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Vardon

1903 / Prestwick

In 1903 Harry Vardon and his younger brother Tom, the professional at Royal St George’s, became the third set of brothers to finish first and second in The Open following Willie and David Park in 1866 and Hugh and Andrew Kirkaldy in 1891.

Harry Vardon was hardly more encouraging to his brother than to anyone, however. He won for the second time at Prestwick by six strokes.It was his fourth Championship, matching the record of the two Morrises and Willie Park Snr.

Vardon had collected them in eight years and this time posted a new record Championship score of 300, five strokes better than Harold Hilton at Muirfield in 1892.Vardon got off to a fast start with a 73, which was equalled only by Sandy Herd.

Then Herd had one of his characteristic poor rounds and shot 83. Vardon continued to set the pace despite a 7 at the 17th, where he was twice bunkered, and his 77 was good enough to give him a four-shot lead at the 36-hole mark ahead of Andrew Scott.

Vardon had not been in the best of health prior to The Open and doctors had advised him not to play. The exhaustion he was feeling on the second day seemed to drive him on. A record-equalling 72 in the third round gave him a seven-stroke lead over Jack White.

In the final round, mainly playing safe and only carding one 6 at the 12th hole where he needed two strokes to get out of the rough, Vardon closed with a 78.

Tom Vardon secured second place with a closing 74 to finish two ahead of White, with Herd fourth.

Shortly after The Open, Harry Vardon was diagnosed with tuberculosis and spent many months recovering at Mundesley in Norfolk. It would be eight years before he won another Open.

Name
Finish
R1
R2
R3
R4
Total
Par
Harry VARDON
1
73
77
72
78
300
-
Tom VARDON
2
76
81
75
74
306
-
3
77
78
74
79
308
-
4
73
83
76
77
309
-
5
77
79
79
75
310
-
Robert THOMSON
6
83
78
77
76
314
-
A.H. SCOTT
6
77
77
83
77
314
-
William LEAVER
8
79
79
77
80
315
-
George CAWSEY
9
80
78
76
82
316
-
9
80
82
78
76
316
-
Andrew KIRKALDY
11
82
79
78
78
317
-
Tom WILLIAMSON
11
76
80
79
82
317
-
William HUNTER
13
81
74
79
84
318
-
Robert MAXWELL
13
82
84
76
76
318
-
Ernest GRAY
15
77
83
79
80
319
-
James KINNELL
15
78
86
76
79
319
-
15
78
86
80
75
319
-
David KINNELL
18
82
78
80
80
320
-
George PULFORD
18
79
86
79
76
320
-
A. BELLWORTHY
18
80
86
77
77
320
-
Alfred TOOGOOD
18
86
77
80
77
320
-
Ben SAYERS
22
79
84
80
78
321
-
John HUNTER
22
77
79
84
81
321
-
24
90
78
80
75
323
-
J. MILNE
25
81
86
79
78
324
-
25
78
81
76
89
324
-
25
81
79
83
81
324
-
J. HEPBURN
25
78
82
87
77
324
-
Rowland JONES
25
82
82
81
79
324
-
George COBURN
30
81
82
75
87
325
-
J.H. OKE
30
80
81
81
83
325
-
Archie SIMPSON
30
79
85
80
81
325
-
R. ANDREW
33
78
85
79
84
326
-
Peter RAINFORD
34
82
83
78
84
327
-
James KAY
34
86
82
80
79
327
-
Ernest FOORD
34
80
84
81
82
327
-
J.W. TAYLOR
37
80
82
82
84
328
-
A.J. LEWIS
37
80
82
81
85
328
-
37
81
84
77
86
328
-
John E. LAIDLAY
37
81
88
81
78
328
-
F.A. LARKE
37
82
87
78
81
328
-
Tom YEOMAN
37
81
86
83
78
328
-
J.S. DONALDSON
T37
83
84
81
80
328
-
Harry CAWSEY
44
80
88
80
81
329
-
45
83
84
79
84
330
-
Joseph PARR
45
81
84
80
85
330
-
F. COLLINS
45
84
82
85
79
330
-
W. MCEWAN
48
85
78
88
80
331
-
James ROBB
49
83
80
85
85
333
-
R.W. ORR
49
79
90
82
82
333
-
L. GOURLAY
51
82
85
83
84
334
-
James BATLEY
51
79
87
83
85
334
-
Charles NEAVES
53
86
81
79
89
335
-
Wifred REID
53
81
86
84
84
335
-
A. BECK
55
83
85
89
86
343
-
John HILL
56
85
84
88
87
344
-
G.A. CASSIDY
57
85
84
86
90
345
-
George SARGENT
Wd
80
84
83
-
-
-
John H. HUGHES
Wd
81
87
83
-
-
-
Peter MCEWAN
M/C
85
85
-
-
-
M/C
Douglas MCEWAN
M/C
83
87
-
-
-
M/C
W. BROWN
M/C
82
88
-
-
-
M/C
J. SHERLOCK
M/C
84
86
-
-
-
M/C
E. RISEBRO
M/C
85
85
-
-
-
M/C
David STEPHENSON
M/C
80
91
-
-
-
M/C
M/C
85
86
-
-
-
M/C
Albert TINGEY
M/C
85
86
-
-
-
M/C
C. Ralph SMITH
M/C
89
83
-
-
-
M/C
John DUNCAN
M/C
86
86
-
-
-
M/C
C.B. MACFARLANE
M/C
90
82
-
-
-
M/C
N. SMITH
M/C
82
90
-
-
-
M/C
James FORRESTER
M/C
88
84
-
-
-
M/C
Alexander GUTHRIE
M/C
87
85
-
-
-
M/C
David GRANT JR
M/C
90
82
-
-
-
M/C
J.L. CASSIDY
M/C
85
87
-
-
-
M/C
Jack ROWE
M/C
88
85
-
-
-
M/C
John MCANDREW
M/C
87
86
-
-
-
M/C
Alexander STUART
M/C
85
88
-
-
-
M/C
John PARK
M/C
87
87
-
-
-
M/C
D. BLACK
M/C
86
88
-
-
-
M/C
F. COX
M/C
86
88
-
-
-
M/C
F. WESTON
M/C
87
87
-
-
-
M/C
T.M. HUNTER
M/C
92
83
-
-
-
M/C
D.A. GIVEN
M/C
89
86
-
-
-
M/C
John TULLOCH
M/C
89
87
-
-
-
M/C
W. MCDOWALL
M/C
91
85
-
-
-
M/C
Ben GOSS
M/C
83
93
-
-
-
M/C
Charles ROBERTS
M/C
87
90
-
-
-
M/C
Peter PAXTON
M/C
91
87
-
-
-
M/C
Herbert STRONG
M/C
87
91
-
-
-
M/C
C. GIBSON
M/C
90
89
-
-
-
M/C
William WINTON
M/C
91
89
-
-
-
M/C
Ernest PURSEY
M/C
91
89
-
-
-
M/C
Ben CAMPBELL
M/C
89
92
-
-
-
M/C
J.G. CRAIK
M/C
86
95
-
-
-
M/C
H. ROBERTS
M/C
96
85
-
-
-
M/C
Joseph DALGLEISH
M/C
89
92
-
-
-
M/C
Robert TAIT
M/C
91
91
-
-
-
M/C
T. CAVANAGH
M/C
91
92
-
-
-
M/C
R. WAKERLEY
M/C
93
90
-
-
-
M/C
J.S. CAIRD
M/C
90
95
-
-
-
M/C
J. MCAVOY
M/C
90
97
-
-
-
M/C
G.T. CROSLAND
Wd
89
-
-
-
-
M/C
H.B. MCCARTHY
Wd
89
-
-
-
-
M/C
R. HUNTER
Wd
96
-
-
-
-
M/C
F. GOLDSMITH
Wd
86
-
-
-
-
M/C
F.A. GOSS
Wd
88
-
-
-
-
M/C
Alex WEIR
Wd
96
-
-
-
-
M/C
C.E. HAMBRO
Wd
92
-
-
-
-
M/C
G.P. ELDER
Wd
85
-
-
-
-
M/C
N.F. HUNTER
Wd
82
-
-
-
-
M/C
H. HUNT
Wd
87
-
-
-
-
M/C
Arthur REID
Wd
88
-
-
-
-
M/C
Frank COLTART
Wd
93
-
-
-
-
M/C
Hugh LOGAN
Wd
86
-
-
-
-
M/C
Fred SAUNDERS
Wd
88
-
-
-
-
M/C
W.H. FOWLER
Wd
94
-
-
-
-
M/C
A. MACDONALD
Wd
93
-
-
-
-
M/C
Thomas RENOUF
Wd
83
-
-
-
-
M/C
Hugh MORRIS
Wd
-
-
-
-
-
M/C
W.A. HENDERSON
Wd
-
-
-
-
-
M/C
William LEWIS
Wd
-
-
-
-
-
M/C
Walter TOOGOOD
Wd
-
-
-
-
-
M/C
A. MCLAREN
Wd
-
-
-
-
-
M/C

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