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Peter Thomson

1958 / Royal Lytham & St Annes

Peter Thomson won for the fourth time in five years at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 1958 but only after a play-off against young Welshman Dave Thomas. 

The pair had tied on a new record total of 278, one better than the score twice posted by Bobby Locke. 

Together Thomson and Locke had won eight times in the last ten years, only Max Faulkner and Ben Hogan interrupting the sequence, and the previous year Locke had ended the Australian’s three-year winning streak. 

This was to be the final time Thomson was crowned Champion Golfer in an incredible run of seven years where he was either first or second in The Open.

He opened with a 66 to lead the way but was overtaken by Christy O’Connor Snr at halfway. 

Thomson regained the lead with a 67 in the third round but Thomas made up the two-stroke deficit with a closing 71 to Thomson’s 73. 

There was much drama at the 18th hole. In front of a huge gallery eager to see a young British player topple the Australian maestro, Thomas’s putt from 45 feet just missed, while Thomson’s putt for victory from 12 feet never looked like going in.

Earlier, Argentina’s Leopoldo Ruiz took a seven at the last and finished three behind, alongside Flory van Donck in fifth place, while Eric Brown and O’Connor both bunkered their tee shots at the last, costing a six and a five respectively which meant they both missed out by one stroke. 

It was the second year running that Edinburgh-born Brown was third in The Open, he and Ruiz both compiling 65s earlier in the week.

Thomson led Thomas 68-69 after the first round of the play-off and his experience told in the afternoon as he pulled away to win by four strokes, 139-143. Thomas was also a runner-up at Muirfield in 1966.

Name
Finish
R1
R2
R3
R4
Total
Par
Peter THOMSON
Champion Golfer
1
66
72
67
73
278
-
Dave THOMAS
2
70
68
69
71
278
-
Christy O'CONNOR SR
3
67
68
73
71
279
-
Eric BROWN
3
73
70
65
71
279
-
Leopoldo RUIZ
5
71
65
72
73
281
-
Flory VAN DONCK
5
70
70
67
74
281
-
Gary PLAYER
7
68
74
70
71
283
-
Adina Test
8
73
66
71
74
284
-
Harry WEETMAN
8
73
67
73
71
284
-
Sir Henry COTTON
8
68
75
69
72
284
-
Peter ALLISS
11
72
70
70
73
285
-
Donald SWAELENS
11
74
67
74
70
285
-
Harold HENNING
13
70
71
72
73
286
-
Jean GARAIALDE
14
69
74
72
72
287
-
Dai REES
14
77
69
71
70
287
-
Bobby LOCKE
16
76
70
72
70
288
-
Eric MOORE
16
72
72
70
74
288
-
Gene SARAZEN
16
73
73
70
72
288
-
Max FAULKNER
16
68
71
71
78
288
-
Fred DALY
20
71
74
72
73
290
-
Norman DREW
20
69
72
75
74
290
-
Tony COOP
20
69
71
75
75
290
-
Christy GREENE
20
75
71
72
72
290
-
Gerry DE WIT
24
71
75
72
73
291
-
Harry BRADSHAW
24
70
73
72
76
291
-
Antonio CERDA
26
72
71
74
75
292
-
Sebastian MIGUEL
26
74
71
73
74
292
-
Trevor WILKES
26
76
70
69
77
292
-
Angel MIGUEL
29
71
70
75
77
293
-
David SNELL
30
72
72
72
79
295
-
Sam KING
30
71
73
76
75
295
-
Bernard HUNT
30
70
70
76
79
295
-
Jack WILKSHIRE
33
74
70
78
74
296
-
Brian WILKES
34
73
73
75
76
297
-
Bruce CRAMPTON
34
73
73
75
76
297
-
Syd SCOTT
34
73
74
74
76
297
-
Joe CARR
37
70
74
77
77
298
-
D.L. MELVILLE
38
76
71
76
79
302
-
Cecil DENNY
39
74
73
77
79
303
-
Bill LARGE
39
70
72
81
80
303
-
Peter MILLS
M/C
77
71
-
-
-
M/C
Reg KNIGHT
M/C
74
74
-
-
-
M/C
Alfonso ANGELINI
M/C
72
76
-
-
-
M/C
Jimmy ADAMS
M/C
75
73
-
-
-
M/C
Robert JARMAN
M/C
74
74
-
-
-
M/C
Norman VON NIDA
M/C
77
71
-
-
-
M/C
Eddie LARGE
M/C
74
74
-
-
-
M/C
Sandy GUTHRIE
M/C
77
71
-
-
-
M/C
Ray HAYDEN
M/C
75
73
-
-
-
M/C
W.J. HENDERSON
M/C
79
69
-
-
-
M/C
Geoffrey HUNT
M/C
76
72
-
-
-
M/C
T.H.T. FAIRBAIRN
M/C
78
71
-
-
-
M/C
Fidel DE LUCA
M/C
76
73
-
-
-
M/C
K.G. GEDDES
M/C
76
73
-
-
-
M/C
Eric GREEN
M/C
75
74
-
-
-
M/C
Laurie AYTON JR
M/C
74
75
-
-
-
M/C
Frank JOWLE
M/C
72
77
-
-
-
M/C
Ralph MOFFITT
M/C
77
72
-
-
-
M/C
Eddie WHITCOMBE
M/C
77
72
-
-
-
M/C
John JACOBS
M/C
78
72
-
-
-
M/C
Brian ALLEN
M/C
72
78
-
-
-
M/C
Robert HALSALL
M/C
78
72
-
-
-
M/C
Barry DAVIES
M/C
75
75
-
-
-
M/C
Graham BATEY
M/C
83
67
-
-
-
M/C
Frank DEIGHTON
M/C
72
78
-
-
-
M/C
Charlie WARD
M/C
77
73
-
-
-
M/C
John PANTON
M/C
75
75
-
-
-
M/C
Tom HALIBURTON
M/C
71
79
-
-
-
M/C
Sir Bob CHARLES
M/C
71
79
-
-
-
M/C
Ramon SOTA
M/C
73
78
-
-
-
M/C
Richard KEMP JR
M/C
77
74
-
-
-
M/C
George LOW
M/C
76
75
-
-
-
M/C
Walter HYAM
M/C
76
75
-
-
-
M/C
Philip SCRUTTON
M/C
75
76
-
-
-
M/C
Don LEWIS
M/C
74
77
-
-
-
M/C
John BURTON
M/C
78
73
-
-
-
M/C
Jean-Baptiste ADO
M/C
77
74
-
-
-
M/C
Peter BUTLER
M/C
79
73
-
-
-
M/C
Arthur PEROWNE
M/C
75
77
-
-
-
M/C
Fred BOOBYER
M/C
75
77
-
-
-
M/C
Stanley FOX
M/C
77
76
-
-
-
M/C
John FALLON
M/C
80
73
-
-
-
M/C
L.G. RANDALL
M/C
75
79
-
-
-
M/C
Monte BRADLEY
M/C
76
78
-
-
-
M/C
Peter GILL
M/C
74
80
-
-
-
M/C
Frank MILLER
M/C
76
78
-
-
-
M/C
Alex FOX
M/C
77
78
-
-
-
M/C
T. BYRNE
M/C
79
77
-
-
-
M/C
Ross WHITEHEAD
M/C
79
77
-
-
-
M/C
Norman SUTTON
M/C
79
78
-
-
-
M/C
Dick KEMP
M/C
82
78
-
-
-
M/C
Jimmy HITCHCOCK
M/C
85
76
-
-
-
M/C
Alan SLATER
M/C
82
80
-
-
-
M/C
David TALBOT
M/C
86
76
-
-
-
M/C
Donald SMART
M/C
85
83
-
-
-
M/C
Ken ADWICK
NR
-
-
-
-
-
M/C

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