Golf Compendium

In the very long history of the British Open, only one golfer so far has played the first two rounds* in fewer than 130 strokes. That record-holder is Louis Oothuiszen. But that record-setter did not go on to victory.

Billy Maxwell was a winner at the highest levels of amateur and professional golf. He claimed the U.S. Amateur in the early 1950s, and won on the PGA Tour in the 1950s and 1960s.

The British Open first used a cut after the second round in 1898, and in 1926 a 36-hole cut became standard. Since the cut was introduced, how many defending champions played the following year but failed to make the cut? Not many, although defending champs missing the cut happened more often in recent decades.

The 2027 U.S. Senior Open will be the 47th time this major championship of senior (ages 50-and-over) golf is played. The tournament, staged by the United States Golf Association (USGA), dates to 1980.

Among all the winners of the Senior Players Championship, who has won it with the lowest score? Two golfers share that record, and one of them is Jack Nicklaus.

In the long history of the British Open, a handful of golfers have led by six strokes or more following the third round. And all of them went on to win. But only three of them extended their margins over the second-place golfer(s) in the final round.

If you want to win the British Open, you (usually) have to play well in the final round. The Open champions listed below are the ones who played best in the final round — the ones who scored the lowest in Round 4 en route to victory.

The 2028 British Open will be the 156th edition of this oldest major championship — it dates to 1860 — in men's professional golf. Officially named The Open Championship, the tournament is run by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (the R&A).

How many golfers have won the U.S. Senior Open by leading, or at least sharing the lead, after all four rounds? Such start-to-finish wins, called winning wire-to-wire, are not very common in this major championship of men's senior golf. Only two golfers have won the U.S. Senior Open by holding the outright, solo lead after each round.