Famous Golf Trophies

The game of golf has a variety of championships which are a part of the PGA Tour. Each has a glistening trophy to be handed to the championship winner. The most famous golf trophies are those of the major championships, and other notable golfing events such as the Ryder Cup. These are a few of the more famous in the sport.

Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup is, as you may have guessed, the trophy of the Ryder Cup championship. That championship, and trophy, was largely inspired by the seed merchant Samuel Ryder. For a regular international golf championship to take place between the USA and Great Britain golf teams, Ryder presented the trophy to the PGA of Great Britain. Today that has changed to USA V E.U., but the Ryder Cup remains the official trophy of the championship.

The Ryder Cup is a gold trophy that weighs a somewhat lightweight four pounds. It is topped with a sculptured golfer, who is supposed to be Abe Mitchell. That’s not a famous golfer, but one of Ryder’s colleagues.

The Player Championship Trophy

Even though it’s not a major, the Players Championship is one of the most exciting golf championships of the PGA Tour. The winner of this championship is presented with the Player Championship trophy. Unlike many other famous trophies, this trophy is not a cup as such. Instead it’s a small crystal slab on which a golfer is carved.

The Claret Jug

The Claret Jug is a golf trophy that dates back to the 19th century. The silver jug is presented to the winners of the U.K. Open golf championship. That is one of the majors of golf, and undoubtedly the most famous golf championship beyond the USA. However, as it replaced the Claret Belt it is not the original trophy of the U.K. Open.

This trophy is effectively a silver jug, which is more like a claret wine jug. Inscribed on the trophy is, “The Golf Champion Trophy” which is another title for it, although today it is more widely considered the Claret Jug trophy. Winners of the U.K. Open are also engraved on the trophy. The original jug is today displayed in the R&A Golf Club of St Andrews.

Masters Trophy

The Masters is a golf championship that is played at the Augusta golf course. It is the one major that is played a regular annual venue. The winners of the championship have lifted the Masters Trophy since it was first introduced in 1961.

As the Masters is always played at Augusta the trophy is more original than others. It is essentially a silver sculpture of the Augusta clubhouse, which rests on a pedestal. The trophy consists of 900 silver pieces, and weighs approximately 35 pounds. Bands of silver provide the space for the winner and runner-up engravings on the replica Masters Trophy which are given to the winners. The original trophy, in which the champions are also added, remains at the clubhouse.

Wanamaker Trophy

The Wanamaker Trophy is the one presented to the winners of the PGA Championship, another of the major golf championships. The trophy that is today presented is not the original, as that was actually lost by one of the former champions, Hagen, during the 1920s. When Hagen revealed that he had lost the trophy a duplicate replacement Wanamaker Trophy was introduced for the championship. Whilst the original was later found in a dusty crate within a Detroit warehouse during the ’30s, it was not brought back for the PGA Championship. Today it is on display at a PGA museum.

The replica Wanamaker Trophy is a fairly large one. It’s a silver golf cup that weighs approximately 27 pounds. On the front of the trophy is engraved, “Annual Championship of the Professional Golfers Association of America.” Alongside that the names of the PGA Championship champions are also still added to the original. For the champions, they take home a smaller replica of the trophy.

U.S. Open Championship Trophy

Another of the Grand Slams is that of the U.S. Open. Consequently, its trophy is one of the famous golf trophies. This golf trophy is one of the few American championship trophies that dates back to the 19th century. However, as the original has since been lost a replica model is now presented to the winners. The silver jug is topped with a majestic female figure with open wings.

These golf trophies are undoubtedly the most famous in the sport. Each season they are presented to their championship winners. They are grand and historic trophies that have been lifted by the great golfers of the game.