THE very first Golf Open, held in Prestwick on October 17, 1860, is about to be relived at the British Golf Museum in St Andrews.

Professor David Purdie, of Edinburgh University, originally from Prestwick, contacted the Ayr Advertiser when he discovered they were the only paper to cover the tournament in 1860.

A photocopy of the article will be put on display alongside a painting by Peter Monroe, featuring Old Tom Morris hitting his first drive during the inaugural tournament.

Professor Purdie, who attended Ayr Academy, said: “The Open Championships are the greatest golfing competitions to hold and they were first held in Prestwick in 1860.

“The golfing community have always wanted to see what happened that day.

“We have never seen it. There are no photographs. The first Open Championships have never been seen until now, apart from the Ayr Advertiser.

“It has concerned me that the first Open was held in my home town and I have never seen it until about five years of research paid off.

“The painting will be of Tom Morris hitting his first drive at 12pm on October, 17 1860.

“We also researched the weather that day and of course it was blowing half a gale as it does in Ayrshire. The painting will reflect this.

“This will be a first for the golfers who will be so close to the very first Open on Thursday, three miles away from where Tom Morris took his first shot. 
Tom Morris’ son young Tom Morris was a pupil at Ayr Academy who won the Open Championships no less than five times.

The professor added: “We contacted Ayr Academy to see if the school had records from 1860 to find out if Young Tom Morris had caddied for his dad but there were none.”

Professor Purdie hopes the exhibition will be unveiled on October 17 this year, on the anniversary of the Open.