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Sam Snead

1946 / St Andrews

Sam Snead did not endear himself to the people of St Andrews when word got round that on the train pulling into the town he had looked out of the window and said: “It looks like an old abandoned kinda place.” 

Of course, he was speaking about the Old Course, which fittingly was chosen to host the first Open after WWII, just as it had hosted the last one seven years earlier. Dick Burton had waited all that time to defend his title and promptly drove out of bounds on the first hole.

By the end of the week Snead had won over his detractors thanks to the quality of his golf, his powerful game – he regularly drove the green at the 9th, 10th and 12th holes – and wonderfully smooth swing. 

He won by four strokes from Bobby Locke, who would go on to become a four-time Champion Golfer of the Year, and fellow American Johnny Bulla, who was also a runner-up at The Open in 1939.

Locke led after an opening 69 and then Henry Cotton took over with two rounds of 70.

Snead was one behind after scores of 71 and 70, while Dai Rees, the 'Welsh Wizard', produced a record score of 67 in the second round to trail by two. 

It was a windy final day and Snead had a 74 in the third round to share the lead with Rees and Bulla.

The scoring was even higher in the afternoon. Rees went into the Swilcan Burn at the 1st, as Cotton had done, and dropped to fourth place with an 80. Bulla had a 79, while Locke closed with a 76. 

Snead was almost out of bounds at the first after slicing his drive but remained unflustered throughout his winning 75. 

No Champion Golfer since has recorded a higher final round but it was plenty good enough for the American.

Name
Finish
R1
R2
R3
R4
Total
Par
Sam SNEAD
Champion Golfer
1
71
70
74
75
290
-
Bobby LOCKE
2
69
74
75
76
294
-
Johnny BULLA
2
71
72
72
79
294
-
Dai REES
4
75
67
73
80
295
-
Sir Henry COTTON
4
70
70
76
79
295
-
Norman VON NIDA
4
70
76
74
75
295
-
Charlie WARD
4
73
73
73
76
295
-
Joe KIRKWOOD
8
71
75
78
74
298
-
Fred DALY
8
77
71
76
74
298
-
Lawson LITTLE
10
78
75
72
74
299
-
Harry BRADSHAW
11
76
75
76
73
300
-
Dick BURTON
12
74
76
76
76
302
-
Bill SHANKLAND
13
76
76
77
75
304
-
Reg WHITCOMBE
14
71
76
82
76
305
-
William ANDERSON
14
76
76
78
75
305
-
Laurie AYTON JR
16
77
74
80
75
306
-
Percy ALLISS
17
74
72
82
79
307
-
Archie COMPSTON
18
77
74
77
80
308
-
Frank JOWLE
18
78
74
76
80
308
-
Arthur LEES
18
77
71
78
82
308
-
Eddie WHITCOMBE
21
75
79
77
79
310
-
George KNIGHT
21
77
75
82
76
310
-
W.R. FIRKINS
23
75
76
80
80
311
-
R.K. BELL
24
81
73
81
77
312
-
J.A. JACOBS
24
76
77
80
79
312
-
Alf PERRY
26
78
77
78
80
313
-
J.C. WILSON
26
78
76
81
78
313
-
A.M. ROBERTSON
28
79
75
80
81
315
-
Andrew DOWIE
28
81
71
80
83
315
-
Flory VAN DONCK
28
76
78
83
78
315
-
Ronald WHITE
31
76
79
84
77
316
-
Alf PADGHAM
31
79
74
76
87
316
-
Tom HALIBURTON
31
78
76
81
81
316
-
Norman SUTTON
34
76
77
80
84
317
-
Fred BULLOCK
35
80
75
87
76
318
-
W.H. GREEN
35
76
76
83
83
318
-
Albert ISHERWOOD
37
77
78
83
81
319
-
J.M. URRY
38
79
75
87
85
326
-
Robert HALSALL
M/C
77
80
-
-
-
M/C
Arthur HAVERS
M/C
80
77
-
-
-
M/C
Jimmy ADAMS
M/C
80
77
-
-
-
M/C
Max FAULKNER
M/C
78
79
-
-
-
M/C
W.C.A. HANCOCK
M/C
71
86
-
-
-
M/C
John FALLON
M/C
80
77
-
-
-
M/C
John LAWRIE
M/C
79
79
-
-
-
M/C
R.G. FRENCH
M/C
82
76
-
-
-
M/C
Jack MCLEAN
M/C
79
79
-
-
-
M/C
Cecil DENNY
M/C
81
77
-
-
-
M/C
Eric MCRUVIE
M/C
81
77
-
-
-
M/C
William H. DAVIES
M/C
81
77
-
-
-
M/C
Reg HORNE
M/C
83
75
-
-
-
M/C
J. MORRIS
M/C
81
77
-
-
-
M/C
S.B. WILLIAMSON
M/C
79
80
-
-
-
M/C
George JOHNSON
M/C
77
82
-
-
-
M/C
H.A.J. YOUNG
M/C
79
80
-
-
-
M/C
Syd SCOTT
M/C
82
77
-
-
-
M/C
Harry SMITH
M/C
80
79
-
-
-
M/C
John LANGLEY
M/C
83
76
-
-
-
M/C
E.J. HACKETT
M/C
79
80
-
-
-
M/C
Norman QUIGLEY
M/C
79
80
-
-
-
M/C
J. WALLACE
M/C
82
78
-
-
-
M/C
D.A. LEVERMORE
M/C
79
81
-
-
-
M/C
A. WERKELL
M/C
77
83
-
-
-
M/C
Gregor MCINTOSH
M/C
79
81
-
-
-
M/C
Bill COX
M/C
81
79
-
-
-
M/C
Ernest KENYON
M/C
83
77
-
-
-
M/C
Alex KYLE
M/C
81
79
-
-
-
M/C
Donald CAMERON
M/C
79
81
-
-
-
M/C
Kenneth THOM
M/C
84
78
-
-
-
M/C
William MCMINN
M/C
84
78
-
-
-
M/C
S.S. FIELD
M/C
83
79
-
-
-
M/C
Walter SMITHERS
M/C
84
78
-
-
-
M/C
Bob SWEENY JR
M/C
85
77
-
-
-
M/C
W.S. COLLINS
M/C
81
81
-
-
-
M/C
Stanley BLACK
M/C
78
84
-
-
-
M/C
L. TOPPING
M/C
81
81
-
-
-
M/C
W.S. WISE
M/C
79
83
-
-
-
M/C
Jack BALLANTINE
M/C
82
80
-
-
-
M/C
Ian MCPHERSON
M/C
81
82
-
-
-
M/C
John J. BUSSON
M/C
83
80
-
-
-
M/C
A.E. MCLEOD
M/C
82
81
-
-
-
M/C
Bert WILLIAMSON
M/C
85
78
-
-
-
M/C
John Morton DYKES JR
M/C
80
83
-
-
-
M/C
Reg COX
M/C
82
82
-
-
-
M/C
Jack SEAGER
M/C
82
82
-
-
-
M/C
A.B. TAYLOR
M/C
84
80
-
-
-
M/C
E. WATSON
M/C
84
81
-
-
-
M/C
William BRANCH
M/C
87
78
-
-
-
M/C
Fred TAGGART
M/C
83
82
-
-
-
M/C
R. PATTINSON
M/C
81
84
-
-
-
M/C
J.A. PATERSON
M/C
85
81
-
-
-
M/C
W.B. LYLE
M/C
84
83
-
-
-
M/C
Gerald MICKLEM
M/C
85
82
-
-
-
M/C
F.G. ALLOTT
M/C
86
81
-
-
-
M/C
A.G. HARRISON
M/C
81
86
-
-
-
M/C
C. GOODCHILD
M/C
85
83
-
-
-
M/C
A.W. SANDERS
M/C
90
78
-
-
-
M/C
Gabriel Gonzalez GARCIA
M/C
85
84
-
-
-
M/C
T. WILSON
M/C
87
84
-
-
-
M/C
C.A. WINKS
M/C
87
86
-
-
-
M/C

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