Juggaloos

Paying Attention: The second most famous trophy in sports (the first is reputed to be The Stanley Cup), the Claret Jug is given to the Champion of the British Open, who will forever have as a part of his name, the Champion Golfer of the Year. It is an elegant, tall, trophy, famously used for drinking everything from wine to champagne to Coke, and has one of the great traditions in sports (see below). It is also one of the oldest trophies in sports–The America’s Cup yachting trophy dates from 1857 and the Claret Jug from 1873.
When a player wins the British Open, his name is engraved on the trophy before he receives it; to make this possible, the organizers have an engraver standing by on the last day of the tournament, ready to engrave. I wondered what was actually engraved on the Claret Jug, and with a little bit of research, I found out:
the name of the winning golfer, the year, the course
example: Phil Mickelson, 2013, Muirfield
Every year, another Champion’s name the course he won on is added to the trophy,

and overtime, the base of the trophy is expanded to accommodate an every increasing list of winners. It’s quite a trophy and quite a ritual, and as you can imagine, the trophy itself has quite a colorful history.
The Claret Jug–just another good reason to enjoy the tradition that is the British Open.
 
The Fine Print: Image courtesy of Getty Images, all rights reserved, used by permission. As always, Getty is the best source for the photos you need of the world today. Thanks guys, for sharing. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *