14 years old was The Open’s youngest competitor, Tom Morris Jr, in 1865.
Kel Nagle, the Open champion in 1960 and one of five Australians to win the Open Championship.
15 countries can claim at least one of their players has won an Open – the US, Scotland, England, Australia, South Africa, Jersey, Spain, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Argentina, France, New Zealand, Sweden, Italy and Zimbabwe.
21 is the number to times The Open has been decided in a playoff.
24 will be the number of consecutive Open appearances Adam Scott will reach this year since his debut in 2000.
31 is the number of consecutive Open Championship appearances Ernie Els has made to date.
46 is the record number of times Gary Player has contested The Open – the first in 1957 and the last in 2001.
61 years America had to wait until it got its first Open champion – Jock Hutchison in 1921.
65 pounds ($120) is what it costs to hire a caddie at Royal Troon.
74 years old was The Open’s oldest competitor, Tom Morris Snr, in 1896.
95 pounds ($180) is the cost to watch the opening round at Royal Troon and increases by $10 each day.
123 yards (112m) is the shortest hole in Open history – the Postage Stamp eighth hole at Royal Troon.
264 is the record winning total in The Open’s history set by Swede Henrik Stenson at Royal Troon in 2015.
365 pounds ($693) is the green fees at Royal Troon.
623 yards (569m) is the longest hole in Open history – the par-5 sixth at Royal Troon.
1860 was the year The Open Championship was first played.
7385 yards (6753m) is the length of the Royal Troon par-71 course.
3,000,000 US dollars is the prizemoney Brian Harman banked for winning the Open last year.
16,500,000 pounds ($A32m) is the prize purse for this year’s Open Championship.
Chief writer David Newbery has been living, breathing and writing and editing golf for more than 30 years. His extensive knowledge of the game comes from covering golf around the world. Hired by Inside Golf in 2009, David previously worked as the editor of The Golfer for 25 years and before that worked for numerous daily newspapers in Australia and overseas. The Brisbane-based journalist describes his golf game as “a work in progress”, but has had the privilege of playing golf with some of the game’s best players including nine-time major winner Gary Player. David enjoys travelling, reading, music, photography and spending time with family and friends – on and off the golf course. 
