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1905 / St Andrews
James Braid was born in Elie, 12 miles from St Andrews, and there were 4,000 people on hand to cheer a local man to victory in the 1905 Open.
It was Braid’s second title, having finished second, fifth and second again since his first win at Muirfield in 1901. Many years earlier he had been a young boy watching former Champion Jamie Anderson play at Elie.
When Anderson watched the youngster hit balls, he said Braid might be a future Champion if he kept practising.Old Tom Morris was still going strong at 83 and was the official starter, although he had retired from looking after the Old Course.
Recent changes had introduced a number pot bunkers which the players disliked and dismissed as “spittoons”. With strong winds on the first day, no one beat 80. In fact there were only 11 scores in the 70s all tournament and Braid had two of them.
After rounds of 81 and 78, another 78 in the third round put him six clear of the field.
A closing 81 gave him a five-stroke victory over Wimbledon’s Rowland Jones, the halfway leader after a 77 in the second round, and JH Taylor, the winner of the last two Opens at St Andrews.
Braid twice went onto the railway line on the 15th and 16th holes, costing him a 6 on each occasion. The tracks were not then out of bounds and at the 16th, having been in a bunker off the tee, his second shot finished against metal support.
His first attempt moved the ball only a few feet and his next went over the green. He then played a terrific chip-and-run to a couple of inches to limit the damage.
Braid received so many letters of congratulation that he post a note of thanks in Golf Illustrated.
Name
Finish
R1
R2
R3
R4
Total
Par
Rowland JONES
2
81
77
87
78
323
-
James KINNELL
4
82
79
82
81
324
-
Ernest GRAY
5
82
81
84
78
325
-
Robert THOMSON
7
81
81
82
83
327
-
J. SHERLOCK
8
81
84
80
83
328
-
Tom SIMPSON
9
82
88
78
81
329
-
Jack ROWE
11
87
81
80
82
330
-
Tom WILLIAMSON
13
84
81
79
87
331
-
Thomas RENOUF
16
81
85
84
83
333
-
Alex SMITH
16
81
88
86
78
333
-
J.C. JOHNSTONE
18
85
86
84
80
335
-
T. WATT
18
86
85
79
85
335
-
Archie SIMPSON
18
87
84
81
83
335
-
Percy HILLS
22
87
84
84
81
336
-
F. COLLINS
22
86
86
83
81
336
-
William HUNTER
24
84
85
88
81
338
-
Ernest FOORD
24
85
86
84
83
338
-
J. HEPBURN
24
84
84
87
83
338
-
Andrew KIRKALDY
24
83
83
83
89
338
-
David STEPHENSON
28
84
86
83
86
339
-
Walter TOOGOOD
28
82
83
87
87
339
-
James KAY
30
85
83
85
87
340
-
James BATLEY
31
88
82
80
91
341
-
Joseph PARR
33
86
82
86
89
343
-
H. HUNT
33
81
89
84
89
343
-
Ben SAYERS
35
84
88
85
87
344
-
A. MATTHEWS
36
84
84
87
92
347
-
C. GIBSON
37
87
85
85
91
348
-
Wifred REID
37
81
88
85
94
348
-
Joshua TAYLOR
39
89
83
91
88
351
-
Bob SIMPSON
40
87
85
90
90
352
-
J. JOHNSTON
41
87
81
94
91
353
-
Harry CAWSEY
Wd
82
87
89
-
-
-
John GRAHAM JR
Wd
83
84
85
-
-
-
Tom VARDON
Wd
84
86
-
-
-
M/C
Alfred TOOGOOD
Wd
89
83
-
-
-
M/C
C. Ralph SMITH
M/C
87
86
-
-
-
M/C
James FORRESTER
M/C
84
89
-
-
-
M/C
P.J. GAUDIN
M/C
86
87
-
-
-
M/C
Percy WYATT
M/C
88
85
-
-
-
M/C
P. WYNNE
M/C
87
87
-
-
-
M/C
George CAWKWELL
M/C
87
87
-
-
-
M/C
L. GOURLAY
M/C
93
81
-
-
-
M/C
Willie ANDERSON
M/C
86
88
-
-
-
M/C
Alex BROWN
M/C
92
82
-
-
-
M/C
A.G. BARRY
M/C
90
84
-
-
-
M/C
J.D. EDGAR
M/C
90
85
-
-
-
M/C
G. PANNELL
M/C
90
86
-
-
-
M/C
A.H. SCOTT
M/C
93
83
-
-
-
M/C
T.M. HUNTER
M/C
91
85
-
-
-
M/C
John H. HUGHES
M/C
85
91
-
-
-
M/C
George COBURN
M/C
89
87
-
-
-
M/C
A. DENHOLM
M/C
88
88
-
-
-
M/C
C.A. PALMER
M/C
91
85
-
-
-
M/C
Jack KIRKALDY
M/C
89
88
-
-
-
M/C
Hon. Osmund SCOTT
M/C
88
89
-
-
-
M/C
D. GRANT
M/C
92
85
-
-
-
M/C
A. GALLACHER
M/C
92
85
-
-
-
M/C
Robert MAXWELL
M/C
89
88
-
-
-
M/C
George CAWSEY
M/C
85
92
-
-
-
M/C
William LEWIS
M/C
90
87
-
-
-
M/C
James NELSON
M/C
89
88
-
-
-
M/C
F.G. RENOUF
M/C
91
86
-
-
-
M/C
Albert TINGEY
M/C
91
86
-
-
-
M/C
Tom YEOMAN
M/C
91
87
-
-
-
M/C
Alexander GUTHRIE
M/C
93
85
-
-
-
M/C
George PULFORD
M/C
82
96
-
-
-
M/C
George LYON
M/C
89
90
-
-
-
M/C
E. RISEBRO
M/C
88
91
-
-
-
M/C
A. BECK
M/C
87
92
-
-
-
M/C
Edwin SINCLAIR
M/C
87
92
-
-
-
M/C
A.F. KETTLEY
M/C
86
93
-
-
-
M/C
J.L. CASSIDY
M/C
92
87
-
-
-
M/C
Walter HAMBLETON
M/C
87
92
-
-
-
M/C
A. CATLIN
M/C
93
86
-
-
-
M/C
Maitland WALKER
M/C
89
90
-
-
-
M/C
W.H. HUTCHINGS
M/C
89
90
-
-
-
M/C
Frank COLTART
M/C
88
91
-
-
-
M/C
Harry HAMILL
M/C
94
86
-
-
-
M/C
W.L. MACKIE
M/C
91
89
-
-
-
M/C
T.A. KENNEDY
M/C
91
89
-
-
-
M/C
D. KENNY
M/C
89
91
-
-
-
M/C
J.G. CRAIK
M/C
87
93
-
-
-
M/C
T. JAMIESON
M/C
94
86
-
-
-
M/C
A. THOMSON
M/C
92
89
-
-
-
M/C
R. JACOBS
M/C
89
92
-
-
-
M/C
G.A. CASSIDY
M/C
92
89
-
-
-
M/C
John MCANDREW
M/C
90
92
-
-
-
M/C
Charles KENNETT
M/C
92
90
-
-
-
M/C
Thomas HOOD
M/C
95
87
-
-
-
M/C
T. STEVENSON
M/C
92
90
-
-
-
M/C
James HUTCHISON
M/C
93
90
-
-
-
M/C
C. BURGESS
M/C
93
90
-
-
-
M/C
Fred SAUNDERS
M/C
95
88
-
-
-
M/C
A.J. LEWIS
M/C
89
94
-
-
-
M/C
J.S. CAIRD
M/C
88
96
-
-
-
M/C
Charles ROBERTS
M/C
89
95
-
-
-
M/C
Tom WALKER
M/C
89
95
-
-
-
M/C
William WARBURTON
M/C
94
90
-
-
-
M/C
Ernest BEVERLEY
M/C
96
88
-
-
-
M/C
David CUTHBERT
M/C
94
91
-
-
-
M/C
Harry SIMPSON
M/C
94
92
-
-
-
M/C
Joe ANDERSON
M/C
91
95
-
-
-
M/C
Henry LOVERIDGE
M/C
93
93
-
-
-
M/C
George SARGENT
M/C
98
88
-
-
-
M/C
Ernest METTERS
M/C
98
89
-
-
-
M/C
Douglas MCEWAN
M/C
93
95
-
-
-
M/C
Alex WEIR
M/C
98
93
-
-
-
M/C
A.E. ROBB
M/C
96
95
-
-
-
M/C
G.P. ELDER
M/C
99
92
-
-
-
M/C
J.B. HUTCHISON
Wd
89
-
-
-
-
M/C
N.F. HUNTER
Wd
87
-
-
-
-
M/C
Tom PARR
Wd
92
-
-
-
-
M/C
W. MCEWAN
Wd
93
-
-
-
-
M/C
W.H. FOWLER
Wd
86
-
-
-
-
M/C
Edward BLACKWELL
Wd
87
-
-
-
-
M/C
W. HUTCHISON
Wd
84
-
-
-
-
M/C
William WINTON
Wd
91
-
-
-
-
M/C
F. GOLDSMITH
Wd
91
-
-
-
-
M/C
Ernest ROBERTS
Wd
91
-
-
-
-
M/C
F. FINDLAY
Wd
92
-
-
-
-
M/C
W. WRIGHT
Wd
93
-
-
-
-
M/C
A.G. SCOTT
Wd
94
-
-
-
-
M/C
Frank EAVES
Wd
94
-
-
-
-
M/C
E. THOMPSON
Wd
95
-
-
-
-
M/C
A.B. SUNTER
Wd
95
-
-
-
-
M/C
F.A. GOSS
Wd
96
-
-
-
-
M/C
Edward BIRD
Wd
97
-
-
-
-
M/C
J. BACON
Wd
94
-
-
-
-
M/C
Reginald GRAY
Wd
91
-
-
-
-
M/C
John DUNCAN
Wd
-
-
-
-
-
M/C
Captain JOHNSON
Wd
-
-
-
-
-
M/C
Willie WALLIS
Wd
-
-
-
-
-
M/C
John W. FULFORD
Wd
-
-
-
-
-
M/C
Angus HAMBRO
Wd
-
-
-
-
-
M/C