1926 Open Championship
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 23–25 June 1926 |
| Location | Lytham & St Annes, England |
| Course(s) | Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club |
| Statistics | |
| Field | 117 players, 52 after cut[1] |
| Cut | 158 |
| Prize fund | £225 |
| Winner's share | (£75) |
| Champion | |
 Bobby Jones (a) | |
| 291 | |
St Annes
The 1926 Open Championship was the 61st Open Championship, held 23–25 June at the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in Lytham St Annes, England. Amateur Bobby Jones won the first of his three Claret Jugs, two strokes ahead of runner-up Al Watrous. Jones was the first amateur to win the title in 29 years, last by Harold Hilton in 1897.[2] Americans finished in the top four spots and it was the fifth victory by an American in six years.[3][4]
Walter Hagen opened with a 68 to take the lead, but a 77 in the second round dropped him back. In his second Open and already the winner of two U.S. Open titles, Jones played steady golf and carded rounds of 72-72-73, but trailed leader Watrous by two strokes after 54 holes. Jones was still two behind as he and Watrous reached the decisive 17th hole. Jones hit his drive into deep rough, but a superb approach allowed him to reach the green in two. Watrous also reached the green in two but three-putted. Jones played the tough final 5 holes in 4-3-4-4-4 to post a 74 and 291 total, while Watrous struggled to a 78 and 293. Hagen, playing behind Jones and Watrous, had a chance to tie by holing his second shot on the 18th, but his shot rolled past the hole and into a bunker and he settled for third place.[5]
Jones, age 24, won his first Open Championship in just his second appearance. His first was five years earlier and was less than pleasant: he walked off the Old Course at St Andrews in 1921 in frustration after taking several shots to get out of a bunker. He went on to win two more Opens; his successful defense in 1927 was back at the Old Course, and his third in 1930 at Royal Liverpool was the second leg of his celebrated grand slam. Its first leg was the 1930 British Amateur, won two weeks earlier.
This Open Championship witnessed a number of firsts. For the first time, an admission fee was charged for spectators. Also, sectional qualifying was introduced for the first time to reduce the field. The championship was also expanded to three days for the first time. And Harry Vardon, aged 56, missed his first cut in the Open Championship; he had made the cut in every Open he played since 1893.
Final leaderboard
Friday, 25 June 1926
| Place | Player | Country | Score | Money (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bobby Jones (a) | United States | 72-72-73-74=291 | 0 |
| 2 | Al Watrous | United States | 71-75-69-78=293 | 75 |
| T3 | Walter Hagen | United States | 68-77-74-76=295 | 40 |
| George Von Elm (a) | United States | 75-72-76-72=295 | 0 | |
| T5 | Thomas Barber |  United Kingdom | 77-73-78-71=299 | 20 |
| Abe Mitchell |  England | 78-78-72-71=299 | ||
| 7 | Fred McLeod |  Scotland United States | 71-75-76-79=301 | 10 |
| T8 | Emmett French | United States | 76-75-74-78=303 | 8 |
| José Jurado |  Argentina | 77-76-74-76=303 | ||
| Bill Mehlhorn | United States | 70-74-79-80=303 |
- (a) denotes amateur
References
- ↑ "Media guide". The Open Championship. 2011. p. 111, 203–8. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
- ↑ Spalding, Anthony (26 June 1926). "Bobby Jones' 291 captured British Open golf honors". Montreal Gazette. p. 17.
- ↑ "Bobby Jones is champion". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. 25 June 1926. p. 1.
- ↑ "Jones' British golf win proves popular". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. 26 June 1926. p. 6.
- ↑ "Bobby Jones triumphs in spite of bad start". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. 25 June 1926. p. 25.
External links
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Coordinates: 53°44′58″N 3°01′05″W / 53.7495°N 3.0180°W