1863 Open Championship
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 18 September 1863 |
| Location | Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland |
| Course(s) | Prestwick Golf Club |
| Statistics | |
| Field | 14 players |
| Prize fund | ₤10 |
| Winner's share | Nil |
| Champion | |
 Willie Park, Sr. | |
| 168 | |
The 1863 Open Championship was the 4th Open Championship and was again held at Prestwick Golf Club. Willie Park, Sr. won the championship. Eight professionals and six amateurs contested the event in wet and windy weather, with Willie Park, Sr. winning the championship for the second time, by two shots from Tom Morris, Sr..
As is previous years the contest was held over three rounds of the twelve-hole links course. For the first time there was prize money for those finishing 2nd, 3rd and 4th, although the winner only received the Challenge Belt for the next year.
Davie Park, younger brother of Willie, lead after the first round with a score of 55. An excellent second round 54 meant that Willie lead by four strokes. Eventually Willie won by two strokes from Tom Morris, spoiling Tom's attempt at a third consecutive win, which would have given him outright possession of the Challenge Belt, although Morris took the second prize of £5.[1][2]
Final leaderboard
| Place | Player | Country | Score | Money (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Willie Park, Sr. | Scotland |
56-54-58=168 | |
| 2 | Tom Morris, Sr. | Scotland |
56-58-56=170 | 5 |
| 3 | Davie Park | Scotland |
55-63-54=172 | 3 |
| 4 | Andrew Strath | Scotland |
61-55-58=174 | 2 |
| 5 | George Daniel Brown |  England |
58-61-57=176 | |
| 6 | Robert Andrew | Scotland |
62-57-59=178 | |
| 7 | Charlie Hunter | Scotland |
61-61-62=184 | |
| 8 | James Knight (a) | 66-65-59=190 | ||
| 9 | James Miller (a) | 63-63-66=192 | ||
| 10 | James Paxton | Scotland |
65-65-66=196 |
References
- ^ "Willie Park Wins Second Open Title". Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ^ The Majors of Golf: Complete Results of the Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters, 1860-2008, Volume 1 by Morgan G. Brenner, 2009