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Jock

1921 / St Andrews

Jock Hutchison became the first American citizen to win The Open at St Andrews in 1921.

But it was also a home victory as Hutchison was born and bred in the town but immigrated to America prior to WWI.

He had won the PGA Championship the previous year and travelled over early to re-familiarise himself with the Old Course.A 70 in the final round, the lowest score yet recorded in an Open on the Old, got him into a play-off with English amateur Roger Wethered.

The Oxford undergraduate, the brother of future women’s star Joyce, had to cancel, after persuasion, his appearance in a cricket match the next day but it was the experienced professional who prevailed by nine strokes.

Hutchison had rounds of 74 and 76 for a total of 150, while Wethered scored 77, 82 for 159.

No British amateur has got as close to winning the Claret Jug since.Hutchison’s victory, the second by a non-British player after Arnaud Massy in 1907, was not universally popular. One reason was his use for “ribbed” irons.

They enabled him to get backspin even on the rock-hard greens but JH Taylor it was like “buying the shot out of a shop”.

The R&A had already decided to ban the grooves but the new ruling would not come into effect until July 1 and Hutchison won on June 25.

There was no doubting the Champion’s pedigree, however.In his first round of 72 he holed in one at the eighth and almost did again at the ninth, his drive of around 300 yards hitting the lip of the hole and stopping three inches away.

Bobby Jones made his debut in The Open but tore up his card after taking four to escape from Hill bunker in the 11th in the third round.
Name
Finish
R1
R2
R3
R4
Total
Par
Jock HUTCHISON
1
72
75
79
70
296
-
Roger WETHERED
2
78
75
72
71
296
-
Tom KERRIGAN
3
74
80
72
72
298
-
4
76
74
77
72
299
-
5
74
75
78
74
301
-
6
74
75
74
79
302
-
6
74
74
74
80
302
-
Joe KIRKWOOD
6
76
74
73
79
302
-
6
74
79
72
77
302
-
6
75
74
73
80
302
-
Tom WILLIAMSON
6
79
71
74
78
302
-
Fred LEACH
6
78
75
76
73
302
-
W. PURSEY
13
74
82
74
74
304
-
Abe MITCHELL
13
78
79
76
71
304
-
J.W. GAUDIN
15
78
76
75
76
305
-
Bill MEHLHORN
16
75
77
76
78
306
-
Len HOLLAND
16
78
78
76
74
306
-
16
77
75
78
76
306
-
19
76
72
81
78
307
-
Paul HUNTER
19
75
78
76
78
307
-
Frank BALL
19
79
78
74
76
307
-
W.M. WATT
19
81
77
75
74
307
-
H.C. KINCH
23
73
77
81
77
308
-
23
77
77
80
74
308
-
Clarence HACKNEY
23
77
75
80
76
308
-
26
80
80
75
74
309
-
Aubrey BOOMER
26
78
80
72
79
309
-
George MCLEAN
26
76
73
82
78
309
-
Dennis KYLE
26
77
77
81
74
309
-
Hugh ROBERTS
26
79
82
74
74
309
-
Walter BOURNE
26
78
78
75
78
309
-
Emmett FRENCH
26
79
76
75
79
309
-
Arthur BUTCHART
26
78
80
77
74
309
-
J.D. EDGAR
26
82
76
78
73
309
-
Archie COMPSTON
35
78
75
77
80
310
-
Percy HILLS
36
75
76
83
77
311
-
C.H. REITH
36
79
83
75
74
311
-
David AYTON JR
38
77
82
78
75
312
-
Rowland JONES
39
77
77
79
80
313
-
Percy ALLISS
39
75
77
81
80
313
-
Charles JOHNS
41
78
82
80
74
314
-
Reginald WILSON
41
80
77
78
79
314
-
Alfred MILES
41
75
78
81
80
314
-
Mark SEYMOUR
41
75
78
76
85
314
-
G.R. BUCKLE
45
79
79
74
83
315
-
A. ARMOUR
45
77
83
75
80
315
-
Jean GASSIAT
47
80
81
80
75
316
-
W.A. MURRAY
47
81
79
76
80
316
-
Peter ROBERTSON
47
81
84
79
72
316
-
Angel DE LA TORRE
47
83
78
77
78
316
-
James OCKENDEN
51
79
84
79
75
317
-
W.E. BROWN
51
77
80
75
85
317
-
Fred ROBSON
51
80
78
80
79
317
-
Charles HOFFNER
54
75
86
77
80
318
-
Tom KING JR
54
80
80
77
81
318
-
F.C. JEWELL
56
81
81
78
79
319
-
Albert HALLAM
57
80
85
80
75
320
-
57
76
82
81
81
320
-
John BURGESS
57
79
84
81
76
320
-
Joshua TAYLOR
57
81
79
78
82
320
-
Sid BREWS
61
81
82
80
78
321
-
A. DAY
61
79
81
81
80
321
-
James SOUTAR
63
80
79
83
80
322
-
F. MCLEOD
63
78
79
83
82
322
-
Robert HARRIS
63
81
85
78
78
322
-
J. ANDERSON
66
79
82
82
80
323
-
James BATLEY
66
81
82
82
78
323
-
Dick MAY
66
77
79
87
80
323
-
George SMITH
66
80
80
83
80
323
-
J.H. TURNER
70
81
84
78
81
324
-
J.B. FULFORD
70
81
82
84
77
324
-
W.L. RITCHIE
72
82
80
82
81
325
-
Claude GRAY
73
81
87
75
83
326
-
Albert SEYMOUR
74
82
81
83
81
327
-
P.C. QUILTER
74
86
83
78
80
327
-
Michael BINGHAM
76
85
79
84
82
330
-
J.M. SUNTER
77
87
81
76
88
332
-
H. WILSON
78
80
82
90
81
333
-
Robert MCKENZIE
78
84
83
77
89
333
-
T. MOUNCE
80
84
81
86
85
336
-
J V EAST
Wd
81
87
83
-
-
-
Owen SANDERSON
Wd
82
84
79
-
-
-
Budd CLARKE
Wd
82
79
-
-
-
M/C
Wd
78
74
-
-
-
M/C
John Gordon SIMPSON
Wd
83
-
-
-
-
M/C

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