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Jones

1926 / Royal Lytham & St Annes

Bobby Jones claimed the first of his three Open titles at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 1926 thanks to one of the greatest shots ever played.

But the American amateur made history even before arriving in Lytham. For one year only, qualifying was on a regional basis and Jones was allocated to play at Sunningdale.

He went round the Old Course in 66, with matching halves of 33, and 33 long shots and 33 putts, and added a 68 on the New.

Lytham had just received its royal status from George V in time for its first Open. The Championship was extended to three days and for the first time gate money was charged to try and control spectator numbers.

Other than at St Andrews in 1921, when neither won, this was the only other Open when both Jones and Walter Hagen played – despite winning seven titles in nine years between them.

Hagen opened with a 68 but had a 77 the next day and Jones was sharing the halfway lead after two 72s.

He fell two behind American professional Al Watrous, who had a 69, after three rounds and that was still the gap with five holes to play. Jones, playing alongside Watrous, then played Lytham’s tough closing stretch in 4-3-4-4-4. It was superb golf.

At the 17th, with his opponent on the green, Jones played from a sandy scrub area, blind behind a dune, with a mashie-niblick, from 175 yards.

The shot was a wonder, not only landing on the green but finishing inside Watrous, who was so shaken that he promptly three-putted.

With a 74, Jones had won by two from Watrous and four from Hagen and George von Elm.

A few weeks later, Jones became the first player to win both The Open and the US Open in the same year.

Name
Finish
R1
R2
R3
R4
Total
Par
Bobby JONES
Champion Golfer
1
72
72
73
74
291
-
Al WATROUS
2
71
75
69
78
293
-
George VON ELM
3
75
72
76
72
295
-
Walter HAGEN
3
68
77
74
76
295
-
Thomas BARBER
5
77
73
78
71
299
-
Abe MITCHELL
5
78
78
72
71
299
-
F. MCLEOD
7
71
75
76
79
301
-
Bill MEHLHORN
8
70
74
79
80
303
-
Jose JURADO
8
77
76
74
76
303
-
Emmett FRENCH
8
76
75
74
78
303
-
J.H. TAYLOR
11
75
78
71
80
304
-
H.A. GAUDIN
11
78
78
71
77
304
-
Tommy ARMOUR
13
74
76
75
80
305
-
H. WALKER
14
74
77
78
77
306
-
Reg WHITCOMBE
14
73
82
76
75
306
-
Tom WILLIAMSON
14
78
76
76
76
306
-
Lister HARTLEY
14
77
74
79
76
306
-
Fred ROBSON
18
79
76
77
75
307
-
Cyril WALKER
18
79
71
80
77
307
-
Jim BARNES
18
77
80
72
78
307
-
Sandy HERD
21
81
76
75
76
308
-
George DUNCAN
21
75
79
80
74
308
-
Herbert JOLLY
23
79
76
79
75
309
-
Charles WHITCOMBE
24
79
78
75
78
310
-
George GADD
24
80
71
78
81
310
-
Edward DOUGLAS
24
79
78
75
78
310
-
Joe KIRKWOOD
24
81
76
78
75
310
-
Arthur HAVERS
28
75
76
82
78
311
-
James BRAID
28
82
75
75
79
311
-
Jean GASSIAT
30
78
78
79
77
312
-
Ted RAY
30
78
80
74
80
312
-
C.H. CORLETT
30
77
80
76
79
312
-
James MCDOWALL
30
75
82
75
80
312
-
F. BOOBYER
30
79
79
80
74
312
-
Jack SMITH
35
78
80
76
79
313
-
J. SHERLOCK
36
76
76
77
85
314
-
A. PEREZ
36
76
75
81
82
314
-
William H. DAVIES
36
76
81
78
79
314
-
Charles JOHNS
39
81
75
81
78
315
-
James OCKENDEN
39
79
76
80
80
315
-
Bob BRADBEER
39
83
74
76
82
315
-
T.E. HOWARD
42
79
79
76
82
316
-
Michael DARAGON
43
77
76
83
81
317
-
Harry KIDD
43
78
78
82
79
317
-
James BRADBEER
45
75
79
83
81
318
-
Arthur YOUNG
45
79
78
85
76
318
-
Cedric SAYNER
47
80
77
82
81
320
-
Sidney BALL
47
75
82
81
82
320
-
Harry BALL
47
77
78
78
87
320
-
Dick WHEILDON
50
78
78
81
84
321
-
B.S. WEASTELL
51
79
79
82
83
323
-
J. SULLIVAN
52
78
78
83
89
328
-
Archie COMPSTON
Wd
76
74
-
-
-
M/C
M. O'NEILL
M/C
80
79
-
-
-
M/C
William SMITH
M/C
83
76
-
-
-
M/C
George KIRBY
M/C
79
80
-
-
-
M/C
P.F. WESTON
M/C
79
80
-
-
-
M/C
J.W. GAUDIN
M/C
80
79
-
-
-
M/C
C. GRAY
M/C
82
77
-
-
-
M/C
Duncan MCCULLOCH
M/C
79
80
-
-
-
M/C
Tom GREEN
M/C
79
80
-
-
-
M/C
Thomas RENOUF
M/C
79
81
-
-
-
M/C
Len HOLLAND
M/C
85
75
-
-
-
M/C
Rex HARTLEY
M/C
76
84
-
-
-
M/C
Mark SEYMOUR
M/C
83
77
-
-
-
M/C
Don CURTIS
M/C
83
77
-
-
-
M/C
H.C. KINCH
M/C
81
79
-
-
-
M/C
Syd WINGATE
M/C
78
82
-
-
-
M/C
F.H. FROSTICK
M/C
84
77
-
-
-
M/C
Jerry BOND
M/C
82
79
-
-
-
M/C
Tom KING JR
M/C
82
79
-
-
-
M/C
Owen SANDERSON
M/C
82
79
-
-
-
M/C
A. BELLWORTHY
M/C
84
77
-
-
-
M/C
F. POPPLEWELL
M/C
81
80
-
-
-
M/C
A.H. READ
M/C
83
78
-
-
-
M/C
R. TURNER
M/C
83
78
-
-
-
M/C
Harry VARDON
M/C
80
82
-
-
-
M/C
Watts GUNN
M/C
82
80
-
-
-
M/C
L. JACKSON
M/C
83
79
-
-
-
M/C
J.H. TURNER
M/C
83
79
-
-
-
M/C
William ROBERTSON
M/C
80
82
-
-
-
M/C
Fred TAGGART
M/C
80
83
-
-
-
M/C
Gordon LOCKHART
M/C
83
80
-
-
-
M/C
B. ROBERTS
M/C
82
81
-
-
-
M/C
R. MACKENZIE
M/C
79
84
-
-
-
M/C
G.T. ADAMS
M/C
86
77
-
-
-
M/C
F. COLLINS
M/C
82
81
-
-
-
M/C
Gus FAULKNER
M/C
83
80
-
-
-
M/C
Cyril TOLLEY
M/C
79
85
-
-
-
M/C
Albert ISHERWOOD
M/C
82
82
-
-
-
M/C
W.M. WATT
M/C
81
83
-
-
-
M/C
William TULLOCH
M/C
82
82
-
-
-
M/C
Albert HALLAM
M/C
83
81
-
-
-
M/C
Dan MURRAY
M/C
84
80
-
-
-
M/C
A. DAY
M/C
84
81
-
-
-
M/C
Harry LARGE
M/C
85
80
-
-
-
M/C
H. CRAPPER
M/C
84
81
-
-
-
M/C
Hugh ROBERTS
M/C
80
86
-
-
-
M/C
A. MENZIES
M/C
82
84
-
-
-
M/C
William HOLLEY
M/C
84
82
-
-
-
M/C
William NOLAN
M/C
85
82
-
-
-
M/C
G. GAINEY
M/C
84
83
-
-
-
M/C
J. GRANT
M/C
85
82
-
-
-
M/C
W.C. THOMAS
M/C
80
89
-
-
-
M/C
Dick MAY
M/C
85
85
-
-
-
M/C
I. SIDEBOTTOM
M/C
91
81
-
-
-
M/C
Cyril FRYER
M/C
86
87
-
-
-
M/C
George MURDOCH
M/C
83
90
-
-
-
M/C
R.D. VICKERS
Wd
81
-
-
-
-
M/C
J.J. TAYLOR
Wd
81
-
-
-
-
M/C
T. WILSON
Wd
73
-
-
-
-
M/C
Joshua TAYLOR
Wd
85
-
-
-
-
M/C
T.E. STEDMAN
Wd
82
-
-
-
-
M/C
Syd EASTERBROOK
Wd
86
-
-
-
-
M/C
Aubrey BOOMER
Wd
78
-
-
-
-
M/C
Peter RAINFORD
Scr
-
-
-
-
-
M/C
A. JAMIESON JR
Scr
-
-
-
-
-
M/C

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