The British Open, officially the Open Championship or the Open, is one of the world’s four major golf tournaments.
On 17 October 1860, eight professional golfers assembled at Prestwick for a tournament to determine who would be the Champion Golfer.
The winner was to receive the Challenge Belt, a prize crafted from red Moroccan leather and worth £25. The competitors played three rounds of 12 holes, with Willie Park Snr. beating Old Tom Morris by two shots. A year later, Prestwick announced that the tournament shall be open to all the world.
Source: https://www.theopen.com/about/