Eight professionals tee off at Prestwick and a championship is born.

Eight men, one leather belt, and zero prize money: championship golf announced itself with remarkable modesty.
On 17 October 1860, eight professional golfers competed over three rounds of Prestwick's 12-hole course in a single day. Willie Park Sr. won with a score of 174, two strokes ahead of Old Tom Morris. There was no entry fee, no prize money, and the winner received a red leather Challenge Belt to hold for a year. The entire affair was organised by Prestwick Golf Club, with no governing body in sight.











