Top 26 British Open Champions of All Time

From Victorian-era pioneers in tweed to modern major winners chasing history, this lineup spans more than 160 years of links golf greatness. Who deserves the Claret Jug title of all time?

1

Harry Vardon

Holds the all-time record with 6 Open titles between 1896 and 1914, the benchmark by which every champion is measured.

1000pts

2

Bobby Jones

Won 3 Opens as an amateur, capping his historic 1930 Grand Slam year at St Andrews before retiring at 28.

789pts

3

Rory McIlroy

Won wire-to-wire at Royal Liverpool in 2014, his first Claret Jug on the way to a career Grand Slam bid.

744pts

4

Phil Mickelson

Won in 2013 at Muirfield with a closing 66 widely regarded as one of the great final rounds in major championship history.

663pts

5

Nick Faldo

Won 3 Opens with ice-cold consistency, becoming Europe's dominant links player of his generation.

609pts

6

Ernie Els

Won 2 Opens bookending his career, showcasing his smooth swing on links terrain.

546pts

7

Bobby Locke

Won 4 Opens between 1949 and 1957, the dominant South African putter of his era.

473pts

8

Tom Watson

Won 5 Opens across different links courses and nearly won a 6th at age 59 in 2009.

473pts

9

Peter Thomson

Won 5 Opens including 3 in a row, dominating post-war links golf as Australia's greatest champion.

473pts

10

Willie Park Sr.

Won the inaugural 1860 Open and 4 titles overall in golf's first great rivalry with Old Tom Morris.

473pts

11

Ben Hogan

Won his only Open appearance in 1953 at Carnoustie, completing one of golf's greatest single seasons.

473pts

12

Jack Nicklaus

Won 3 Opens and finished runner-up a record 7 times, cementing his case as the greatest player in golf history.

473pts

13

Young Tom Morris

Won 4 straight Opens from 1868 to 1872, permanently retiring the Challenge Belt as the youngest major champion ever at 17.

387pts

14

Arnold Palmer

Won 2 Opens and is credited with reviving American professionals' interest in competing at the Open.

387pts

15

Padraig Harrington

Won back-to-back Opens in 2007 and 2008, the last European champion before McIlroy's 2014 breakthrough.

387pts

16

Old Tom Morris

Won 4 Opens between 1861 and 1867 as one of golf's founding fathers and the sport's first true professional star.

387pts

17

Seve Ballesteros

Won 3 Opens with flair and creativity, becoming the first continental European champion since 1907.

387pts

18

Walter Hagen

Won 4 Opens and was the first American-born golfer to dominate the Championship, elevating professional golfers' status worldwide.

284pts

19

Gary Player

Won 3 Opens across three decades as part of his career Grand Slam and global golf legacy.

284pts

20

James Braid

Won 5 Opens between 1901 and 1910 as part of the 'Great Triumvirate,' later a renowned course architect.

284pts

21

Tiger Woods

Won 3 Opens including a record-tying 8-shot romp at St Andrews in 2000 without hitting a single fairway bunker.

284pts

22

Tony Jacklin

Won in 1969, the only Englishman to claim the Claret Jug between 1951 and 1992.

284pts

23

Shane Lowry

Won in 2019 at Royal Portrush in an emotional homecoming victory, the first Open held in Northern Ireland since 1951.

284pts

24

Greg Norman

Won 2 Opens including a then-record 267 total at Royal St George's in 1993.

158pts

25

J.H. Taylor

Won 5 Opens as a member of golf's legendary 'Great Triumvirate,' helping professionalize the sport.

158pts

26

Henry Cotton

Won 3 Opens between 1934 and 1948, restoring British pride and bridging the Vardon era with postwar golf.

158pts