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Prestwick

1925 / Prestwick

Helped by Carnoustie-born Macdonald Smith losing a five-stroke 54-hole lead, Cornish-born Jim Barnes won the 24th and last Open staged at Prestwick in 1925.

The original birthplace of the Championship was no longer suitable for the growing size of the event, being too short, having too many blind shots, and it could not cope with the 10,000 people who turned up to watch Smith on the final day. With Walter Hagen not defending the title, the two naturalised Americans were the favourites for the title.

Barnes led with an opening 70 but Smith had rounds of 76 and 69 to go ahead and then added a 76 in the third round to go five in front of Barnes and Archie Compston, with Ted Ray and Ade Mitchell seven behind.

Barnes started his final round at 12.30 and was in the clubhouse by 3pm with a score of 300, after a last round 74, having played without much of a gallery. Smith started his final round after Barnes had already finished and knew that a round of 78 was required.

But he was inevitably distracted by the mass of people crowding around him.

He started with a 4 and a 3 but then dropped three shots over the next three holes. He took a pair of 6s at the seventh and eighth holes and was out in 42. An anti-climatic 82 left him three behind Barnes. Ray, the 1912 Champion, improved his score with every round and finished tied for second with Archie Compston on 301.

It was a fourth major title for the tall Barnes, or “Long Jim” as he was known, making him the second player after Hagen to win all the three majors of the time.

Smith, two of those brothers won the US Open, was a runner-up twice in The Open in 1930 and 1932.

Name
Finish
R1
R2
R3
R4
Total
Par
Jim BARNES
Champion Golfer
1
70
77
79
74
300
-
Ted RAY
2
77
76
75
73
301
-
Archie COMPSTON
2
76
75
75
75
301
-
Macdonald SMITH
4
76
69
76
82
303
-
Abe MITCHELL
5
77
76
75
77
305
-
J.H. TAYLOR
6
74
79
80
77
310
-
Percy ALLISS
6
77
80
77
76
310
-
William H. DAVIES
6
76
76
80
78
310
-
Syd WINGATE
6
74
78
80
78
310
-
J.W. GAUDIN
6
78
81
77
74
310
-
Fred ROBSON
11
80
77
78
76
311
-
Robert HARRIS
11
75
81
78
77
311
-
H.A. GAUDIN
13
76
79
77
80
312
-
Tom FERNIE
14
78
74
77
85
314
-
Joe KIRKWOOD
14
83
79
76
76
314
-
Sandy HERD
14
76
79
82
77
314
-
Harry VARDON
17
79
80
77
79
315
-
J.I. CRUIKSHANK
17
80
78
82
75
315
-
Jack SMITH
17
75
78
82
80
315
-
Duncan MCCULLOCH
20
76
77
84
79
316
-
James OCKENDEN
20
80
78
80
78
316
-
Arthur HAVERS
20
77
80
80
79
316
-
Reg WHITCOMBE
20
81
80
79
76
316
-
Frank BALL
24
76
78
81
82
317
-
Dick MAY
24
82
77
78
80
317
-
Aubrey BOOMER
26
79
82
76
81
318
-
Ernest WHITCOMBE
26
81
83
77
77
318
-
James ADWICK
28
81
77
82
80
320
-
Cyril TOLLEY
28
82
81
78
79
320
-
George DUNCAN
28
79
77
83
81
320
-
Cedric SAYNER
28
83
80
78
79
320
-
F.H. FROSTICK
32
80
84
78
79
321
-
Arthur BUTCHART
32
84
80
78
79
321
-
T. WALTON
32
79
83
84
75
321
-
H.C. KINCH
35
78
79
84
81
322
-
James HORN
35
81
76
82
83
322
-
Hugh ROBERTS
37
84
82
77
80
323
-
Herbert OSBORNE
37
85
79
82
77
323
-
R.D. VICKERS
39
80
83
81
80
324
-
William MCMINN
40
77
80
82
86
325
-
B.S. WEASTELL
41
81
80
83
83
327
-
Albert S. TINGEY JR
41
78
81
83
85
327
-
T.B. JOLLY
43
86
81
81
80
328
-
J.W. MILNER
43
77
78
85
88
328
-
F.C. JEWELL
43
75
81
85
87
328
-
William OKE
46
83
82
85
79
329
-
William TWINE
47
85
82
82
81
330
-
C.W. THOMSON
48
84
84
81
82
331
-
W.E. BROWN
48
79
86
88
78
331
-
Reginald WILSON
48
79
86
80
86
331
-
Tom KING JR
48
85
81
81
84
331
-
T. WILSON
52
77
90
79
86
332
-
M. O'NEILL
52
81
89
78
84
332
-
A. DAY
54
84
82
81
86
333
-
Alfred BECK JR
54
83
80
83
87
333
-
J. SULLIVAN
54
81
85
82
85
333
-
James BATLEY
57
79
85
82
88
334
-
H. CRAPPER
58
82
86
86
81
335
-
George CHARMAN
58
84
79
87
85
335
-
F. BOOBYER
60
88
82
84
82
336
-
W.C. THOMAS
61
83
85
87
82
337
-
C.H. HAYWARD
61
84
83
84
86
337
-
W.G. GIMBER
63
80
84
87
87
338
-
Charles JOHNS
64
83
81
87
88
339
-
Archie THOMSON
65
83
84
84
89
340
-
Dick WHEILDON
66
79
85
90
89
343
-
Albert HALLAM
66
85
89
83
86
343
-
C.F. WHITE
68
80
85
94
85
344
-
H.G. TWINE
Wd
81
79
-
-
-
M/C
Edward DOUGLAS
Wd
83
78
-
-
-
M/C
T.E. STEDMAN
Wd
84
87
-
-
-
M/C
J.J. TAYLOR
Wd
80
88
-
-
-
M/C
Arnaud MASSY
Wd
80
86
-
-
-
M/C
Charles WHITCOMBE
Wd
80
77
-
-
-
M/C
A.C. MILLETT
Wd
88
79
-
-
-
M/C
R.J. GIBSON
Wd
87
82
-
-
-
M/C
J. SHERIDAN
Wd
86
88
-
-
-
M/C
A. YATES
Wd
85
90
-
-
-
M/C
J.M. STUART
Wd
81
89
-
-
-
M/C
Robert BALLANTINE
Wd
-
-
-
-
-
M/C
W.B. TORRANCE
Wd
-
-
-
-
-
M/C
Robert HERD
Wd
-
-
-
-
-
M/C
George MURDOCH
Wd
-
-
-
-
-
M/C

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