The Open Championship - Royal St George's

White's 296 was the first sub-300 total in Open history; Royal St George's had found its talent for rewriting the record books.

Royal St George's hosted its third Open in 1904, and Jack White made history by posting a four-round total of 296, the first time anyone had broken 300 in the championship. The course was already establishing itself as a venue where records fell and reputations were made.

Hagen's single-stroke triumph in 1922 cracked open the door; American golfers never looked back.

Walter Hagen's victory at Royal St George's in 1922 marked the first time an American-born golfer had won The Open Championship. Hagen won by a single stroke from George Duncan and Jim Barnes. His flamboyant style and showmanship brought a new energy to the championship, and his success opened the floodgates for American dominance in the decades that followed.

A single round of 65 was so good, Dunlop put it on a golf ball.

Henry Cotton's Open victory at Royal St George's in 1934 was a national occasion. No British golfer had won the Claret Jug since Arthur Havers in 1923. Cotton's second round of 65 was so remarkable that Dunlop named a golf ball after it. He finished five strokes clear of the field, restoring British pride in the process.

Rogers' four-stroke victory ended Sandwich's 32-year absence from the rota with quiet, convincing authority.

The Open returned to Royal St George's in 1981 after a 32-year gap, during which the course had undergone significant improvements. American Bill Rogers won by four strokes from Bernhard Langer, playing steady, controlled golf in testing conditions. The successful staging of the championship confirmed Sandwich's place on the modern Open rota.

A closing 64 at Sandwich; Norman didn't just win the title, he rewrote its record books.

Greg Norman's 1993 Open at Royal St George's produced one of the championship's great final rounds. Norman shot a closing 64, matching the course record, to finish at 13 under par and win by two strokes from Nick Faldo. It was Norman's second and final Open title, and the lowest winning total at Sandwich to that point.

Ranked 396th in the world, Curtis left every seasoned contender searching for answers on his major debut.

Ranked 396th in the world and playing in his first ever major, Ben Curtis produced one of the biggest upsets in Open history at Royal St George's in 2003. He finished one stroke ahead of Thomas Bjorn and Vijay Singh. Bjorn's collapse in the bunker on the 16th hole became one of the championship's most replayed moments. Curtis remains the last debutant to win a major on his first attempt.

Twenty attempts. One major. Worth every year of the wait.

Northern Irishman Darren Clarke won The Open at Royal St George's in 2011 at the age of 42, in his 20th attempt at the championship. Clarke had long been one of the most popular figures in European golf, and his three-stroke victory over Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson was greeted with genuine warmth by the Sandwich galleries. It was his first, and to date only, major title.

Morikawa needed just his second crack at The Open to lift the Claret Jug, aged 24.

The 149th Open Championship at Royal St George's in 2021 was delayed a year by the pandemic, with the 2020 edition cancelled entirely. American Collin Morikawa, just 24 years old, won by two strokes from Jordan Spieth with a composed 15-under-par total. It was only his second major championship appearance in The Open, and his iron play throughout the week was of the highest order. It marked what may prove to be the final Open at Royal St George's, with the R&A announcing in 2024 that the course would be removed from the rota.