Par4QC I guess I'd have to dig around and read up as to why, but I never understood the reason for the name change. I can rattle off almost every country that has a "XXXX Open" golf tournament.
What if every other country also decided to change their tourney to "The Open"? See how much sense that does not make?
As I posted, pretentious.
Par4QC What if every other country also decided to change their tourney to "The Open"? See how much sense that does not make?
It's the grand daddy the oldest is why it's named that way. I am old enough to remember when we used to call it The British. But yeah it's kinda a bit over the top. Just me but I could care less what they call it just don't call me Shirley! 
The Masters is always The Masters but there are plenty of countries that have their Masters and they call them (insert country name) + Masters
scotts33 Exactly that, it was the first (in 1860), and the only one at the time so didn't need to be anything other than The Open. And yes, The Masters is and always will be The Masters, never The US Masters.
It's not pretentious, it's just a fact. It's not, and never has been, the British Open. Look at the flags, and the billboards around the course. I'll change my opinion when they print "British Open" on them.
And if you want to attend the 150th, at St Andrew's next year, the ballot registration is open now and likely to be your only chance of a ticket https://www.theopen.com/150th-ticket-ballot
The Rose Bowl is the grand daddy of all US college football bowl games but we don't call it The Bowl. 
It's the Stanley Cup not The Cup. LOL
golf_bhoy We(I anyway) have always heard it as The British Open, and I guess we(I) just never gave it another thought, until 'The Open' phrase had been made an issue of in recent years. I'll still most likely say British Open, just to distinguish what event I'm talking about.
I'd hate to be corrected that I was 2 weeks late, when I tell people I'm going to 'The Open', in my hometown in 2 weeks. (The Casey, IL Open, that is) 
We didn't consult anyone when we named the 'World Series' - its a bit much to call out another country for naming theirs before anyone else was doing it.
I'm cool with The Open name. If they tell me what tea I have to drink, then I'll call them pretentious. 
Interesting $$ stat: 40 years ago the winner at St George, Bill Rogers, made $25,000. This year the winner will pocket 1,935,000.
At first I thought it outrageous that the current purse would be 77.4 times larger ... but then I saw that just 32 years before that, in 1949, Bobby Locke, only made $300 for winning (when the average annual salary was about $1,900).
I'd bet you can find tape of Jack or Arnie calling it the British Open and no one took offense. It's just recently that there seems to be a fuss that it be called "The Open". Ask someone in June who's going to win the Open and the answer will be geared to the US Open. Hell, someone may start talking tennis. We all know it was the first.
It is the f'ing British Open - end of discussion!!!
https://www.golfchannel.com/news/three-more-players-wd-open-bringing-total-17
Can't wait to see how many are DQ'd by the R&A, after a couple more days pass.
What happens to the 'close contacts'?? And with Zack, there had to be many.
Sarnella I can't stop now, I've too much invested in the argument ...
Google Open Championship and results are 95% that, Open Championship. Google British Open Championship and the only references you'll get is American media. Even the PGA Tour website calls it the Open Championship.
Yours was the first PGA Championship and is always just that, even here, the PGA, rarely (if ever) USPGA.
Other countries have their PGA Championships, for example there are English, Scottish and British PGA Championships (Bristish started in 1955) but they're called exactly that (although the current incarnation is the BMW PGA Championship for sponsorship reasons).
golf_bhoy Google Open Championship and results are 95% that, Open Championship. Google British Open Championship and the only references you'll get is American media. Even the PGA Tour website calls it the Open Championship.
Pre-internet 1990 US fans always called it The British Open. That case has been made. Hence your internet search is quasi. We older Buzzer's are speaking before 1990. I'll give you today but not back way when....it was and still is in older golfers minds The British Open. That's my/our point.
