THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP FACTS AND FIGURES
OLDEST WINNER:
Old Tom Morris, 1867, 46 years and 99 days
Robert de Vicenzo, 1967, 44 years and 93 days
Harry Vardon, 1914, 44 years and 41 days
YOUNGEST WINNER:
Young Tom Morris, 1868, 17 years, 5 months and 8 days
Willie Auchterlonie, 1893, 21 years and 24 days
Severiano Ballesteros, 1979, 22 years, 3 months and 12 days
OLDEST COMPETITOR
Gene Sarazen, 74 years and 131 days, 1976
YOUNGEST COMPETITOR
Young Tom Morris, 14 years and 147 days, 1865
CHAMPIONS IN THREE DECADES:
Harry Vardon, 1896, 1903 and 1911
J.H.Taylor, 1894, 1900 and 1913
Gary Player, 1959, 1968 and 1974
MOST VICTORIES:
6, Harry Vardon, 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911 and 1914
5, James Braid, 1901,1905, 1906, 1908, and 1910
5, J. H. Taylor, 1894,1895, 1900, 1909 and 1913
5, Peter Thomson, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958 and 1965
5, Tom Watson, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1982 and 1983
BIGGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY:
13 strokes, Old Tom Morris, 1862
12 strokes, Young Tom Morris, 1870
8 strokes, J.H. Taylor, 1900 and 1913
8 strokes, James Braid, 1908
8 strokes, Tiger Woods, 2000
7 strokes, Louis Oosthuizen, 2010
6 strokes, Bobby Jones, 1927
6 strokes, Walter Hagen, 1929
6 strokes, Arnold Palmer, 1962
6 strokes, Johnny Miller 1976
LOWEST WINNING AGGREGATES
267 (66,68,69,64) Greg Norman, Royal St George’s, 1993
268 (68,70,65,65) Tom Watson, Turnberry, 1977
268 (69,66,67,66) Nick Price, Turnberry, 1994
269 (67,66,67,69) Tiger Woods, St Andrews, 2000
270 (67,65,67,71) Sir Nick Faldo, St Andrews, 1990
270 (67,65,71, 67) Tiger Woods, Royal Liverpool, 2006
LOWEST WINNING UNDER PAR SCORES
269 (-19)Tiger Woods, St Andrews, 2000
270 (-18) Sir Nick Faldo, St Andrews, 1990
270 (-18) Tiger Woods, Royal Liverpool, 2006
271 (-17) Rory McIlroy, Royal Liverpool, 2014
272 (-16) Louis Oosthuizen, St Andrews, 2010
274 (-14), Tiger Woods, St Andrews, 2005
271 (-13) Tom Watson, Muirfield, 1980
267 (-13) Greg Norman, Royal St Gerorge’s, 1993
271 (-13) Tom Lehman, Royal Lytham and St Annes, 1996
LOWEST 9 HOLES
28, Denis Durnian, Royal Birkdale, 1983
LOWEST INDIVIDUAL ROUND
63, Mark Hayes, 2nd round, Turnberry, 1977
63, Isao Aoki, 3rd round, Muirfield, 1980
63, Greg Norman, 2nd round, Turnberry, 1986
63, Paul Broadhurst, 3rd round, St Andrews, 1990
63, Jodie Mudd, 4th round, Royal Birkdale, 1991
63, Sir Nick Faldo, 2nd round , Royal St George’s, 1993
63, Payne Stewart, 4th round, Royal St Georges, 1993
63, Rory McIlroy, 1st round, St Andrews, 2010
LOWEST FIRST ROUND
63, Rory McIlroy, St Andrews, 2010
64, Craig Stadler, Royal Birkdale, 1983
64, Christy O’Connor Jnr, Royal St George’s 1985
64, Rodger Davis, Murifield, 1987
64, Steve Pate, Muirfield, 1992
64, Ray Floyd, Murifield, 1992
64, Miguel Angel Jiménez, Turnberry, 2009
64, Adam Scott, Royal Lytham and St Annes, 2012
LOWEST SECOND ROUND
63, Mark Hayes, Turnberry, 1977
63, Greg Norman, Turnberry, 1986
63, Sir Nick Faldo, Royal St George’s, 1993
LOWEST THIRD ROUND
63, Isao Aoki, Muirfield, 1980
63, Paul Broadhurst, St Andrews, 1990
LOWEST FOURTH ROUND
63, Jodie Mudd, Royal Birkdale, 1991,
63, Payne Stewart, Royal St George’s, 1993
LOWEST 1ST 36 HOLES
130, (66,64) Sir Nick Faldo, Muirfield, 1992
130 (66-64), Brandt Snedeker, Royal Lytham and St Annes, 2012
131 (64-67), Adam Scott, Royal Lytham and St Annes, 2012
132, (67,65) Sir Henry Cotton, Royal St George’s, 1934
132, (67,65), Sir Nick Faldo, St Andrews, 1990
132, (66,66) Greg Norman, St Andrews, 1990
132, (69,63) Sir Nick Faldo, Royal St Georges, 1993
132 , (67-65) Tiger Woods, Royal Liverpool, 2006
132, (65-67) Louis Oosthuizen, St Andrews, 2010
132 (66-66) Rory McIlroy, Royal Liverpool, 2014
LOWEST FINAL 36 HOLES
130, (65-65) Tom Watson, Turnberry, 1977
130, (64-66) Ian Baker-Finch, Royal Birkdale, 1991,
130, (66-64) Anders Forsbrand, Turnberry, 1994
LOWEST 1ST 54 HOLES
198, (67,67,64) Tom Lehman, Royal Lytham & St Annes, 1996
199, (67,65,67) Sir Nick Faldo, St Andrews,, 1990
199, (66-64-69) Sir Nick Faldo, Muirfield, 1992
199, (64,67,68), Adam Scott, Royal Lytham and St Annes, 2012
LOWEST FINAL 54 HOLES
199, (66,67,66) Nick Price, Turnberry, 1994
200, (70,65,65) Tom Watson, Turnberry, 1977
200 (63,70,67)Sir Nick Faldo, Royal St George’s, 1993
200 (66,64,70) Fuzzy Zoeller, Turnberry, 1994
200 (66,70,64) Sir Nick Faldo, Turnberry, 1994
BIGGEST SPAN BETWEEN VICTORIES
11 years, Sir Henry Cotton, 1937-48 (due to WW11)
10 years, Ernie Els, 2002-12
BIGGEST SPAN BETWEEN FIRST AND LAST VICTORIES
19 years, J H Taylor, 1894-1913
18 years Harry Vardon, 1896-1914
MOST SUCCESSIVE VICTORIES
4, Young Tom Morris, 1868-72 (no championship in 1871)
3, Jamie Anderson, 1877-79
3, Bob Ferguson, 1880-82
3, Peter Thomson, 1954-56
VICTORIES BY AMATEURS
3, Bobby Jones, 1926, 27, 30
2, Harold Hilton, 1892, 97
1, John Ball, 1890
(Roger Wethered lost in a play-off in 1921)
CHAMPIONS ON FIRST APPEARANCE
Willie Park, Prestwick, 1860
Tom Kidd, St Andrews, 1873
Mungo Park, Musselburgh, 1874
Harold Hilton, Muirfield, 1892
Jock Hutchinson, St Andrews, 1921
Densmore Shute, St Andrews, 1933
Ben Hogan, Carnoustie, 1953
Tony Lema, St Andrews, 1964
Tom Watson, Carnoustie, 1975
Ben Curtis, Royal St Georges, 2003
HIGHEST NUMBER OF SUB-70 ROUNDS
36, Sir Nick Faldo
33, Jack Nicklaus
30, Tom Watson
25 Greg Norman
21, Lee Trevino
21, Nick Price
20, Severiano Ballesteros
PLAYERS TO WIN WITH FOUR SUB-70 ROUNDS
Greg Norman, Royal St George’s, 1993
Nick Price, Turnberry, 1994
Tiger Woods, St Andrews, 2000
* Ernie Els was the first player to record four sub-70 rounds at Royal St George’s in 1993
HIGHEST NUMBER OF TOP FIVE FINISHES
16, J H Taylor
16 Jack Nicklaus
15, Harry Vardon
15 James Braid
WIRE-TO-WIRE WINNERS ( NO-TIES)
Willie Auchterlonie, Prestwick, 1893
J H Taylor, Royal St George’s, 1884
James Braid, Prestwick, 1908
Ted Ray, Muirfield, 1912
Bobby Jones, St Andrews, 1927
Gene Sarazen, Prince’s, 1932
Henry Cotton, Royal St George’s, 1934
Tom Weiskopf, Royal Troon, 1973
Tiger Woods, St Andrews, 2005
Rory McIlroy, Royal Liverpool, 2014
LARGEST 18 HOLE LEADS
4 strokes, Bobby Jones, St Andrews, 1927,
4 strokes, Sir Henry Cotton, Royal St George’s 1934
4 strokes, Christy O’Connor Jnr, Royal St George’s 1985
LARGEST 36 HOLE LEADS
9 strokes, Sir Henry Cotton, Royal St George’s, 1934
LARGEST 54 HOLE LEADS
10 strokes, Sir Henry Cotton, Royal St George’s, 1934
LARGEST 54 HOLE LEADS LOST
5 strokes, MacDonald Smith, Prestwick, 1925
5 strokes, Jean Van de Velde, Carnoustie, 1999
LARGEST FINAL ROUND COMEBACK BY A WINNER
10 strokes, Paul Lawrie, Carnoustie, 1999
BEST COMEBACK BY A WINNER AFTER 36 HOLES
13 strokes, George Duncan, Royal Cinque Ports, 1920
BEST COMEBACK BY A WINNER AFTER 18 HOLES
11 strokes, Harry Vardon, Muirfield 1896
LOWEST OPENING ROUND BY A WINNER
65 , Louis Oosthuizen, St Andrews, 2010
66, Peter Thomson, Royal Lytham and St Annes, 1958
66, Sir Nick Faldo, Muirfield, 1992,
66, Greg Norman, Royal St George’s, 1993
66, Tiger Woods, St Andrews, 2005
66, Stewart Cink, Turnberry, 2009
66, Rory McIlroy, Royal Liverpool, 2014
HIGHEST OPENING ROUND BY A WINNER
80, George Duncan, Royal Cinque Ports, 1920 (also shot 80 in round two)
LOWEST FINISHING ROUND BY A WINNER
64, Greg Norman, Royal St George’s, 1993
HIGHEST FINISHING ROUND BY A WINNER
79, Sir Henry Cotton, Royal St George’s, 1934
CHAMPION WITH FOUR ROUNDS THE SAME
Densmore Shute, (73,73,73,73) excluding play-off, St Andrews, 1933
MOST CONSECUTIVE APPEARANCES
47, Gary Player, 1955-2001
LONGEST COURSES
Carnoustie, 2007, 7,421 yards
Carnoustie, 1999, 7,361 yards
COURSE MOST OFTEN USED
28, St Andrews
24, Prestwick
16, Muirfield
14, Royal St George’s
Facts and Figures
