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Bobby Locke

1957 / St Andrews

Bobby Locke completed a fourth Open victory in nine years at St Andrews in 1957 but it wasn't without some drama on the final green. 

Spurred on by missing the cut the previous year at Hoylake, where Peter Thomson had won for the third year in a row, Locke held off the Australian to win by three strokes. 

Two behind at halfway after scores of 69 and 72, Locke added rounds of 68 and 70 on the final day, a birdie at the last giving him a total of 279, tying his own record from 1950. 

Thomson, the winner at St Andrews two years earlier, also finished with a 70 but was unable to close the gap on the South African.

In fact, the main drama happened after the close of play when officials received notice that Locke had failed to return his marker to the correct spot after he moved it out of the way of his playing partner on the 18th green. 

He had holed the four-footer for a three but the Championship Committee decreed that no advantage had been gained and that the result, and his three-stroke victory, stood.

This was the first Open in which the leaders were paired to go out last on the final day – according to the second-round leaderboard as 36 holes were still played on the final day. 

The reason was because the BBC were televising the final stages live for the first time.

It was the only one of Locke’s four titles to be won at St Andrews but in fact this Open was due to be held at Muirfield.

However, due to the Suez Crisis, there was rationing of petrol and oil so it was thought easier for players and spectators alike to get to St Andrews, which was still served by a railway line, than the originally proposed venue.

Name
Finish
R1
R2
R3
R4
Total
Par
Bobby LOCKE
1
69
72
68
70
279
-
2
73
69
70
70
282
-
Eric BROWN
3
67
72
73
71
283
-
Angel MIGUEL
4
72
72
69
72
285
-
Tom HALIBURTON
5
72
73
68
73
286
-
Dave THOMAS
5
72
74
70
70
286
-
W.D. SMITH
5
71
72
72
71
286
-
5
72
68
74
72
286
-
9
74
72
69
72
287
-
Antonio CERDA
9
71
71
72
73
287
-
9
74
70
71
72
287
-
Peter ALLISS
12
72
74
74
68
288
-
Harry WEETMAN
12
75
71
71
71
288
-
Cary MIDDLECOFF
14
72
71
74
72
289
-
Sebastian MIGUEL
15
71
75
76
68
290
-
John PANTON
15
71
72
74
73
290
-
Norman DREW
15
70
75
71
74
290
-
Adina Test
15
71
76
70
73
290
-
Harry BRADSHAW
19
73
74
69
75
291
-
19
74
71
74
72
291
-
Christy O'CONNOR SR
19
77
69
72
73
291
-
John FALLON
19
75
67
73
76
291
-
Jimmy HITCHCOCK
23
69
74
73
76
292
-
Bernard HUNT
24
72
72
74
75
293
-
Sam KING
24
76
72
70
75
293
-
Reg HORNE
24
76
72
72
73
293
-
24
71
74
75
73
293
-
Trevor WILKES
24
75
73
71
74
293
-
Harold HENNING
29
75
73
71
75
294
-
Dai REES
30
73
72
79
71
295
-
Laurie AYTON JR
30
67
76
75
77
295
-
Reg KNIGHT
30
71
73
75
76
295
-
Norman SUTTON
30
69
76
73
77
295
-
Peter BUTLER
30
77
71
74
73
295
-
John MACDONALD
35
73
71
76
76
296
-
Ken BOUSFIELD
35
74
73
75
74
296
-
35
70
76
76
74
296
-
Ralph MOFFITT
38
71
75
77
74
297
-
Keith MACDONALD
39
69
74
76
79
298
-
Syd SCOTT
39
76
72
73
77
298
-
Bruce CRAMPTON
39
68
73
78
79
298
-
Robin GALLOWAY
42
70
76
79
75
300
-
T.H.T. FAIRBAIRN
42
73
72
77
78
300
-
Bert WILLIAMSON
44
74
70
77
80
301
-
Arthur LEES
45
75
71
77
80
303
-
W.J. HENDERSON
46
72
75
82
76
305
-
Charlie WARD
M/C
75
74
-
-
-
M/C
Jimmy MARTIN
M/C
74
75
-
-
-
M/C
George LOW
M/C
75
74
-
-
-
M/C
M/C
77
72
-
-
-
M/C
Ernie JONES
M/C
75
74
-
-
-
M/C
Christy GREENE
M/C
75
74
-
-
-
M/C
Ian SMITH
M/C
71
78
-
-
-
M/C
Carlos CELLES
M/C
75
74
-
-
-
M/C
Robert HALSALL
M/C
73
77
-
-
-
M/C
Peter GILL
M/C
77
73
-
-
-
M/C
Alfonso ANGELINI
M/C
73
77
-
-
-
M/C
John JACOBS
M/C
76
74
-
-
-
M/C
Aldo CASERA
M/C
77
73
-
-
-
M/C
L. TOPPING
M/C
75
75
-
-
-
M/C
Joe CARR
M/C
78
72
-
-
-
M/C
Peter MILLS
M/C
78
73
-
-
-
M/C
Jack HARGREAVES
M/C
76
75
-
-
-
M/C
Jack WILKSHIRE
M/C
76
75
-
-
-
M/C
Neil COLES
M/C
72
79
-
-
-
M/C
Alec SHEPPERSON
M/C
76
75
-
-
-
M/C
T. MCNAUGHTON
M/C
75
76
-
-
-
M/C
A. SINCLAIR
M/C
79
72
-
-
-
M/C
Alberto TEXIER
M/C
76
76
-
-
-
M/C
P.J. BUTLER
M/C
75
77
-
-
-
M/C
D.F. SMALLDON
M/C
78
74
-
-
-
M/C
George WILL
M/C
79
73
-
-
-
M/C
Brian WILKES
M/C
75
77
-
-
-
M/C
Tony COOP
M/C
72
80
-
-
-
M/C
David SNELL
M/C
78
74
-
-
-
M/C
Jimmy ADAMS
M/C
74
79
-
-
-
M/C
J.A. JACOBS
M/C
78
75
-
-
-
M/C
Charles LAWRIE
M/C
79
74
-
-
-
M/C
I. MARTIN
M/C
75
79
-
-
-
M/C
Gene ANDREWS
M/C
78
76
-
-
-
M/C
J.J. KINSELLA
M/C
81
73
-
-
-
M/C
Eddie WHITCOMBE
M/C
78
76
-
-
-
M/C
M/C
80
74
-
-
-
M/C
Fred BULLOCK
M/C
81
74
-
-
-
M/C
John BURTON
M/C
79
76
-
-
-
M/C
Walter LEES
M/C
77
78
-
-
-
M/C
Brian ALLEN
M/C
84
71
-
-
-
M/C
Ian YOUNG
M/C
74
81
-
-
-
M/C
David REID
M/C
82
74
-
-
-
M/C
David ALLAN
M/C
75
81
-
-
-
M/C
A.M. ROBERTSON
M/C
77
79
-
-
-
M/C
Alex KING
M/C
82
75
-
-
-
M/C
W. WATSON
M/C
78
80
-
-
-
M/C
W. WAUGH
M/C
80
80
-
-
-
M/C
A.H. GOWERS
M/C
83
80
-
-
-
M/C
Frank KECK
M/C
83
82
-
-
-
M/C

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