1878 Open Championship

1878 Open Championship
Tournament information
Dates 4 October 1878
Location Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland
Course(s) Prestwick Golf Club
Statistics
Field 27 players[1]
Prize fund Not known
Winner's share £8
Champion
Scotland Jamie Anderson
157
«1877
1879»
Prestwick
Location in Scotland

The 1878 Open Championship was the 18th Open Championship, held 4 October at Prestwick Golf Club in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Jamie Anderson won the Championship for the second successive year, by two strokes from runner-up Bob Kirk.

In overcast weather with some rain, James Morris took the early lead with a first round of 50. Jamie Anderson, Bob Kirk and the English amateur John Ball each scored 53, to be three shots behind. Morris began the second round badly and finished with a 56 for a total of 106. Anderson, with a second round of 53, was tied with him, while Bob Kirk and Tom Morris, Sr. were both two strokes behind.

Morris was in the third group out and had a final round 55 for a total of 161. Playing a few groups behind, Anderson began his third round with two sevens, but thereafter played steadily. With Morris finished he was told that he needed to play the last four holes in 17 to tie with Morris. At the Burn Hole (the 9th) he holed a full iron shot for a three, followed this with a four at the 10th, and at the Short Hole (the 11th) his tee shot landed on top of the hill behind the green. The ball then ran down the hill and into the hole for a hole-in-one. A five at the last gave him a round of 51 and a total of 157. Bob Kirk, playing in the last group, was still in contention. On the last green he was told that if he holed his long putt he would tie Anderson. The putt lipped out and he missed the return putt but his score of 159 was enough to give him second place.

Final leaderboard

Source: [2][3][4]

Friday, 4 October 1878

PlacePlayerCountryScoreMoney
1 Jamie Anderson  Scotland 53-53-51=157 £8
2 Bob Kirk  Scotland 53-55-51=159 £5
3 James Morris  Scotland 50-56-55=161 £3
T4 John Ball (a)  England 53-57-55=165 Playoff
Bob Martin  Scotland 57-53-55=165
T6 William Cosgrove  Scotland 55-56-55=166
Willie Park, Sr.  Scotland 53-56-57=166
8 Jamie Allan  Scotland 62-53-52=167
T9 John Allan  Scotland 55-55-58=168
Tom Dunn  Scotland 54-60-54=168

Playoff

Friday, 4 October 1878

Ball and Martin had a 12-hole playoff later the same day. Martin scored 55 to Ball's 64 and took fourth place.[3]

References

  1. "Media guide". The Open Championship. 2011. p. 153. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  2. Brenner, Morgan G. (2009). The Majors of Golf: Complete Results of the Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters, 1860-2008 1. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3360-5.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Prestwick - Competition for the Championship". The Glasgow Herald. 5 October 1878. p. 7.
  4. "Championship Competition". Dundee Evening Telegraph. 5 October 1878. Retrieved 22 December 2014 via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).

External links

Coordinates: 56°02′35″N 2°49′23″W / 56.043°N 2.823°W