Offered here is Gary Player's official large (90% scale) 1974 Open Championship Claret Jug. The 1974 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes was one of the most dominating performances of Gary Player's career, and it resulted in Player's 3rd Open Championship victory. Gary Player went wire to wire - having at least a share of the lead every round en route to a 4 stroke victory over Peter Oosterhuis and the rest of the field. Conditions were tough that year, and Gary Player was the only golfer under par for the tournament. 

The rarity of official large Claret Jugs like this cannot be overstated. Though we've had the privilege of offering 7 different Masters Tournament trophies for auction over the years, this is the ONLY official large Claret Jug that we've ever brought to auction (we sold this exact trophy once before a few years ago, but have never sold another at auction). To many collectors, an official Claret Jug is unquestionably golf collecting's Holy Grail. 

When Gary Player won his Open Championships, he had to return the permanent Claret Jug after his year as defending Champion had expired. Years later, the Royal & Ancient finally allowed a large scale Claret Jug to be produced for each living Open Champion (only one for each victory), including this trophy. Several of these trophies are currently on display in various museums around the world, including the British Golf Museum in St Andrews. It goes without saying, these official large Claret Jugs simply do not reach the collector market. And not just any trophy, this one comes from one of the greatest golfers of all-time. This trophy was owned and displayed by Gary Player's golf course design company for years, and they kept current with the engraving of Champions through 2006 - stopping (perhaps intentionally?) after Tiger Woods' back to back victories in 2005 and 2006. 

This official large scale Claret Jug is hallmarked by the R&A's official trophy producer Nicholas Winton Ltd, and stands 19" tall.