Skip to main content
Basket
Our patrons
Your Cookies

Accepting all cookies will ensure you have the best experience possible when visiting TheOpen.com.

Some of these cookies are necessary to make our site work, while others help us to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used.

Manage your cookie settings
Cookie Policy
Hilton

1897 / Royal Liverpool

Becoming the second venue in England to host The Open, the Royal Liverpool Club at Hoylake staged its first Championship in 1897, when Harold Hilton won for a second title.

It could not be more fitting that one of the host club’s own star players should be the Champion, Hilton becoming the first amateur to win the Claret Jug twice.

The only other amateur to win The Open was John Ball, also a club member, and he shared the first-round lead with Sandy Herd before fading on the second day.Hilton had rounds of 80 and 75 on the first day to trail James Braid, who had a second-round 74, by a stroke.

Both men struggled in the third round with Braid having a 82 to lead by two from Sandy Herd, George Pulford and amateur Freddie Tait, with Hilton three back after an 84.Hilton was out early in the final round and came home in 37 for a 75 to post a total of 314.

Braid was out in 40 but started the back nine well but went over the green at the 16th into a nasty lie and took a 6, where Hilton had earlier had a 5. He matched Hilton’s 5 at the 17th and came to the last needing a 3 to tie.

While Hilton played billiards in the clubhouse to stave off the nerves, Braid hit a terrific approach shot which came within a foot of the hole but ran on 20 feet past. He missed the putt back and finished with a 79 to lose by one.

Tait was third for the second year running, alongside Pulford, with Herd dropping to fifth.While Braid went on to win five Opens, Hilton never won again, but he did win four Amateur Championships and the US Amateur in 1911.

Name
Finish
R1
R2
R3
R4
Total
Par
Harold HILTON
Champion Golfer
1
80
75
84
75
314
-
James BRAID
2
80
74
82
79
315
-
George PULFORD
3
80
79
79
79
317
-
Freddie TAIT
3
79
79
80
79
317
-
Sandy HERD
5
78
81
79
80
318
-
Harry VARDON
6
84
80
80
76
320
-
Archie SIMPSON
7
83
81
81
79
324
-
Tom VARDON
7
81
81
79
83
324
-
David BROWN
7
79
82
80
83
324
-
J.H. TAYLOR
10
82
80
82
86
330
-
Andrew KIRKALDY
10
83
83
82
82
330
-
Ben SAYERS
12
84
78
85
84
331
-
Samuel Mure FERGUSSON
12
87
83
79
82
331
-
Peter MCEWAN
14
86
79
85
82
332
-
Thomas RENOUF
14
86
79
83
84
332
-
A.H. SCOTT
16
83
83
84
83
333
-
John BALL JR
17
78
81
88
87
334
-
John GRAHAM JR
18
85
80
87
83
335
-
Willie AUCHTERLONIE
18
84
85
85
81
335
-
James KINNELL
20
82
83
78
93
336
-
Joe LLOYD
20
86
84
82
84
336
-
Willie FERNIE
22
81
82
93
81
337
-
Willie PARK JR
22
91
81
83
82
337
-
Alfred TOOGOOD
22
88
82
84
83
337
-
James KAY
25
86
81
86
85
338
-
Walter TOOGOOD
26
87
89
80
83
339
-
J. SHERLOCK
27
85
86
84
85
340
-
Jack ROWE
28
84
86
86
86
342
-
John E. LAIDLAY
29
82
86
86
89
343
-
John CUTHBERT
30
89
83
87
85
344
-
J.W. TAYLOR
30
87
84
85
88
344
-
Albert TINGEY
30
86
86
87
85
344
-
C. GIBSON
30
88
90
80
86
344
-
C. Ralph SMITH
30
88
82
94
80
344
-
Bob SIMPSON
35
92
80
84
90
346
-
Bernard NICHOLLS
35
85
88
86
87
346
-
Tom WILLIAMSON
37
87
88
86
88
349
-
Walter KIRK
37
85
86
92
86
349
-
C.E. HAMBRO
39
86
93
83
88
350
-
William LEAVER
39
89
85
90
86
350
-
Jack ROSS
41
83
84
93
92
352
-
J. YOUDS
41
91
85
86
90
352
-
Tom YEOMAN
43
91
86
89
87
353
-
Robert MUNRO
44
92
88
90
87
357
-
J. HUTCHINGS
45
87
91
88
92
358
-
Frank WINGATE
46
92
88
92
87
359
-
R. RUTHERFORD
47
94
90
88
89
361
-
H.E. WAY
48
87
93
95
88
363
-
J. HEPBURN
49
97
93
91
84
365
-
A.W. SMITH
49
95
86
92
92
365
-
H.A. FARRAR
51
94
93
85
95
367
-
Peter PAXTON
51
89
96
92
90
367
-
Charles HUTCHINGS
Wd
85
84
91
-
-
-
W.C. GAUDIN
Wd
91
88
88
-
-
-
Douglas MCEWAN
Wd
96
84
87
-
-
-
J.L. CASSIDY
Wd
90
91
87
-
-
-
D.A. GIVEN
Wd
96
92
88
-
-
-
Peter RAINFORD
Wd
90
89
88
-
-
-
S. JONES
Wd
88
88
87
-
-
-
R.S. HILTON
Wd
93
88
88
-
-
-
G. CUMMING
Wd
95
89
87
-
-
-
Garden SMITH
Wd
87
92
92
-
-
-
W.C. GLOVER
Wd
94
93
93
-
-
-
C.E. DICK
Wd
86
86
87
-
-
-
Donald ROSS
Wd
90
85
87
-
-
-
John HUNTER
Wd
85
86
89
-
-
-
John PARK
Wd
92
92
-
-
-
M/C
David HERD
Wd
88
91
-
-
-
M/C
A.H. MOLESWORTH
Wd
96
93
-
-
-
M/C
A. JAMES
Wd
84
95
-
-
-
M/C
George LOWE
Wd
93
80
-
-
-
M/C
J. HARLAND
Wd
93
86
-
-
-
M/C
G. HOLMES
Wd
95
86
-
-
-
M/C
D. BALL
Wd
92
94
-
-
-
M/C
J. FORREST
Wd
94
92
-
-
-
M/C
H. HURRY
Wd
94
92
-
-
-
M/C
W. HUNTER
Wd
94
93
-
-
-
M/C
J. MILNE
Wd
90
87
-
-
-
M/C
Joseph DALGLEISH
Wd
92
97
-
-
-
M/C
Joseph PARR
Wd
90
87
-
-
-
M/C
Lindsay ROSS
Wd
98
94
-
-
-
M/C
Jack WHITE
Wd
89
-
-
-
-
M/C
John BALL SR
Wd
94
-
-
-
-
M/C
C.G. BROADWOOD
Wd
93
-
-
-
-
M/C
J.H. OUTHWAITE
Wd
88
-
-
-
-
M/C
C. CALLOWAY
Wd
90
-
-
-
-
M/C
W. MCEWAN
Wd
88
-
-
-
-
M/C
E.R. TURNBULL
Wd
-
-
-
-
-
M/C

Latest from the open

See more