British Open winners by year: List of past champions, payouts, major history

It's the oldest of golf's four major tournaments and the only one played abroad, the British Open and its Claret Jug remain one of the most sought-after prizes in golf.

Unlike the other three majors that have all had at least one golfer win multiple titles in the last 10 years, sustained excellence at the British Open is hard to come by. Padraig Harrington is the last golfer to win consecutive titles in 2007 and '08.

Rory McIlroy will look to change that, as for just the second time in British Open history, the tournament will be played outside of Scotland or England at Royal Portrush. McIlroy set the course record there as a 16-year-old with a 61 and already has one British Open victory (2014) on his resume.

Dating back to its first tournament in 1860, 147 titles have been handed out, including some of golf's greatest names like Tom Watson (five times), Jack Nicklaus (three times), Nick Faldo (three times) and Gary Player (twice), all who have added to the tournament's long list of champions.

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British Open winners by year

Harry Vardon holds the record of most British Open victories with six. Four golfers are tied at second with five championships, including the legendary Tom Watson. Gary Player, who twice won the tournament in 1968 and '74, holds the record for most appearances at a staggering 46 times — talk about longevity.

For three-time British Open champion Tiger Woods, the now 13-year gap since claiming his last Claret Jug is the longest drought for Woods among any of the four majors. Brooks Koepka has also never finished better than tied for sixth at the British Open. Rory McIlroy's victory in 2014 is the last time someone from the United Kingdom has won the major. Americans have won four of the last 10.

Below are a list of past winners since World War II.

How much does the British Open winner make?

This year's winner of the British Open will earn $1,935,000, along with the coveted Claret Jug. Last year's champion Francesco Molinari took home $1.89 million. Gary Woodland, the winner of the most recent major (U.S. Open), won $2.25 million for his work work at Pebble Beach.

Below are the payouts for the top 10 of this year's tournament.

Open Championship history

Dating back to its inaugural event in 1860 — making it the oldest continually run championship in the sport — 2019 marks the 148th edition of the British Open. The 1860 tournament at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland, consisted of eight professionals playing three rounds of 12-hole golf. Willie Park Sr. won the event. It wasn't until 1872 that the winning golfer received the Claret Jug.

Since its conception, the British Open has been played in either Scotland or England every year, with the exception of 1951 when it was held at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland — also the site of this year's tournament. The links courses had a distinct homefield advantage until 1922 when Walter Hagen became the first American-born winner.

Since 1970, Americans have twice held long stretches of dominance across the pond. Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson highlighted a period between 1970 and '83 that saw Americans win 12 of the 14 tournaments. More recently, beginning with John Daly in 1995 and ending with Tiger Woods' third British Open victory in 2006, Americans claimed 10 of 12 titles.