1963 Open Championship
| Dates | 10–13 July 1963 |
|---|---|
| Location | Lytham St Annes, England |
| Course(s) | Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 6,836 yards (6,251 m) |
| Field | 120 players, 47 after cut |
| Cut | 149 (+9) |
| Prize fund |
£8,500 $23,800 |
| Winner's share | £1,500 $4,200 |
 Bob Charles
|
|
| 277 (−3), playoff | |
|
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The 1963 Open Championship was the 92nd Open Championship, held from 10–13 July at the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in Lytham St Annes, England. Bob Charles won his only major championship in a 36-hole playoff, eight strokes ahead of runner-up Phil Rodgers. Charles was the first left-hander to win a major title. Jack Nicklaus came in third, one stroke out of the playoff. A heavy favourite among the local bettors, Arnold Palmer came up short in his bid for a third straight Open and finished in a tie for 26th.
This was the last 36-hole playoff at The Open, the format was changed to 18 holes the following year and first used in 1970.
The PGA Championship was played the next week in Dallas, Texas, one of five times in the 1960s that these two majors were played in consecutive weeks in July.
For the first time the leading players were exempt from qualifying. 44 players who entered were exempted:
Peter Alliss, Brian Bamford, Michael Bonallack (a), Fred Boobyer, Ken Bousfield, Eric Brown, Peter Butler, Joe Carr (a), Billy Casper, Bob Charles, Neil Coles, Roger Foreman, Jean Garaïalde, Christy Greene, Tom Haliburton, Jimmy Hitchcock, Brian Huggett, Bernard Hunt, Dennis Hutchinson, John Jacobs, Bobby Locke, Jimmy Martin, Cary Middlecoff, Sebastián Miguel, Ralph Moffitt, Kel Nagle, Jack Nicklaus, Christy O'Connor Snr, Arnold Palmer, John Panton, Lionel Platts, Gary Player, Dai Rees, Phil Rodgers, Sandy Saddler (a), Doug Sanders, Syd Scott, Doug Sewell, Dave Thomas, Peter Thomson, Harry Weetman, Ross Whitehead, Brian Wilkes, Guy Wolstenholme
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