One of the oldest and most unique prizes in sports will once again be up for grabs.
The best golfers from around the world will descend on Royal Troon for the 2024 British Open, where as well as the chance to win a major championship, players will also be competing for the chance to lift the Claret Jug.
This “trophy” has more than 150 years of history, and winners continue to find new ways to celebrate with their tournament prizes.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Claret Jug.
What is a Claret Jug?
The Claret Jug is the prize awarded to the winner of the British Open each year.
What is the Claret Jug’s real name?
The Claret Jug’s real name is the Golf Champions Trophy, but this nickname has stuck as the more common of the two names.
What is Claret?
Claret is a dry red wine from the Bordeaux region of France, and the claret jug design was originally made to serve this wine.
How tall is the Claret Jug?
The Claret Jug is 20.75 inches tall including the base.
It has a diameter of 5.5 inches at its widest point and 7.25 inches at the base.
How much does a Claret Jug weigh?
The Claret Jug weighs approximately 5.5 pounds.
What is the Claret Jug made of?
The Claret Jug is made from 92.5% sterling silver.
Who makes the Claret Jug?
Mackay, Cunningham & Co., of Edinburgh, are responsible for the manufacture of the Claret Jug.
When was the Claret Jug first handed out at the British Open?
Tom Kidd became the first British Open winner to be awarded the Claret Jug when he won at St. Andrews in 1873, but he is not the first to have his name inscribed on the trophy.
Instead, the honor went to a young Tom Morris: the Claret Jug had been ordered before Morris won his fourth British Open in 1872, but it wasn’t completed when Morris won, so he only got to take home a gold medal inscribed with the words “Golf Championship Trophy.”
Prior to the introduction of the Claret Jug, the winner of the British Open was awarded a challenge belt. The rules of the tournament required the winner to deposit the belt with his club “until he has won three consecutive tournaments and it becomes the property of the winner.” That rule came to fruition in 1870 when Morris won three consecutive British Opens.
Since then, the winner of the British Open has been awarded a gold medal and the Claret Jug.
Will the British Open winner take home the Claret Jug?
Twenty-eight players had the opportunity to hoist the original Claret Jug until 1928 when the tournament began distributing replicas to winners.
The winner of the British Open keeps a replica of the championship for a year and then returns it to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club before the next tournament, and the return of the trophy has become a highly publicized ritual.
As a consolation prize, the winner of the British Open is presented with a life-size replica of the trophy to take home and can also order up to three smaller replicas.
The original Claret Jug has been on display at St Andrews since 1928.
Who engraves a claret jug?
Garry Harvey, who competed in the 1979 British Open, is the official sculptor of the Claret Jug, a role he took over from his father, Alex.
Golfers were responsible for their own carvings until 1967 winner Robert de Vicenzo forgot about it, at which point the R&A took over responsibility.
Can you drink from a claret jug?
British Open winners have had plenty of drinks from the Claret Jug – and not just wine.
Cameron Smith, the 2022 winner, told Golf Digest that while the Claret Jug will hold two bottles of beer, that’s just the beginning.
“Everything you can imagine,” he said when asked what he’s had from the Claret Jug. “I’ve had espressos in the morning, espresso martinis in the evening.”
