1862 Open Championship: Tom Morris Sr wins at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links)
Tom Morris Sr won the 1862 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Scotland with 163, by 13 strokes over Willie Park Sr.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1862 in The Open room, or every year on The Open winners list.
- Dates
- 11 September 1862
- Course
- Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Scotland
- Edition
- 3rd Open Championship
- Format
- 36 holes of stroke play
- Field
- 8
- Trophy
- Challenge Belt
- Champion
- Tom Morris Sr · age 41 · Scotland · born St Andrews, Scotland
- Champion's title
- 2nd Open title
- How he got in
- open entry (no qualifying)
- Winning score
- 52-55-56 = 163 · won by 13 strokes
- Runner-up
- Willie Park Sr (176)
- Leader entering the final round
- Tom Morris Sr (107)
- Final-day weather
- fine: "In fine September weather, Morris opened with a 52" (single day of play)
- Low amateur
- James Knight (186)
Top 6 as recorded
| Pos. | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Morris Sr | 52 | 55 | 56 | 163 |
| 2 | Willie Park Sr | 59 | 59 | 58 | 176 |
| 3 | Charlie Hunter | 60 | 60 | 58 | 178 |
| 4 | William Dow | 60 | 58 | 63 | 181 |
| 5 | James Knight (a) | 62 | 61 | 63 | 186 |
| 6 | J.F. Johnston (a) | 64 | 69 | 75 | 208 |
What happened at the 1862 Open Championship
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.
Morris won by 13 strokes and no source names a decisive hole.
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).