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Old Tom Morris

Scotland · born , St Andrews, Scotland · died

4major championships

Summary

  • First major 1861 The Open
  • Last major 1867 The Open
  • Runner-up in majors 3 times

Wins

  1. 1861 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · 163 · by 4 strokes from Willie Park Sr
  2. 1862 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · 163 · by 13 strokes from Willie Park Sr
  3. 1864 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · 167 · by 2 strokes from Andrew Strath
  4. 1867 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · 170 · by 2 strokes from Willie Park Sr

Near misses

  1. 1860 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · runner-up to Willie Park Sr · 176
  2. 1863 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · runner-up to Willie Park Sr · 170
  3. 1865 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · finished 5 · 174
  4. 1866 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · finished 4 · 178
  5. 1868 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · runner-up to Tom Morris Jr · 157
  6. 1869 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · finished 6 · 176
  7. 1870 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · finished 4 · 162
  8. 1872 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · finished T4 · 179
  9. 1873 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished 7 · 189
  10. 1876 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished T4 · 185
  11. 1880 The Open Musselburgh Links (9-hole) · finished 10 · 175
  12. 1881 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · finished T5 · 181
  13. 1883 The Open Musselburgh Links (9-hole) · finished T10 · 167

Rivals

Beat him

Next in the chain: Willie Park Sr's rivals →

Moments

  1. 1861 Open At the last, Morris played his ball from long grass beside a rain pool instead of taking a penalty drop, and closed with 53.
  2. 1861 Open Park's attempt to carry the Alps in two at the 2nd in the final round found a hazard and cost him three strokes.
  3. 1862 Open Morris's 13-stroke margin is still the largest winning margin in Open history.
  4. 1862 Open Stung by the margin, Park challenged Morris to an eight-round head-to-head match, which Morris won by 17 holes.
  5. 1864 Open Morris received £6, the first cash prize paid to an Open champion, as well as a year's custody of the Belt.
  6. 1864 Open Andrew Strath was the first player other than Park or Morris to finish in the top two.
  7. 1867 Open Aged 46 years 102 days, Old Tom became the oldest Open champion, a record that still stands.
  8. 1867 Open Morris kept the ball low in the wind with a flat-faced driver-putter borrowed from Colonel Fairlie.

Records and firsts

  1. 1862 Open largest winning margin · 13
  2. — Open oldest champion · 46 years 102 days (1867)

Results by championship

    Best day

    1862 The Open

    Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · 163 · by 13 strokes from Willie Park Sr

    Morris's 13-stroke margin is still the largest winning margin in Open history.

    Stung by the margin, Park challenged Morris to an eight-round head-to-head match, which Morris won by 17 holes.

    Record: largest winning margin · 13

    Chosen by rule: the major win our record tables single out. Year page: 1862.

    Career line, 1860–1883

    The Open
    1860 The Open: runner-up to Willie Park Sr1861 The Open: won1862 The Open: won1863 The Open: runner-up to Willie Park Sr1864 The Open: won1865 The Open: finished 51866 The Open: finished 41867 The Open: won1868 The Open: runner-up to Tom Morris Jr1869 The Open: finished 61870 The Open: finished 41872 The Open: finished T41873 The Open: finished 71876 The Open: finished T41880 The Open: finished 101881 The Open: finished T51883 The Open: finished T10
    18601865187018751880

    17 results. Hover or tap a mark; click it for the year.

    • Major win
    • Runner-up
    • Top 10

    Old Tom Morris was born on June 16, 1821, in St Andrews, Scotland. Morris won 4 major championships: 4 Open Championships (1861, 1862, 1864, 1867).

    See Old Tom Morris in our rooms: The Open and Every Ground.

    Cards you pull this visit stack here. Tap one to go back to it.

    The record

    Wins in the majors (4)

    1. 1861 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · 163 · by 4 strokes from Willie Park Sr
    2. 1862 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · 163 · by 13 strokes from Willie Park Sr
    3. 1864 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · 167 · by 2 strokes from Andrew Strath
    4. 1867 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · 170 · by 2 strokes from Willie Park Sr

    Near misses

    Top-10 finishes are listed for The Open, the one championship with a full top 10 every year.

    1. 1860 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · runner-up to Willie Park Sr · 176
    2. 1863 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · runner-up to Willie Park Sr · 170
    3. 1865 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · finished 5 · 174
    4. 1866 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · finished 4 · 178
    5. 1868 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · runner-up to Tom Morris Jr · 157
    6. 1869 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · finished 6 · 176
    7. 1870 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · finished 4 · 162
    8. 1872 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · finished T4 · 179
    9. 1873 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished 7 · 189
    10. 1876 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished T4 · 185
    11. 1880 The Open Musselburgh Links (9-hole) · finished 10 · 175
    12. 1881 The Open Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links) · finished T5 · 181
    13. 1883 The Open Musselburgh Links (9-hole) · finished T10 · 167

    Records and firsts

    Rows from our record tables that name this player, worded as the tables word them.

    1. 1862 Open largest winning margin · 13
    2. — Open oldest champion · 46 years 102 days (1867)

    Sources

    Elsewhere: DBpedia.

    Every fact on this page comes from Golf Network News data sets compiled in October 2026 (Masters, PGA Championship, The Open, U.S. Women's Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Tour 2024–2026, major host sites, Champions Dinner menus, and the U.S. Open and state rooms). These are the sources those rows cite.

    1. where2golf
    2. R&A player
    3. St Andrews Heritage Trail
    4. DBpedia: Old Tom Morris
    5. R&A 1861
    6. GC 1861
    7. R&A 1862
    8. GC 1862
    9. R&A 1864
    10. GC 1864
    11. R&A 1867
    12. GC 1867
    13. R&A 1865
    14. R&A 1866
    15. R&A 1869
    16. Golf Compendium 1869
    17. R&A 1870
    18. Golf Compendium 1870
    19. R&A 1872
    20. Golf Compendium 1872
    21. R&A 1873
    22. R&A 1876
    23. R&A 1880
    24. R&A 1881
    25. R&A 1883
    26. Today's Golfer