1870 Open Championship: Tom Morris Jr wins at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links)
Tom Morris Jr won the 1870 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Scotland with 149, by 12 strokes over Bob Kirk and Davie Strath.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1870 in The Open room, or every year on The Open winners list.
- Dates
- 15 September 1870
- Course
- Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Scotland
- Edition
- 11th Open Championship
- Format
- 36 holes of stroke play
- Purse
- £12
- Trophy
- Challenge Belt
- Champion
- Tom Morris Jr · age 19 · Scotland · born St Andrews, Scotland
- Champion's title
- 3rd Open title
- How he got in
- open entry (no qualifying)
- Winning score
- 47-51-51 = 149 · won by 12 strokes
- Runners-up
- Bob Kirk (161), Davie Strath (161)
- Leader entering the final round
- Tom Morris Jr (98)
- Deciding hole
- No. 1, round 1
- Low amateur
- William Doleman (169)
Top 10 as recorded
| Pos. | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Morris Jr | 47 | 51 | 51 | 149 |
| T2 | Bob Kirk | 52 | 52 | 57 | 161 |
| T2 | Davie Strath | 54 | 49 | 58 | 161 |
| 4 | Tom Morris Sr | 56 | 52 | 54 | 162 |
| 5 | William Doleman (a) | 57 | 54 | 58 | 169 |
| 6 | Willie Park Sr | 60 | 55 | 58 | 173 |
| 7 | Jamie Anderson | 59 | 57 | 58 | 174 |
| 8 | John Allan | 61 | 58 | 57 | 176 |
| T9 | A. Doleman (a) | 61 | 59 | 58 | 178 |
| T9 | Charlie Hunter | 58 | 56 | 64 | 178 |
What happened at the 1870 Open Championship
Young Tom made 3 at the 578-yard 1st when his blind 200-yard third shot hit the flagstick and dropped in.
His third straight win gave him permanent ownership of the Belt, which left the Championship without a trophy.
Young Tom made 3 at the 578-yard 1st when his blind 200-yard third hit the flagstick and dropped, and The Open says the roar told his rivals "they may well be playing for second place".
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).