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Max Faulkner

1951 / Royal Portrush

The first time that The Open had been held outside Scotland or England was in 1951 on the magnificent links at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. 

It wouldn't return until 2019 and while the wait for a British winner of The Open that followed Max Faulkner’s victory in 1951 was not quite so long, it did take until Tony Jacklin won at Lytham 18 years later.

Faulkner was a flamboyant character, who dressed in brightly coloured clothes in an era when golfing attire was usually more sombre. 

He had been a runner-up twice in the Irish Open at Portrush and rounds of 71 and 70 put him in the lead. 

The myth about the evening before the final two rounds was that Faulkner was signing autographs and adding: “Open Champion 1951”. 

A more accurate telling of the tale suggests that after a 70 in the third round that put him six strokes ahead, he signed an autograph for a young boy, whose father asked that the words “Open Champion” be added because, “you are going to win, aren’t you?” 

Faulkner did as requested but then thought: “My God, I’d better not lose now.” Alternatively, the whole thing might just have been the creation of his ghostwriter on a London newspaper, a young Ian Wooldridge.

In reality, Faulkner closed with a 74 for a total of 285 and had to wait for Antonio Cerda to finish but a 70 left the Argentine two shots behind. He would be a runner-up again two years later. 

Charlie Ward was third and Fred Daly, the 1947 Champion Golfer who was playing at his home club, tied for fourth place. 

Having flown home that night, the next day Faulkner played in a Fathers v Sons cricket match at his son’s school.

Name
Finish
R1
R2
R3
R4
Total
Par
Max FAULKNER
Champion Golfer
1
71
70
70
74
285
-
Antonio CERDA
2
74
72
71
70
287
-
Charlie WARD
3
75
73
74
68
290
-
Fred DALY
4
74
70
75
73
292
-
Jimmy ADAMS
4
68
77
75
72
292
-
Bobby LOCKE
6
71
74
74
74
293
-
Peter THOMSON
6
70
75
73
75
293
-
Bill SHANKLAND
6
73
76
72
72
293
-
Harry WEETMAN
6
73
71
75
74
293
-
Norman SUTTON
6
73
70
74
76
293
-
John PANTON
11
73
72
74
75
294
-
Dai REES
12
70
77
76
72
295
-
Frank STRANAHAN
12
75
75
72
73
295
-
Dick BURTON
12
74
77
71
73
295
-
Harry BRADSHAW
15
80
71
74
71
296
-
Eric CREMIN
16
73
75
75
74
297
-
A. WATERS
17
74
75
78
71
298
-
Keppel ENDERBY
17
76
74
75
73
298
-
W.J. HENDERSON
19
77
73
76
73
299
-
Christy O'CONNOR SR
19
79
74
72
74
299
-
Ugo GRAPPASONNI
19
73
73
77
76
299
-
Jack HARGREAVES
19
73
78
79
69
299
-
Kel NAGLE
19
76
76
72
75
299
-
Flory VAN DONCK
24
72
76
76
76
300
-
P. TRAVIANI
24
74
79
73
74
300
-
Joe CARR
24
75
76
73
76
300
-
Eddie WHITCOMBE
24
74
74
76
76
300
-
Walter SMITHERS
28
75
73
76
78
302
-
Alan POULTON
28
77
77
73
75
302
-
J. MCKENNA
28
74
76
76
76
302
-
G.N. ROFFE
31
78
76
78
71
303
-
Charles ROTAR
31
76
76
76
75
303
-
C.H. BEAMISH
31
76
78
73
76
303
-
Arthur LEES
31
75
74
76
78
303
-
W.C.A. HANCOCK
35
78
74
72
80
304
-
Sam KING
35
78
76
77
73
304
-
John FALLON
37
78
73
80
74
305
-
J.A. JACOBS
37
76
77
77
75
305
-
F.G. ALLOTT
37
74
79
77
75
305
-
Robert HALSALL
40
80
74
77
75
306
-
Gregor MCINTOSH
40
76
71
80
79
306
-
Arthur LACEY
40
75
76
79
76
306
-
Eric BROWN
40
74
77
83
72
306
-
Hassan HASSANEIN
44
79
73
74
81
307
-
C. KANE
45
75
76
81
77
309
-
Norman VON NIDA
NR
68
77
80
-
-
-
Tom HALIBURTON
M/C
79
76
-
-
-
M/C
Alf PADGHAM
M/C
81
74
-
-
-
M/C
Fred BULLOCK
M/C
76
79
-
-
-
M/C
Jim HENDERSON
M/C
74
81
-
-
-
M/C
Arthur CLARK
M/C
80
75
-
-
-
M/C
Alfonso ANGELINI
M/C
73
82
-
-
-
M/C
H.E. MCNEIL
M/C
75
80
-
-
-
M/C
J.P. CARROLL
M/C
76
79
-
-
-
M/C
Walter LEES
M/C
79
77
-
-
-
M/C
Ken BOUSFIELD
M/C
78
78
-
-
-
M/C
J. WADE
M/C
76
80
-
-
-
M/C
R. FERGUSON
M/C
82
75
-
-
-
M/C
Hector THOMSON
M/C
79
78
-
-
-
M/C
Alastair SHEPHERD
M/C
78
79
-
-
-
M/C
John JACOBS
M/C
81
76
-
-
-
M/C
W.H. GREEN
M/C
81
76
-
-
-
M/C
Ken ADWICK
M/C
79
78
-
-
-
M/C
Jean-Baptiste ADO
M/C
83
75
-
-
-
M/C
J.H. HAWKINS
M/C
76
82
-
-
-
M/C
Reg KNIGHT
M/C
78
80
-
-
-
M/C
T.H.T. FAIRBAIRN
M/C
75
83
-
-
-
M/C
J.R. MOSES
M/C
78
81
-
-
-
M/C
J. MCCARTNEY
M/C
80
79
-
-
-
M/C
Peter ALLISS
M/C
79
80
-
-
-
M/C
S.S. FIELD
M/C
80
79
-
-
-
M/C
J. KNIPE
M/C
78
81
-
-
-
M/C
Alan THIRLWELL
M/C
77
82
-
-
-
M/C
H.A.J. YOUNG
M/C
82
77
-
-
-
M/C
H. KARLESSON
M/C
79
81
-
-
-
M/C
G.M. WHITE
M/C
79
81
-
-
-
M/C
J.E. WIGGETT
M/C
77
83
-
-
-
M/C
Sam BACON
M/C
82
78
-
-
-
M/C
P.G. STEVENSON
M/C
81
79
-
-
-
M/C
Jimmy MARTIN
M/C
80
80
-
-
-
M/C
George HOWARD
M/C
80
81
-
-
-
M/C
W.B.J. ARMSTRONG
M/C
81
80
-
-
-
M/C
John HUNTER
M/C
77
84
-
-
-
M/C
Aldo CASERA
M/C
84
77
-
-
-
M/C
Walter HILL
M/C
80
81
-
-
-
M/C
B.C. TWITE
M/C
81
81
-
-
-
M/C
Reg WHITCOMBE
M/C
82
80
-
-
-
M/C
Norman DREW
M/C
75
88
-
-
-
M/C
John GLOVER
M/C
80
83
-
-
-
M/C
G.W. PACKER
M/C
82
81
-
-
-
M/C
H. MIDDLETON
M/C
81
82
-
-
-
M/C
A. WHISTON
M/C
83
80
-
-
-
M/C
Henri DE LAMAZE
M/C
83
80
-
-
-
M/C
W.M. HASTINGS
M/C
84
80
-
-
-
M/C
A. ZIMMERMAN
M/C
81
83
-
-
-
M/C
L.J. RANELLS
M/C
80
85
-
-
-
M/C
Christy GREENE
M/C
81
85
-
-
-
M/C
B.J. KEARTLAND
M/C
81
87
-
-
-
M/C

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