The 2008 British Open

The British Open, more commonly known as the Open Championship, is the oldest of the four men's golf Majors. The Open Championship dates back to the 1860s. In 1872, the Open Championship adopted a new prize called the Claret Trophy, also known as the Golf Championship Trophy. The Claret Trophy was developed by Mackay Cunningham and the Company of Edinburgh.

Prestwick hosted the first twelve British Opens from 1860 to 1872. In 2002, it was held in Muirfield. St. Andrews hosted the Open when Tiger Woods won it in 2005. This year, the British Open was held at Royal Birkdale, Lancashire, England. The Open was played from July 17 to July 20, 2008. This is the ninth championship Birkdale has held. This year, players not only played against each other, but battled Mother Nature and her twenty to fifty mile per hour winds. After day one, only three players had broken par due to heavy rain and high winds. Minus the harsh weather, the 2008 British Open was a complete success, with more than 200,000 in attendance, the second highest at Royal Birkdale.

Day one of the British Open started off with 155 players. Seventy–two players were out of the tournament by the second round. The leaders of this year’s British Open were Padraig Harrington, who won last year’s British Open in Carnoustie with a 277, with a score of 283, Ian Poulter with 287, Henrik Stenson with 289, Gerg Norman with 289, Jim Furyk with 290, and Chris Wood with a 290. The next Open Championship will take place July 16 to July 19, 2009 at the Westin Turnberry Resort in South Ayshire, Scotland.