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Tommy Armour

1931 / Carnoustie

Like Jim Barnes six years earlier, Tommy Armour came back from five strokes behind to win the first Open staged at Carnoustie in 1931. 

But whereas Barnes was in second place behind Macdonald Smith in 1925, Armour was tied for sixth after 54 holes. 

Argentina’s Jose Jurado led by three from Smith, the Carnoustie-born American, and Arthur Havers, the 1923 ChampionGolfer , by four from Johnny Farrell and Reg Whitcombe and by five from a group that included Armour, Gene Sarazen and Percy Alliss.

On the monster 6,900-yard course, Whitcombe closed with an 80 and Havers a 79. Smith, as at Prestwick, collapsed with a 76 to be fifth with Farrell, who had a 75. Sarazen and Alliss had 73s and ended up third, the Englishman playing the last two holes in 11 strokes.

By contrast Armour, the 1927 US Open winner and the reigning PGA champion, produced something special with a course record-equalling 71. 

He finished with a three at the 16th, a four at 17 after missing a short putt, and a five at the last after holing a good putt to post a total of 296. 

Jurado was the only player who could beat him and went out in 36 but dropped shots coming home. 

He found the Barry Burn on the 17th and took a six. At the last he drove well but decided to lay up short of the burn. 

He pitched to nine feet but missed the putt, only then to find out that a five and a closing 77 was one stroke too many.

Armour, the “Silver Scot”, had been born in Edinburgh, lost the sight of one eye due to mustard gas in WWI and later moved to America. 

He was the last Scottish-born player to win The Open until Paul Lawrie at Carnoustie in 1999.

Name
Finish
R1
R2
R3
R4
Total
Par
Tommy ARMOUR
Champion Golfer
1
73
75
77
71
296
-
Jose JURADO
2
76
71
73
77
297
-
Gene SARAZEN
3
74
76
75
73
298
-
Percy ALLISS
3
74
78
73
73
298
-
Macdonald SMITH
5
75
77
71
76
299
-
Johnny FARRELL
5
72
77
75
75
299
-
William H. DAVIES
7
76
78
71
75
300
-
Marcos CHURIO
7
76
75
78
71
300
-
Arthur LACEY
9
74
80
74
73
301
-
Sir Henry COTTON
10
72
75
79
76
302
-
Arthur HAVERS
10
75
76
72
79
302
-
Gus FAULKNER
12
77
76
76
74
303
-
Abe MITCHELL
12
77
74
77
75
303
-
Horton SMITH
12
77
79
75
72
303
-
Tomas GENTA
12
75
78
75
75
303
-
Tom WILLIAMSON
12
77
76
73
77
303
-
Willie HUNTER
17
76
75
74
79
304
-
William OKE
17
74
80
75
75
304
-
Reg WHITCOMBE
17
75
78
71
80
304
-
Marcel DALLEMAGNE
17
74
77
78
75
304
-
Fred ROBSON
21
80
76
76
74
306
-
Aubrey BOOMER
21
76
77
80
73
306
-
Mark SEYMOUR
23
80
79
75
73
307
-
Len HOLLAND
23
80
74
78
75
307
-
Ernest WHITCOMBE
23
79
76
76
76
307
-
William TWINE
26
72
78
79
79
308
-
Joe KIRKWOOD
26
75
75
77
81
308
-
Bert HODSON
26
77
76
78
77
308
-
Philip RODGERS
29
77
74
78
80
309
-
Archie COMPSTON
29
77
76
75
81
309
-
Ernest KENYON
29
75
78
78
78
309
-
William MCMINN
29
78
78
79
74
309
-
Duncan MCCULLOCH
29
76
78
77
78
309
-
Charles WHITCOMBE
29
80
76
75
78
309
-
Sydney FAIRWEATHER
35
77
77
75
81
310
-
Cecil DENNY
36
75
79
80
78
312
-
Eric MCRUVIE
36
75
83
79
75
312
-
George DUNCAN
36
78
79
79
76
312
-
Albert ISHERWOOD
36
77
79
79
77
312
-
Syd EASTERBROOK
40
78
79
82
74
313
-
Alf PADGHAM
40
77
81
77
78
313
-
Keith DALBY
40
83
72
81
77
313
-
James MCDOWALL
40
77
77
76
83
313
-
Lister HARTLEY
40
79
79
74
81
313
-
A. BOYER
40
78
80
78
77
313
-
Alf PERRY
46
77
74
82
81
314
-
Cedric SAYNER
47
80
78
77
80
315
-
William LARGE
47
74
84
81
76
315
-
Rufus STEWART
47
76
83
76
80
315
-
Hector FRECCERO
50
80
77
83
76
316
-
Harry LARGE
50
78
80
75
83
316
-
Ernest CAWSEY
50
77
76
82
81
316
-
John BURTON
53
79
80
79
79
317
-
Charles GADD
53
78
81
78
80
317
-
Arthur YOUNG
53
77
82
78
80
317
-
Fred TAGGART
56
76
81
81
80
318
-
C.E. BURGE
57
77
79
84
79
319
-
J.T. BOOKLESS
57
79
80
78
82
319
-
William SUTTON
59
80
79
79
82
320
-
Jack SEAGER
60
84
74
81
82
321
-
Rex HARTLEY
60
80
79
79
83
321
-
Jock HENDERSON
60
79
78
81
83
321
-
Owen SANDERSON
63
84
75
81
82
322
-
C. SHANKLAND
63
77
81
80
84
322
-
William TULLOCH
63
76
81
83
82
322
-
Albert S. TINGEY JR
66
79
79
86
84
328
-
William NOLAN
M/C
77
83
-
-
-
M/C
Joe TURNESA
M/C
77
83
-
-
-
M/C
Ted RAY
M/C
79
81
-
-
-
M/C
J.M. MCMILLAN
M/C
81
79
-
-
-
M/C
James BRADBEER
M/C
80
80
-
-
-
M/C
D.B. ANDERSON
M/C
81
80
-
-
-
M/C
John DONALDSON
M/C
76
85
-
-
-
M/C
George GADD
M/C
87
74
-
-
-
M/C
Stewart BURNS
M/C
79
82
-
-
-
M/C
George SMITH
M/C
80
81
-
-
-
M/C
Thomas BARBER
M/C
82
79
-
-
-
M/C
C.H. CORLETT
M/C
81
81
-
-
-
M/C
J. MCCARTNEY
M/C
82
80
-
-
-
M/C
Tony MANERO
M/C
82
80
-
-
-
M/C
Tom DOBSON
M/C
79
83
-
-
-
M/C
Pierre HIRIGOYEN
M/C
82
80
-
-
-
M/C
B.S. WEASTELL
M/C
80
82
-
-
-
M/C
W.E. BROWN
M/C
83
80
-
-
-
M/C
Alfred G. BECK
M/C
82
81
-
-
-
M/C
M. CROWLEY
M/C
80
83
-
-
-
M/C
P.P. WYNNE JR
M/C
83
81
-
-
-
M/C
Tom FERNIE
M/C
78
87
-
-
-
M/C
Robert BALLANTINE
M/C
83
82
-
-
-
M/C
Reginald STRAKER
M/C
83
82
-
-
-
M/C
James HOSIE
M/C
83
82
-
-
-
M/C
Percy NEWBERY
M/C
81
84
-
-
-
M/C
Larry MONTEZ
M/C
82
83
-
-
-
M/C
Tom GREEN
M/C
89
77
-
-
-
M/C
D.C. JONES
M/C
85
82
-
-
-
M/C
H. CRAPPER
M/C
84
83
-
-
-
M/C
L. BATES
M/C
82
85
-
-
-
M/C
John FALLON
M/C
81
87
-
-
-
M/C
Hugh ROBERTS
M/C
85
83
-
-
-
M/C
Bob BRADBEER
M/C
81
88
-
-
-
M/C
James A. WRIGHT
M/C
78
91
-
-
-
M/C
J.N. SMITH
M/C
83
86
-
-
-
M/C
T. WALKER (JNR.)
M/C
80
92
-
-
-
M/C
K.G. PATRICK
M/C
89
83
-
-
-
M/C
G.R. WADE
M/C
87
87
-
-
-
M/C
George KNIGHT
M/C
88
88
-
-
-
M/C
C.E. HARDMAN
NR
-
-
-
-
-
M/C
John DE FOREST
NR
-
-
-
-
-
M/C
T. WILSON
DQ
-
-
-
-
-
M/C

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