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1929 / Muirfield
Walter Hagen won his fourth Open, and first in Scotland, when he successfully defended the title at Muirfield in 1929.
The colourful American had drawn alongside Willie Park Snr and Young and Old Tom Morris on The Open's roll of honour and it was the last of his 11 major titles, which also included two US Opens and five PGA Championships.
It was a commanding performance as Hagen won by six strokes from Johnny Farrell, the 1928 US Open champion, and by seven from Leo Diegel, the 1928 PGA champion – an unprecedented one-two-three for the reigning major winners.
With the American Ryder Cup team travelling over for the first official match in Britain two weeks later, there was a strong US showing on the leaderboard at Muirfield.
Percy Alliss, Peter’s father, and Abe Mitchell, who shared fourth place, were the only non-Americans in the top ten.
However, it did not prove an omen for the match itself and Hagen’s Americans were defeated at Moortown.
In the 17 years since its previous Open, Muirfield had been extensively re-modelled into the course we know today by Harry Colt.
Yet Hagen became the first player to score a 67 in The Open in the second round. He had seven threes and only two fives.
After an opening 75, he was now two behind Diegel but another 75 in tough conditions in the third round put him four ahead of the field.
It was a difficult day for scoring and another 75 left Hagen on 292 and miles ahead of the rest.
Renowned for his love of life, and hugely popular on both sides of the Atlantic, Hagen could play serious golf when the moment demanded.
He and the great amateur Bobby Jones had won the last four Opens. Notably, however, Hagen did not win a major in which Jones played.
Name
Finish
R1
R2
R3
R4
Total
Par
Johnny FARRELL
2
72
75
76
75
298
-
Leo DIEGEL
3
71
69
82
77
299
-
Percy ALLISS
4
69
76
76
79
300
-
Abe MITCHELL
4
72
72
78
78
300
-
Robert CRUIKSHANK
6
73
74
78
76
301
-
Al WATROUS
8
73
79
75
77
304
-
Archie COMPSTON
12
76
73
77
81
307
-
Johnny GOLDEN
13
74
73
86
75
308
-
Jimmy THOMSON
13
78
78
75
77
308
-
Macdonald SMITH
15
73
78
78
80
309
-
Aubrey BOOMER
15
74
74
80
81
309
-
Herbert JOLLY
15
72
80
78
79
309
-
Ed DUDLEY
18
72
80
80
78
310
-
Sid BREWS
18
76
77
78
79
310
-
William H. DAVIES
18
79
76
81
74
310
-
Mark SEYMOUR
18
75
74
78
83
310
-
T.P. PERKINS
23
79
73
80
80
312
-
William NOLAN
23
80
76
79
77
312
-
Jose JURADO
25
77
73
81
82
313
-
Horton SMITH
25
76
76
84
77
313
-
Joe TURNESA
25
78
74
81
80
313
-
Walter Willis MACKENZIE
25
80
71
80
82
313
-
Cyril TOLLEY
25
74
76
87
76
313
-
Cedric SAYNER
25
80
75
78
80
313
-
Tom WILLIAMSON
25
73
78
80
82
313
-
J.J. TAYLOR
32
77
75
81
81
314
-
Al ESPINOSA
32
77
75
81
81
314
-
Fred TAGGART
32
75
75
83
81
314
-
Fred ROBSON
36
78
76
83
78
315
-
Bill MEHLHORN
36
74
74
84
83
315
-
William TWINE
36
74
79
84
78
315
-
Fred JARMAN
39
79
76
82
79
316
-
Jack JARMAN
39
80
77
81
78
316
-
Charles WHITCOMBE
39
77
76
85
78
316
-
Tom FERNIE
43
76
75
85
81
317
-
H. CRAPPER
43
76
76
79
86
317
-
A.E. WHITING
45
76
81
83
78
318
-
George VON ELM
45
79
78
84
77
318
-
Alfred MILES
49
80
77
80
82
319
-
James OCKENDEN
49
78
76
81
84
319
-
Thomas BARBER
49
78
78
81
82
319
-
Stewart BURNS
49
83
74
81
81
319
-
W.G. GIMBER
49
77
80
82
80
319
-
Michael BINGHAM
49
73
76
86
84
319
-
W.M. WATT
55
78
76
86
80
320
-
B.S. WEASTELL
56
76
78
83
85
322
-
William ROBERTSON
56
79
78
85
80
322
-
Michael DARAGON
58
82
75
84
83
324
-
James H. BUSSON JR
59
82
74
85
84
325
-
R.M. ALSTON
60
75
82
83
87
327
-
Leslie COTTON
61
77
79
91
82
329
-
William TULLOCH
Wd
77
80
87
-
-
-
J.T. BOOKLESS
Wd
79
78
84
-
-
-
Jack BALLANTINE
DQ
78
76
-
-
-
M/C
Duncan MCCULLOCH
M/C
80
78
-
-
-
M/C
George KIRBY
M/C
79
79
-
-
-
M/C
R.B. DENHOLM
M/C
76
82
-
-
-
M/C
J. BROWN
M/C
82
77
-
-
-
M/C
R. WALKER
M/C
82
77
-
-
-
M/C
Owen SANDERSON
M/C
78
81
-
-
-
M/C
Tom DOBSON
M/C
80
79
-
-
-
M/C
J. ROUSE
M/C
80
79
-
-
-
M/C
Harry LARGE
M/C
80
79
-
-
-
M/C
Arthur LACEY
M/C
80
79
-
-
-
M/C
Percy NEWBERY
M/C
83
76
-
-
-
M/C
Thomas RENOUF
M/C
82
79
-
-
-
M/C
Bob BRADBEER
M/C
80
81
-
-
-
M/C
James MCDOWALL
M/C
80
81
-
-
-
M/C
John DONALDSON
M/C
82
79
-
-
-
M/C
R.L.B. SANDERSON
M/C
79
82
-
-
-
M/C
T.A. BOURN
M/C
80
81
-
-
-
M/C
J. MACKIE
M/C
82
80
-
-
-
M/C
H.A. GAUDIN
M/C
81
81
-
-
-
M/C
A. DAY
M/C
81
81
-
-
-
M/C
J.W. GAUDIN
M/C
79
83
-
-
-
M/C
W.C. THOMAS
M/C
82
81
-
-
-
M/C
Tom KING JR
M/C
84
79
-
-
-
M/C
Roy DONALD
M/C
79
84
-
-
-
M/C
Bert HODSON
M/C
79
84
-
-
-
M/C
Jack SEAGER
M/C
83
81
-
-
-
M/C
Don CURTIS
M/C
80
84
-
-
-
M/C
Gus FAULKNER
M/C
84
80
-
-
-
M/C
F.C. JEWELL
M/C
84
80
-
-
-
M/C
J.B. SAUNDERS
M/C
84
81
-
-
-
M/C
R.D. FRASER
M/C
84
82
-
-
-
M/C
A.D. CAIRNCROSS
M/C
82
84
-
-
-
M/C
H. PROWSE
M/C
84
83
-
-
-
M/C
Percy BEAL
M/C
81
86
-
-
-
M/C
R.W.G. WILSON
M/C
83
85
-
-
-
M/C
Edwin SINCLAIR
M/C
84
86
-
-
-
M/C
J. CAVEN
NR
81
-
-
-
-
M/C
W.G. BROWNLOW
NR
82
-
-
-
-
M/C
James DEWAR
NR
88
-
-
-
-
M/C
George SMITH
NR
86
-
-
-
-
M/C
Percy BAXTER
NR
-
-
-
-
-
M/C