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1959 / Muirfield
When Gary Player drove into a bunker on the 18th hole and took a double-bogey six, he left the course distraught, thinking he had thrown away a chance to win The Open for the first time.
Yet when Player returned from the Marine Hotel in North Berwick, attired in jacket and tie and far more composed, he watched as each challenger attempted to beat his total of 284 – and failed.
Player emerged the Champion Golfer by two strokes from Fred Bullock, the club professional at the Prestwick St Ninians Club who had led for the first three rounds, and Flory van Donck.
The South African, who was fourth on his debut in 1956, had been eight strokes off the lead going into the last 36 holes on the final day.
In the morning, Player’s 70, to Bullock’s 74, brought him within four of the lead and a 68 in the afternoon was more than enough, despite the last-hole disaster.
On that final day he had out-scored Bullock by ten strokes and van Donck, who had a pair of 73s, by eight.
Van Donck was playing in his last Open, 21 years after his first, and was a runner-up for the second time in four years.
In fact, in his last five appearances, the Belgian, who did everything in European golf bar win The Open, was second twice and fifth the other three times.
For Player it was the first of three Open triumphs and of nine major titles in all.
No American golfer made the cut, as none of the stars had travelled from the States, but there was a strong amateur showing with Scotland’s Reid Jack finishing fifth, England’s Michael Bonallack 11th and Guy Wolstenholme in 16th place after holing a 2-iron shot at the final hole.
Name
Finish
R1
R2
R3
R4
Total
Par
Fred BULLOCK
2
68
70
74
74
286
-
Syd SCOTT
4
73
70
73
71
287
-
Christy O'CONNOR SR
5
73
74
72
69
288
-
Robert Reid JACK
5
71
75
68
74
288
-
John PANTON
5
72
72
71
73
288
-
Sam KING
5
70
74
68
76
288
-
Dai REES
9
73
73
69
74
289
-
Leopoldo RUIZ
9
72
74
69
74
289
-
Bernard HUNT
11
73
75
71
71
290
-
Arnold STICKLEY
11
68
74
77
71
290
-
Ken BOUSFIELD
11
73
73
71
73
290
-
Michael BONALLACK
11
70
72
72
76
290
-
Jimmy HITCHCOCK
11
75
68
70
77
290
-
Harry BRADSHAW
16
71
76
72
72
291
-
Peter ALLISS
16
76
72
76
67
291
-
Antonio CERDA
16
69
74
73
75
291
-
Guy WOLSTENHOLME
16
78
70
73
70
291
-
Harry WEETMAN
16
72
73
76
70
291
-
Jean GARAIALDE
21
75
70
74
73
292
-
Neil COLES
21
72
74
71
75
292
-
Peter MILLS
23
75
71
72
76
294
-
Reg KNIGHT
23
71
71
74
78
294
-
Geoffrey HUNT
23
72
73
74
75
294
-
Harold HENNING
23
73
73
72
76
294
-
J.R. MOSES
23
72
73
73
76
294
-
Tom HALIBURTON
29
74
69
74
78
295
-
Jimmy ADAMS
29
71
74
75
75
295
-
Peter SHANKS
29
76
70
75
74
295
-
Eddie WHITCOMBE
29
71
77
74
73
295
-
Hugh LEWIS
34
73
73
78
72
296
-
Norman DREW
35
71
77
75
74
297
-
Adina Test
35
73
71
78
75
297
-
Charlie WARD
35
78
70
73
76
297
-
Joe CARR
38
72
73
74
79
298
-
Angel MIGUEL
38
73
75
73
77
298
-
C. KANE
40
77
69
77
76
299
-
Jack SHARKEY
41
74
74
74
78
300
-
George LOW
41
75
73
78
74
300
-
Jack HARGREAVES
41
72
74
79
75
300
-
Ralph MOFFITT
41
74
72
76
78
300
-
J.J. QUERELOS
46
76
72
80
73
301
-
J.S. MORE
47
72
75
76
79
302
-
Ray HAYDEN
48
75
72
77
79
303
-
Brian WILKES
M/C
76
73
-
-
-
M/C
Cecil DENNY
M/C
78
71
-
-
-
M/C
Walter HILL
M/C
76
73
-
-
-
M/C
John MACDONALD
M/C
76
73
-
-
-
M/C
Carlos CELLES
M/C
76
73
-
-
-
M/C
K.F. DODSWORTH
M/C
77
73
-
-
-
M/C
Fred BOOBYER
M/C
77
73
-
-
-
M/C
Robert HALSALL
M/C
78
73
-
-
-
M/C
B. SHELTON
M/C
76
75
-
-
-
M/C
Sebastian MIGUEL
M/C
78
73
-
-
-
M/C
W.J. HENDERSON
M/C
76
75
-
-
-
M/C
Frank JOWLE
M/C
77
74
-
-
-
M/C
John JACOBS
M/C
76
75
-
-
-
M/C
Jack WILKSHIRE
M/C
76
75
-
-
-
M/C
Bob SWEENY JR
M/C
78
73
-
-
-
M/C
Jim HENDERSON
M/C
78
73
-
-
-
M/C
Sewsunker SEWGOLUM
M/C
79
73
-
-
-
M/C
Ronnie MANDEVILLE
M/C
74
78
-
-
-
M/C
G.R. MAISEY
M/C
75
77
-
-
-
M/C
Ramon SOTA
M/C
76
76
-
-
-
M/C
W.D. SMITH
M/C
74
78
-
-
-
M/C
David SNELL
M/C
76
77
-
-
-
M/C
Robert WATSON
M/C
82
71
-
-
-
M/C
Andrew PATON
M/C
76
78
-
-
-
M/C
Gordon CUNNINGHAM
M/C
79
75
-
-
-
M/C
Gordon WESTON
M/C
81
74
-
-
-
M/C
Alex FOX
M/C
78
77
-
-
-
M/C
John GARRETT
M/C
76
80
-
-
-
M/C
Frank MILLER
M/C
77
79
-
-
-
M/C
John FERGUSON
M/C
81
76
-
-
-
M/C
B. HUTCHISON
M/C
79
78
-
-
-
M/C
Douglas DALZIEL
M/C
79
78
-
-
-
M/C
Keith MACDONALD
M/C
80
77
-
-
-
M/C
J.E. STUART
M/C
80
78
-
-
-
M/C
Willie GOGGIN
M/C
78
80
-
-
-
M/C
Peter GILL
M/C
77
82
-
-
-
M/C
Jimmy HUME
M/C
83
76
-
-
-
M/C
George JOHNSON
M/C
83
80
-
-
-
M/C
Grant AITKEN
M/C
83
87
-
-
-
M/C
Eric BROWN
Scr
-
-
-
-
-
M/C