1861 Open Championship: Tom Morris Sr wins at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links)
Tom Morris Sr won the 1861 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Scotland with 163, by 4 strokes over Willie Park Sr.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1861 in The Open room, or every year on The Open winners list.
- Dates
- 26 September 1861
- Course
- Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Scotland
- Edition
- 2nd Open Championship
- Format
- 36 holes of stroke play
- Field
- 18
- Trophy
- Challenge Belt
- Champion
- Tom Morris Sr · age 40 · Scotland · born St Andrews, Scotland
- Champion's title
- 1st Open title
- How he got in
- open entry (no qualifying)
- Winning score
- 54-56-53 = 163 · won by 4 strokes
- Runner-up
- Willie Park Sr (167)
- Leader entering the final round
- Willie Park Sr (108) · Tom Morris Sr was 2 strokes back
- Deciding hole
- No. 2, round 3
- Final-day weather
- wet: Water "accumulated in the recent heavy rain" affected Morris's tee shot at the last hole of the final round
- Low amateur
- James Ogilvie Fairlie (184)
Top 10 as recorded
| Pos. | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Morris Sr | 54 | 56 | 53 | 163 |
| 2 | Willie Park Sr | 54 | 54 | 59 | 167 |
| 3 | William Dow | 59 | 58 | 54 | 171 |
| 4 | David Park | 58 | 57 | 57 | 172 |
| 5 | Robert Andrew | 58 | 61 | 56 | 175 |
| 6 | Peter McEwan Sr | 56 | 60 | 62 | 178 |
| 7 | Willie Dunn Sr | 61 | 59 | 60 | 180 |
| 8 | James Ogilvie Fairlie (a) | 184 | |||
| 9 | George Brown | 60 | 65 | 60 | 185 |
| 10 | Robert Chambers Jr (a) | 187 |
What happened at the 1861 Open Championship
At the last, Morris played his ball from long grass beside a rain pool instead of taking a penalty drop, and closed with 53.
Park's attempt to carry the Alps in two at the 2nd in the final round found a hazard and cost him three strokes.
At the 2nd in the final round, Park's attempt to carry the Alps in two landed in a hazard while Morris, playing the hole conservatively, "forged ahead by a stroke" and went on to win by four.
How this was built
Every value is shown as recorded in GNN's The Open data. A value no source confirmed is left out; nothing is estimated. Where sources disagree, the organizer's own record is used.
Data: the-open.json (The Open room's data), with GNN's Open Championship addendum tables L (top ten by round), H (deciding hole), W (final-day weather).