1865 Open Championship: Andrew Strath wins at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links)
Andrew Strath won the 1865 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Scotland with 162, by 2 strokes over Willie Park Sr.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1865 in The Open room, or every year on The Open winners list.
- Dates
- 14 September 1865
- Course
- Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Scotland
- Edition
- 6th Open Championship
- Format
- 36 holes of stroke play
- Purse
- £20
- Trophy
- Challenge Belt
- Champion
- Andrew Strath · Scotland · born St Andrews, Scotland
- Champion's title
- 1st Open title
- How he got in
- open entry (no qualifying)
- Winning score
- 55-54-53 = 162 · won by 2 strokes
- Runner-up
- Willie Park Sr (164)
- Leader entering the final round
- Willie Park Sr (108) · Andrew Strath was 1 stroke back
- Low amateur
- William Doleman (178)
Top 10 as recorded
| Pos. | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrew Strath | 55 | 54 | 53 | 162 |
| 2 | Willie Park Sr | 56 | 52 | 56 | 164 |
| 3 | William Dow | 56 | 61 | 54 | 171 |
| 4 | Bob Kirk | 64 | 54 | 55 | 173 |
| 5 | Tom Morris Sr | 57 | 61 | 56 | 174 |
| 6 | William Doleman (a) | 62 | 57 | 59 | 178 |
| 7 | Robert Andrew | 61 | 59 | 59 | 179 |
| 8 | William Strath | 60 | 62 | 63 | 185 |
| T9 | John Allan | 64 | 66 | 59 | 189 |
| T9 | James Millar (a) | 63 | 60 | 66 | 189 |
What happened at the 1865 Open Championship
Young Tom Morris, aged 14 years 147 days, played his first Open and withdrew after rounds of 60 and 57.
This was the first Open with official printed scorecards.
The Open notes only that "a 5 at the last gave Strath victory with two shots to spare", which is not described as decisive.
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).