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Alf Perry

1935 / Muirfield

Alf Perry, the professional at Leatherhead in Surrey, won The Open in 1935 at Muirfield in some style. 

A week later, Fred Perry won the final at Wimbledon for the second of three successive victories. 

Alf may not have been the most famous Perry in the country but he equalled The Open record of 283 – not beaten at Muirfield until Jack Nicklaus in 1966 – and won by four strokes from Alf Padgham.

With an opening round of 68 Henry Cotton looked in ominous form in defence of the title he had won for the first time a year earlier. Only a six at the last signalled it might not be his title 12 months on. 

Perry, who lost to Cotton in the final of the PGA Match Play Championship three years earlier, was one behind. 

He was a powerful hitter, with a strong right hand grip and a wide, flat swing, but after two rounds Charles Whitcombe’s 68 put him three shots clear of Cotton and five ahead of Perry. 

Then it was Perry’s turn for fireworks with a third-round 67 equaling Walter Hagen’s course record and moving him ahead of the field as Cotton slipped to a 76 and Whitcombe to a 73. 

Perry’s golf was confident and almost casual as he played a succession of fine fairway woods into Muirfield’s longer holes.

A final round of 72, despite starting with a six after taking four from the edge of the green, was good enough to hold off all challengers. 

The steadiest of them was Padgham, who completed rounds of 70, 72, 74 and 71. Whitcombe finished third and Cotton trailed in with a share of seventh place after a final 75. 

Lawson Little, the American who that year won the British and US Amateur titles for the second year running, finished joint fourth.

Name
Finish
R1
R2
R3
R4
Total
Par
Alf PERRY
1
69
75
67
72
283
-
2
70
72
74
71
287
-
Charles WHITCOMBE
3
71
68
73
76
288
-
Lawson LITTLE
4
75
71
74
69
289
-
Bert GADD
4
72
75
71
71
289
-
Henry PICARD
6
72
73
72
75
292
-
Syd EASTERBROOK
7
75
73
74
71
293
-
7
68
74
76
75
293
-
William BRANCH
9
71
73
76
74
294
-
Laurie AYTON SR
10
74
73
77
71
295
-
A. BOYER
11
74
75
76
71
296
-
John J. BUSSON
12
75
76
70
76
297
-
Aubrey BOOMER
12
76
69
75
77
297
-
Bill COX
12
76
69
77
75
297
-
Ernest KENYON
12
70
74
74
79
297
-
J.A. JACOBS
16
78
74
75
71
298
-
Percy ALLISS
16
72
76
75
75
298
-
Ernest WHITCOMBE
18
75
72
74
78
299
-
Philip RODGERS
18
74
76
74
75
299
-
Macdonald SMITH
18
69
77
75
78
299
-
Mark SEYMOUR
18
75
76
75
73
299
-
William LAIDLAW
18
74
71
75
79
299
-
Sam KING
23
76
74
75
75
300
-
Reg COX
23
75
73
76
76
300
-
Arthur LACEY
23
71
75
74
80
300
-
P.B. LUCAS
23
74
73
72
81
300
-
P.W.L. RISDON
27
78
74
75
74
301
-
Alfred G. BECK
27
74
76
77
74
301
-
Len HOLLAND
27
72
74
78
77
301
-
Frank BALL
27
76
75
73
77
301
-
Sid BREWS
31
79
74
75
74
302
-
Dai REES
31
75
73
77
77
302
-
C.W. THOMSON
31
74
76
75
77
302
-
William H. DAVIES
34
78
74
76
75
303
-
Bert HODSON
34
72
80
79
72
303
-
34
72
75
74
82
303
-
Eric GREEN
37
72
77
78
77
304
-
Gordon LOCKHART
37
78
72
82
72
304
-
Allan DAILEY
37
75
74
76
79
304
-
H.W. MYERS
37
74
73
81
76
304
-
41
79
74
76
76
305
-
Robert RUTHERFORD
41
76
76
77
76
305
-
Arthur LEES
41
76
77
76
76
305
-
P.J. MAHON
44
71
79
81
75
306
-
George CHARMAN
44
77
76
78
75
306
-
Bob SWEENY JR
46
72
73
82
80
307
-
Jack MCLEAN
46
77
74
75
81
307
-
W.J. MARTIN
46
74
75
80
78
307
-
Archie COMPSTON
49
75
74
79
80
308
-
Fred JARMAN
49
74
78
79
77
308
-
Eric MCRUVIE
49
70
79
81
78
308
-
Tom COLLINGE
49
77
75
77
79
308
-
Tom DOBSON
49
77
75
77
79
308
-
Frank HILL
49
77
76
79
76
308
-
Hector THOMSON
55
75
76
80
78
309
-
Laurie AYTON JR
55
78
74
79
78
309
-
Francis FRANCIS
57
78
75
75
82
310
-
Hamish BALLINGALL
57
75
77
80
78
310
-
Joe EZAR
59
76
75
80
80
311
-
Edward JARMAN
59
74
78
80
79
311
-
Andrew PEACOCK
61
80
72
81
80
313
-
W.E. BROWN
62
74
78
87
83
322
-
Cedric SAYNER
M/C
80
74
-
-
-
M/C
Michael BINGHAM
M/C
77
77
-
-
-
M/C
M/C
76
78
-
-
-
M/C
Jimmy ADAMS
M/C
76
78
-
-
-
M/C
William NOLAN
M/C
74
80
-
-
-
M/C
James FORRESTER
M/C
76
78
-
-
-
M/C
James BRODLIE JR
M/C
78
76
-
-
-
M/C
Jack BALLANTINE
M/C
77
77
-
-
-
M/C
J.A. FLAHERTY
M/C
76
79
-
-
-
M/C
William TWINE
M/C
80
75
-
-
-
M/C
Cecil DENNY
M/C
76
79
-
-
-
M/C
J.M. HEGGERTY
M/C
81
74
-
-
-
M/C
T.H. RICHARDS
M/C
80
75
-
-
-
M/C
James MCDOWALL
M/C
76
79
-
-
-
M/C
J. MCKAY JR
M/C
77
78
-
-
-
M/C
Raymond OPPENHEIMER
M/C
77
79
-
-
-
M/C
Owen SANDERSON
M/C
78
78
-
-
-
M/C
James H. BUSSON JR
M/C
76
80
-
-
-
M/C
B.S. WEASTELL
M/C
80
77
-
-
-
M/C
Eddie SMITH
M/C
78
79
-
-
-
M/C
James BRADBEER
M/C
79
78
-
-
-
M/C
R. WALKER
M/C
77
80
-
-
-
M/C
Abe MITCHELL
M/C
78
79
-
-
-
M/C
Albert ISHERWOOD
M/C
79
79
-
-
-
M/C
William OKE
M/C
82
76
-
-
-
M/C
Sam WALSH
M/C
78
80
-
-
-
M/C
Jock HENDERSON
M/C
81
77
-
-
-
M/C
Hugh ROBERTS
M/C
80
78
-
-
-
M/C
Tom WILLIAMSON
M/C
78
80
-
-
-
M/C
W.H. GREEN
M/C
78
80
-
-
-
M/C
Donald CAMERON
M/C
75
84
-
-
-
M/C
George KNIGHT
M/C
81
78
-
-
-
M/C
J.W. WALKER
M/C
77
82
-
-
-
M/C
W.G. SAUNDERS
M/C
79
80
-
-
-
M/C
P.P. WYNNE JR
M/C
77
83
-
-
-
M/C
M/C
80
80
-
-
-
M/C
Herbert JOLLY
M/C
82
78
-
-
-
M/C
Duncan MCCULLOCH
M/C
79
81
-
-
-
M/C
J. MCCREDIE
M/C
79
82
-
-
-
M/C
Fred ROBERTSON
M/C
79
82
-
-
-
M/C
James OCKENDEN
M/C
83
79
-
-
-
M/C
William DAVIS
M/C
81
81
-
-
-
M/C
Fred BRADBEER
M/C
80
83
-
-
-
M/C
Jack GADD
M/C
82
84
-
-
-
M/C
Marshall MOFFATT
M/C
82
85
-
-
-
M/C
William SPARKS
NR
-
-
-
-
-
M/C
Joe KIRKWOOD
NR
-
-
-
-
-
M/C

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