1914 Open Championship

1914 Open Championship

Tournament information
Dates	18–19 June 1914
Location	Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland
Course(s)	Prestwick Golf Club
Statistics
Length	6,526 yards (5,967 m)[1]
Field	100 players[2]
Cut	none
Prize fund	£125
Winner's share	£50
Champion
Harry Vardon
306

Prestwick

Location in Scotland

Prestwick

Location in South Ayrshire, Scotland

The 1914 Open Championship was the 54th Open Championship, held 18–19 June at Prestwick Golf Club in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Harry Vardon won a record sixth Open Championship title, three strokes ahead of runner-up J.H. Taylor, the defending champion.^[3][4][5] Entering the championship, Vardon, Taylor, and James Braid had five Open wins each.^[3][6] This was the sixteenth and final Open title for these three, the Great Triumvirate. Due to World War I, it was the last Open for six years; the next was in 1920.

Qualification took place the week before on 11−12 June at Troon, with 18 holes on the Old Course and 18 holes on Troon municipal number 2, and exactly 100 players qualified.^[7][8] Taylor and Ted Ray, winners of the last two Opens, led the field on 150 and 96 players at 163 or better advanced.^[9] The thirteen at 164 played an additional 18 holes at Prestwick the next day to determine the final four places;^[9] scores of 79 and better qualified.^[10]

After the first two rounds on Thursday, Vardon led at 150, by one shot ahead of a relatively unknown James Ockenden from West Drayton Golf Club. Taylor was a shot back in third at 152. One shot back after an opening 74, Braid's 82 in the afternoon dropped him into a tie for ninth.^[1]

Vardon and Taylor were paired together on Friday and, after Ockenden had a disappointing 83, they were clear leaders after the morning's third round. Taylor led on 226 with Vardon two back; amateur James Jenkins was third on 232 and three were tied at 233.^[3]

With the two leaders playing together, huge crowds followed in the final round that afternoon. Taylor extended his lead to three at the first hole, but at the third, he was distracted by a photographer and dropped a stroke to Vardon. The championship was largely decided at the fourth hole, where Taylor found the water and took seven to Vardon's four, which changed the lead. Taylor dropped more strokes to Vardon at the 5th, 8th, 10th, and 11th holes and Vardon led by five. Taylor recovered somewhat and shot 83, but Vardon won by three shots at 78 for 306. Phil Gaudin had the best score in the final round at 74.^[3]

This was the penultimate Open at Prestwick, which hosted 24, including the first twelve; the last was eleven years later in 1925. It was replaced by adjacent Troon Golf Club ("Royal Troon" since 1978) as the Open venue for southwestern Scotland. Turnberry was added to the rota in 1977, southwest of Prestwick.

Past champions in the field

Player	Country	Year(s) won	R1	R2	R3	R4	Total	Finish
Harry Vardon	Jersey	1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911	73	77	78	78	306	1
J.H. Taylor	England	1894, 1895 1900, 1909, 1913	74	78	74	83	309	2
James Braid	Scotland	1901, 1905, 1906, 1908, 1910	74	82	78	82	316	T10
Arnaud Massy	France	1907	77	82	75	82	316	T10
Ted Ray	Jersey	1912	77	82	76	81	316	T10
Sandy Herd	Scotland	1902	79	87	79	79	324	T29
Harold Hilton (a)	England	1892, 1897	79	81	WD			T88

Source:^[2][3]

Did not enter: Jack White (1904)^[2][8][9]

Course

Source:^[1]

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, 18 June 1914 (morning)

Place	Player	Country	Score
1	Harry Vardon	Jersey	73
T2	James Braid	Scotland	74
	J.H. Taylor	England
	Ernest Whitcombe	England
T5	James Ockenden	England	75
	Tom Williamson	England
T7	Jean Gassiat	France	76
	Fred Leach	England
	Abe Mitchell	England
	Reg Wilson	England

Source:^[1][2]

Second round

Thursday, 18 June 1914 (afternoon)

Place	Player	Country	Score
1	Harry Vardon	Jersey	73-77=150
2	James Ockenden	England	75-76=151
3	J.H. Taylor	England	74-78=152
4	Reg Wilson	England	76-77=153
T5	James Edgar	England	79-75=154
	Walter Hambleton	England	79-75=154
	Abe Mitchell	England	76-78=154
	Tom Williamson	England	75-79=154
T9	James Braid	Scotland	74-82=156
	George Duncan	Scotland	77-79=156
	Len Holland	England	78-78=156
	Cecil Hutchison (a)	Scotland	81-75=156

Source:^[1][2]

Third round

Friday, 19 June 1914 (morning)

Place	Player	Country	Score
1	J.H. Taylor	England	74-78-74=226
2	Harry Vardon	Jersey	73-77-78=228
3	James Jenkins (a)	Scotland	79-80-73=232
T4	Abe Mitchell	England	76-78-79=233
	Tom Williamson	England	75-79-79=233
	Reg Wilson	England	76-77-80=233
T7	James Braid	Scotland	74-82-78=234
	Arnaud Massy	France	77-82-75=234
	James Ockenden	England	75-76-83=234
T10	Ted Ray	Jersey	77-82-76=235
	Harry Simpson	England	77-80-78=235

Source:^[2][3]

Final round

Friday, 19 June 1914 (afternoon)

Place	Player	Country	Score	Money (£)
1	Harry Vardon	Jersey	73-77-78-78=306	50
2	J.H. Taylor	England	74-78-74-83=309	25
3	Harry Simpson	England	77-80-78-75=310	15
T4	Abe Mitchell	England	76-78-79-79=312	8 15s
	Tom Williamson	England	75-79-79-79=312
6	Reg Wilson	England	76-77-80-80=313	7 10s
7	James Ockenden	England	75-76-83-80=314	5
T8	Phil Gaudin	Jersey	78-83-80-74=315
	James Jenkins (a)	Scotland	79-80-73-83=315	0
T10	James Braid	Scotland	74-82-78-82=316
	George Duncan	Scotland	77-79-80-80=316
	Arnaud Massy	France	77-82-75-82=316
	Ted Ray	Jersey	77-82-76-81=316

Source:^[2][3][11]

Amateurs: Jenkins (315), Lassen (319), Hutchison (324), Lockhart (326),
                 Anderson (329), Ouimet (332), Hope (335), Shepherd (338).

Scorecards

Final round

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Back	Total
Vardon	6	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	5	39	4	4	5	5	4	4	5	4	4	39	78
Taylor	5	4	5	7	5	4	4	5	5	44	5	5	5	4	4	5	3	4	4	39	83
Leader-strokes	T3	T3	T2	V1	V2	V2	V2	V3	V3		V4	V5	V5	V4	V4	V5	V3	V3	V3

Source:^[3]

References

External links

• 54th Open - Prestwick 1914 (Official site)
• 1914 Open Championship (about.sports)

Coordinates: 55°30′07″N 4°37′08″W / 55.502°N 4.619°W / 55.502; -4.619