In all of sports, this trophy is among the most recognizable.
The renowned Claret Jug, which will be awarded to the victor of the 152nd Open Championship today, is recognizable even to non-golfers. But trophies haven’t always been awarded to the tournament victor.
The first prize of the competition actually more closely resembled the Masters, another major in the sport. However, the winner was given a Challenge Belt made of red Morocco leather with silver buckles and emblems in place of a Green Jacket.
The belt would become the property of the player who won The Open, which was first played in 1860, three times in a row. In 1868 and 1870, young Tom Morris accomplished just that.
The event was postponed in 1871 because there was no trophy or belt to be won. However, the three clubs that hosted the Championship—Prestwick, the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, and The Royal & Ancient Golf Club at St Andrews—agreed to work things out the following year.
They agreed that instead of another belt, the new trophy would be a silver claret jug, and that the winner would get a medal. Each of the three clubs would also pay £10 toward its purchase. Originally designed to resemble 19th-century jugs that held Bordeaux-style red wine, it was officially known as the Golf Champion Trophy.
The new trophy wasn’t finished, so Morris, the winner from 1872, couldn’t receive it. Instead, Tom Kidd, the winner from 1873, received it. The Morris family donated the original Challenge Belt to the home of golf, and the original trophy was awarded until 1927, when it was displayed at St Andrews.
When Walter Hogan won the 1928 competition, a duplicate of the trophy was given out. Winners get to keep that version for a year or until the end of their reign, after which they will receive another replica to keep.
Three more official replica jugs are available. The British Museum of Golf in St Andrews houses one, and traveling exhibitions use the other two.
It was anyone’s guess up until the final who would win this year’s claret jug. At Royal Troon, the top 24 players were separated by just six shots on a crowded leaderboard, with American Billy Horschel leading a six-way tie with British qualifier Dan Brown.