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1901 / Muirfield
It was at the 1901 Open at Muirfield that a new challenger emerged to the domination of Harry Vardon and JH Taylor.
The pair had won six of the previous seven Opens but James Braid beat both of them for the first of five titles in ten years. Such was the Fife-born golfer’s influence on the game that his name had to be bracketed along with the other two in the Great Triumvirate.
Braid was playing in The Open for the seventh time and had finished in the top-ten on every occasion, being runner-up in 1897 and finishing third in 1900. Braid’s great asset was his enormous length, enabling him to reach long holes that were well beyond the capabilities of most rivals.
He also had the ability to mix caution with a sudden audacious killer blow.His start was inauspicious, however, as he hooked his first drive in the first round over a wall and out of bounds.
And on his approach shot to the final hole of the last round, the shaft of his club splintered and the head flew off towards the clubhouse.
More importantly the ball sailed the 200 yards required to the green and he finished with a 4 to win by three strokes from Vardon, by four from Taylor and by 11 Harold Hilton, the amateur who won the first Open at Muirfield in 1892.
Vardon had led with a first-round of 77 and he and Braid were tied after the first day.
A 74 to a 79 in the third round opened up a five-shot lead for Braid and he played cautiously for a closing 80 and a total of 309.
A 6 at the 16th of his final round ruined any hopes Vardon still had of catching the new Champion.
Name
Finish
R1
R2
R3
R4
Total
Par
John E. LAIDLAY
7
84
82
82
80
328
-
James KINNELL
7
79
85
86
78
328
-
P.J. GAUDIN
9
86
81
86
76
329
-
John GRAHAM JR
9
82
83
81
83
329
-
Rowland JONES
11
85
82
81
83
331
-
Thomas RENOUF
12
83
86
81
82
332
-
Tom YEOMAN
12
85
83
82
82
332
-
F. COLLINS
15
89
80
81
84
334
-
J.H. OKE
15
91
83
80
80
334
-
Samuel Mure FERGUSSON
15
84
86
82
82
334
-
A.H. SCOTT
18
85
90
81
80
336
-
Andrew KIRKALDY
18
82
87
86
81
336
-
A.J. LEWIS
18
85
82
83
86
336
-
Charles NEAVES
22
84
87
81
85
337
-
Laurie WATERS
22
86
87
86
78
337
-
C. DALZIEL
24
82
84
89
83
338
-
David HERD
25
90
80
82
87
339
-
Jack ROSS
25
84
85
86
84
339
-
James HUTCHISON
25
84
83
91
81
339
-
Walter TOOGOOD
28
87
86
85
82
340
-
David MCEWAN
29
86
84
86
86
342
-
James KAY
31
89
84
86
86
345
-
George SARGENT
32
81
90
86
89
346
-
W.C. GAUDIN
33
92
83
87
88
350
-
Alex MARR
34
87
87
93
91
358
-
R. TURNBULL
Wd
87
87
83
-
-
-
A. DENHOLM
Wd
89
84
-
-
-
M/C
Tom VARDON
Wd
87
86
-
-
-
M/C
Harry HARRIS
M/C
87
89
-
-
-
M/C
John LOW
M/C
88
88
-
-
-
M/C
J.W. TAYLOR
M/C
92
84
-
-
-
M/C
J. HEPBURN
M/C
90
86
-
-
-
M/C
Tom SIMPSON
M/C
89
88
-
-
-
M/C
L. GOURLAY
M/C
86
91
-
-
-
M/C
Ben SAYERS
M/C
87
90
-
-
-
M/C
Peter PAXTON
M/C
91
86
-
-
-
M/C
Alex BROWN
M/C
87
90
-
-
-
M/C
J.L. CASSIDY
M/C
92
85
-
-
-
M/C
Tom WILLIAMSON
M/C
91
87
-
-
-
M/C
Robert TAIT
M/C
89
89
-
-
-
M/C
W.R. THOMSON
M/C
93
85
-
-
-
M/C
Ernest FOORD
M/C
89
89
-
-
-
M/C
Robert THOMSON
M/C
89
90
-
-
-
M/C
David GRANT JR
M/C
88
91
-
-
-
M/C
P. ROBERTSON
M/C
90
89
-
-
-
M/C
C. Ralph SMITH
M/C
88
91
-
-
-
M/C
James FORRESTER
M/C
88
91
-
-
-
M/C
Douglas MCEWAN
M/C
92
87
-
-
-
M/C
John HUNTER
M/C
93
87
-
-
-
M/C
James BATLEY
M/C
97
84
-
-
-
M/C
David STEPHENSON
M/C
93
88
-
-
-
M/C
H. CUNNINGHAM
M/C
95
86
-
-
-
M/C
J. LIVINGSTONE
M/C
93
88
-
-
-
M/C
A.M. ROSS
M/C
91
91
-
-
-
M/C
Mungo PARK JR
M/C
96
86
-
-
-
M/C
Cuthbert BUTCHART
M/C
89
93
-
-
-
M/C
R. ELDER
M/C
92
90
-
-
-
M/C
Fred SAUNDERS
M/C
92
90
-
-
-
M/C
W.H. HUTCHINGS
M/C
93
90
-
-
-
M/C
William WINTON
M/C
91
92
-
-
-
M/C
F.A. LARKE
M/C
92
91
-
-
-
M/C
John H. HUGHES
M/C
92
91
-
-
-
M/C
Fred HOCKING
M/C
92
91
-
-
-
M/C
J. MCKAY
M/C
91
92
-
-
-
M/C
J. MCCULLOCH
M/C
93
91
-
-
-
M/C
J.M. WILLIAMSON
M/C
92
92
-
-
-
M/C
George TURNBULL
M/C
92
93
-
-
-
M/C
W.H. FOWLER
M/C
96
89
-
-
-
M/C
Ernest PURSEY
M/C
97
89
-
-
-
M/C
T.M. HUNTER
M/C
90
88
-
-
-
M/C
T. CAVANAGH
M/C
93
94
-
-
-
M/C
Thomas CURRIE
M/C
96
91
-
-
-
M/C
Robert F. WALKER
M/C
97
93
-
-
-
M/C
Harry TUCK
M/C
98
94
-
-
-
M/C
J.S. CAIRD
M/C
101
93
-
-
-
M/C
D.S. FROY
Wd
95
-
-
-
-
M/C
John GAIRDNER
Wd
85
-
-
-
-
M/C
J. SHERLOCK
Wd
91
-
-
-
-
M/C
C. GIBSON
Wd
89
-
-
-
-
M/C
Robert MUNRO
Wd
95
-
-
-
-
M/C
A. MACDONALD
Wd
95
-
-
-
-
M/C
O.C. BEVAN
Wd
86
-
-
-
-
M/C
Walter KIRK
Wd
89
-
-
-
-
M/C
John WILSON
Wd
99
-
-
-
-
M/C
David ANDERSON JR
Wd
97
-
-
-
-
M/C
Albert TINGEY
NR
-
-
-
-
-
M/C
Joseph DALGLEISH
NR
-
-
-
-
-
M/C
G.A. CASSIDY
NR
-
-
-
-
-
M/C
William LEWIS
NR
-
-
-
-
-
M/C
W.C. GOODWIN
NR
-
-
-
-
-
M/C