Arthur Havers

Arthur Havers was the first player to win an Open Championship at Royal Troon and, just over a century on, he remains the only British golfer to lift the Claret Jug at the famous Scottish venue.

The likes of Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton and Matt Fitzpatrick will be looking to change that this week but a victory for either of those three would arguably be less of a surprise than when the scholarly gentleman Havers added his name to the list of Champion Golfers.

Five-time Champion Golfer James Braid had redesigned the course before its Open bow, Royal Troon replacing Muirfield as host following a campaign by the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers.

Braid felt four scores of 75 would be enough to claim the honours in 1923 and he was not far wrong, though ultimately five players would card scores of 300 or better across the two days.

Havers was a model of consistency across the first three rounds, carding 73s in each of his opening two on Thursday and matching that score on Friday morning to leave him a shot clear of Joe Kirkwood and Charles Whitcombe heading into his final 18, with Walter Hagen another shot further back.

It was uncharacteristic for Havers to be so steady. His ‘lunging’ swing, characterised by its left-handed dominance, was chastised by Peter Alliss in The Who’s Who of Golf, who wrote that “at times, the result was one shank after another”.

But despite not appearing as aesthetically pleasing as some of his contemporaries - he was described as 'ungainly, unheralded and unfancied' - the Norwich-born Havers was a consistent performer at The Open.

Two years before his Troon triumph, he finished fourth at St Andrews, while he was third at Prince’s in 1932.

At Troon, there was to be no near-miss as Havers held firm in the face of pressure from one of the early 20th century’s finest golfers.

Hagen had won his maiden Open the previous year, at Royal St George’s, and was in contention throughout as he looked to defend his crown.

Following rounds of 76, 71 and 74, Hagen threatened the lead during his final round but Havers held on to win by a single stroke, with Hagen's compatriot Macdonald Scott a shot further back in third. 

Havers' hair – or lack of it – brought monk-like comparisons when he removed his cap to lift the Claret Jug in what remained the highlight of his career, though his legacy lives on at Frinton Golf Club in Essex, one of several at which he later became a club professional.

The Arthur Havers Bursary was established in 1997, 17 years after Havers’ death aged 82, and funds coaching programmes as well as other initiatives to encourage junior golfers into the sport, while also assisting club members of all ages who fall on hard times.

It is estimated that more than 1,000 youngsters have been introduced to golf through the bursary, while four have gone on to become professionals.

Havers’ name will doubtless be recalled in the coming days as the world’s greatest look to follow in his footsteps.

The course has been traditionally been to the liking of American players, who have won six of the nine Opens to have been held at the venue – a run of consecutive wins only ended by Henrik Stenson in 2016.

Rescheduling due to the Covid-19 pandemic meant Royal Troon did not, as was originally planned, host the Championship on the 100th anniversary of Havers’ victory.

But patience is a virtue and if The 152nd Open brings a first British winner since Havers, the patrons will feel it was worth the wait.