But when Arnie - The King - made the trip in 1960, at the height of his talent and fame, the British Open became of major importance again on the American golf scene, too.

In reality, Palmer's appearance didn't guarantee that American golfers followed; Palmer himself skipped the Open Championship a few more times in the 1960s. But Arnie opened the door, made the British Open "cool" again, and American stars began to show up with regularity - led by Jack Nicklaus, who couldn't imagine missing an Open Championship - over the next decade.

What Palmer didn't do at the 1960 British Open was win. Despite a final-round charge with a 68, he was pipped at the finish line by Australian Kel Nagle, who shot 71 in the last round and won by a stroke.

Nagle was 39 years old when he won the 1960 British Open, and had never finished in the Top 10 in a major before. He was close to an unknown outside of the Australasian Tour. But his win here - his only major - wasn't a fluke. Nagle won around the world throughout the 1960s, well into his 40s, with multiple Top 10s in majors. He lost an 18-hole playoff to Gary Player at the 1965 U.S. Open.

The 1960 Open was the 100th anniversary of the tournament's founding in 1860 (due to interruptions from two wars, however, this was not the 100th Open played).