1955 Open Championship
Tournament information | |
---|---|
Dates | 6–8 July 1955 |
Location | St Andrews, Scotland |
Course(s) | Old Course at St Andrews |
Statistics | |
Par | 72[1] |
Length | 6,936 yards (6,342 m)[1] |
Field | 94 players, 49 after cut[2] |
Cut | 148 (+4) |
Prize fund |
₤3,750 $10,500 |
Winner's share |
₤1,000 $2,800 |
Champion | |
Peter Thomson | |
281 (–7) | |
«1954 1956» |
The 1955 Open Championship was the 84th Open Championship, played 6–8 July at the Old Course at St Andrews in St Andrews, Scotland. Peter Thomson won the second of three consecutive Open titles, two strokes ahead of runner-up John Fallon.[3] Thomson won a total of five Claret Jugs, the last in 1965.
The prize for the winner was increased from £750 to £1,000, the other prizes remaining unchanged. The total prize money was therefore increased from £3,500 to £3,750.[4]
Qualifying took place on 4–5 July. Entries played 18 holes on the Old Course and 18 holes on the New Course. The number of qualifiers was limited to a maximum of 100. Ties for 100th place would not qualify. The qualifying score was 148 and 94 players qualified. On the first day Frank Jowle scored 63 on the New Course and after a 72 on the Old Course he led the qualifiers on 135, a shot ahead of Laurie Ayton.[5] The maximum number of players making the cut after 36 holes was set at 50. Ties for 50th place did not make the cut.
Five Americans were in the field of 94, three professionals and two amateurs.[6] All five made the cut and the top U.S. finisher was Ed Furgol in a tie for 19th place. Byron Nelson, whose only previous appearance at The Open was a fifth-place finish in 1937, tied for 32nd. The two amateurs finished in the top thirty.
Previously the 17th hole (the "Road Hole") was a par 5; for this Open it became a par 4, which reduced the course par from 73 to 72.[1]
Past champions in the field
Player | Country | Year(s) won | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par | Finish |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Peter Thomson | Australia | 1954 | 71 | 68 | 70 | 72 | 281 | –7 | 1 |
Bobby Locke | South Africa | 1949, 1950, 1952 | 74 | 69 | 70 | 72 | 285 | –3 | 4 |
Fred Daly | Northern Ireland | 1947 | 75 | 72 | 70 | 71 | 288 | E | T12 |
Henry Cotton | England | 1934, 1937, 1948 | 70 | 77 | 78 | 76 | 296 | +8 | T32 |
Max Faulkner | England | 1951 | 73 | 74 | 74 | 76 | 297 | +9 | T35 |
Round summaries
First round
Wednesday, 6 July 1955
Place | Player | Country | Score | To par |
---|---|---|---|---|
T1 | Eric Brown | Scotland | 69 | –3 |
Dai Rees | Wales | |||
Syd Scott | England | |||
T4 | Henry Cotton | England | 70 | –2 |
Cecil Denny | England | |||
Bernard Hunt | England | |||
Frank Jowle | England | |||
Jimmy Martin | Ireland | |||
Dennis Smalldon | Wales | |||
T10 | John Anderson | Scotland | 71 | –1 |
Romualdo Barbieri | Argentina | |||
Ken Bousfield | England | |||
Ed Furgol | United States | |||
Robert Halsall | England | |||
John Jacobs | England | |||
Christy O'Connor Snr | Ireland | |||
Norman Sutton | England | |||
Peter Thomson | Australia | |||
Flory Van Donck | Belgium | |||
Harry Weetman | England |
Second round
Thursday, 7 July 1955
Place | Player | Country | Score | To par |
---|---|---|---|---|
T1 | Eric Brown | Scotland | 69-70=139 | –5 |
Dennis Smalldon | Wales | 70-69=139 | ||
Peter Thomson | Australia | 71-68=139 | ||
4 | John Fallon | Scotland | 73-67=140 | –4 |
T5 | Bernard Hunt | England | 70-71=141 | –3 |
John Jacobs | England | 71-70=141 | ||
Frank Jowle | England | 70-71=141 | ||
T8 | Romualdo Barbieri | Argentina | 71-71=142 | –2 |
Harry Bradshaw | Ireland | 72-70=142 | ||
Henry Cotton | England | 70-72=142 | ||
Jimmy Martin | Ireland | 70-72=142 | ||
Harry Weetman | England | 71-71=142 |
Amateurs: Bucher (+2), Conrad (+4), McHale (+4), Lawrie (+5), Carr (+9), Murray (+11), Orr (+13), Robertson (+15).
Third round
Friday, 8 July 1955 - (morning)
Place | Player | Country | Score | To par |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Peter Thomson | Australia | 71-68-70=209 | –7 |
2 | Frank Jowle | England | 70-71-69=210 | –6 |
T3 | Eric Brown | Scotland | 69-70-73=212 | –4 |
John Jacobs | England | 71-70-71=212 | ||
Harry Weetman | England | 71-71-70=212 | ||
T6 | John Fallon | Scotland | 73-67-73=213 | –3 |
Bobby Locke | South Africa | 74-69-70=213 | ||
9 | Flory Van Donck | Belgium | 71-72-71=214 | –2 |
T9 | Romualdo Barbieri | Argentina | 74-76-72=215 | –1 |
Harry Bradshaw | Ireland | 72-70-73=215 | ||
Antonio Cerdá | Argentina | 73-71-71=215 | ||
Bernard Hunt | England | 70-71-74=215 |
Final round
Friday, 8 July 1955 - (afternoon)
Place | Player | Country | Score | To par | Money (₤) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Peter Thomson | Australia | 71-68-70-72=281 | –7 | 1,000 |
2 | John Fallon | Scotland | 73-67-73-70=283 | –5 | 500 |
3 | Frank Jowle | England | 70-71-69-74=284 | –4 | 350 |
4 | Bobby Locke | South Africa | 74-69-70-72=285 | –3 | 200 |
T5 | Ken Bousfield | England | 71-75-70-70=286 | –2 | 90 |
Antonio Cerdá | Argentina | 73-71-71-71=286 | |||
Bernard Hunt | England | 70-71-74-71=286 | |||
Flory Van Donck | Belgium | 71-72-71-72=286 | |||
Harry Weetman | England | 71-71-70-74=286 | |||
T10 | Romualdo Barbieri | Argentina | 71-71-73-72=287 | –1 | 40 |
Christy O'Connor Snr | Ireland | 71-75-70-71=287 |
Amateurs: Conrad (+5), McHale (+7), Bucher (+23).
References
- 1 2 3 "Three tied for lead in British Open golf". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Associated Press. 8 July 1955. p. 19. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
- ↑ "Media guide". The Open Championship. 2011. p. 81. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
- ↑ "Thomson edges Fallon by two strokes in British Open". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. 9 July 1955. p. 9. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
- ↑ "Larger prize for "Open"". The Glasgow Herald. 24 December 1954. p. 7.
- ↑ "Thomson goes easily and efficiently on - Chance of retaining his Open Golf Championship". The Times. 6 July 1955. p. 4.
- ↑ "Thomson, Brown, Smalldon lead British Open with 139". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. 8 July 1955. p. 19. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
External links
Preceded by 1955 U.S. Open |
Major Championships | Succeeded by 1955 PGA Championship |
Coordinates: 56°20′36″N 2°48′10″W / 56.3433°N 2.8028°W