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Denny Shute

1933 / St Andrews

Denny Shute became the tenth American winner of The Open in a row at St Andrews in 1933 and remains unique among all major champions in recording four identical scores of 73, equivalent to par on the Old Course at the time. 

Though a 68 was posted in each of the first three rounds, in the final round 72 was the best score returned. He tied with fellow American Craig Wood and won a 36-hole play-off the next day.

His sequence was halted by scores of 75 and 74 but with a total of 149 he won by five strokes compared to Wood’s 78-76 – becoming the second man to win on debut since The Open was extended to 72 holes.

The play-off was not nearly as exciting as the final round which saw Shute rally from three behind a quintet of leaders. 

One of them was Leo Diegel, a two-time PGA champion who had finished second and third in his two previous visits to The Open. 

He had an idiosyncratic putting style, crouching low over the ball with his elbows out wide, forearms parallel to the ground. He came to the last needing a four to tie and rolled a long approach putt stone dead. 

Always a nervous finisher, he then suffered one of the worst aberrations seen at the denouement of a major – he had a complete air shot.

He missed the play-off by one, tying for third place with reigning Champion Golfer Gene Sarazen, who had a six at the short 11th, and Syd Easterbrook, the only non-American in the top-six. 

Henry Cotton tied for seventh a year before claiming the title.

Shute followed his debut Open victory with two wins in the PGA Championship. Wood lost play-offs for all four majors, something only matched by Greg Norman, but finally won the Masters and US Open in 1941.

Name
Finish
R1
R2
R3
R4
Total
Par
Denny SHUTE
Champion Golfer
1
73
73
73
73
292
-
Craig WOOD
2
77
72
68
75
292
-
Leo DIEGEL
3
75
70
71
77
293
-
Gene SARAZEN
3
72
73
73
75
293
-
Syd EASTERBROOK
3
73
72
71
77
293
-
Olin DUTRA
6
76
76
70
72
294
-
Alf PADGHAM
7
74
73
74
74
295
-
Ed DUDLEY
7
70
71
76
78
295
-
Reg WHITCOMBE
7
76
75
72
72
295
-
Sir Henry COTTON
7
73
71
72
79
295
-
Abe MITCHELL
7
74
68
74
79
295
-
Archie COMPSTON
12
72
74
77
73
296
-
Ernest WHITCOMBE
12
73
73
75
75
296
-
A. BOYER
14
76
72
70
79
297
-
Horton SMITH
14
73
73
75
76
297
-
Joe KIRKWOOD
14
72
73
71
81
297
-
Arthur HAVERS
14
80
72
71
74
297
-
Aubrey BOOMER
18
74
70
76
78
298
-
Cyril TOLLEY
18
70
73
76
79
298
-
Jack MCLEAN
18
75
74
75
74
298
-
Laurie AYTON SR
21
78
72
76
74
300
-
Bert GADD
22
75
73
73
80
301
-
D.C. JONES
22
75
72
78
76
301
-
Fred ROBERTSON
22
71
71
77
82
301
-
Walter HAGEN
22
68
72
79
82
301
-
Alf PERRY
26
79
73
74
76
302
-
Allan DAILEY
27
74
74
77
78
303
-
C. Ross SOMERVILLE
28
72
78
75
79
304
-
William SPARKS
28
73
72
79
80
304
-
Charlie WARD
28
76
73
76
79
304
-
R.D. VICKERS
31
73
77
79
76
305
-
J.I. CRUIKSHANK
31
73
75
79
78
305
-
William NOLAN
31
71
75
79
80
305
-
Frank DENNIS
31
74
73
77
81
305
-
George DUNLAP
35
72
74
80
80
306
-
B.S. WEASTELL
35
72
78
77
79
306
-
John J. BUSSON
37
74
72
81
80
307
-
Fred ROBSON
37
76
76
79
76
307
-
Joe EZAR
37
77
72
77
81
307
-
Stewart BURNS
37
74
74
76
83
307
-
Tom DOBSON
37
78
74
77
78
307
-
William TWINE
37
73
74
80
80
307
-
Don CURTIS
37
74
75
74
84
307
-
William DAVIS
44
74
75
80
79
308
-
Ernest KENYON
44
76
75
77
80
308
-
Tom WILLIAMSON
44
75
76
79
78
308
-
William H. DAVIES
44
74
72
80
82
308
-
Cecil DENNY
48
74
78
72
85
309
-
William SMITH
48
77
73
74
85
309
-
Gabriel GONZALES
48
75
72
76
86
309
-
Jimmy ADAMS
48
75
77
76
81
309
-
James MCDOWALL
48
75
73
81
80
309
-
A. JAMIESON JR
53
75
75
76
84
310
-
Johnny FARRELL
54
77
71
84
79
311
-
Herbert JOLLY
54
71
78
80
82
311
-
J.M. MCMILLAN
56
77
74
80
81
312
-
Henry SALES
57
75
77
76
88
316
-
C.W. THOMSON
58
76
74
86
88
324
-
Owen SANDERSON
NR
76
73
82
-
-
-
Andrew PEACOCK
NR
81
71
78
-
-
-
Tom FERNIE
NR
70
78
-
-
-
M/C
J.J. TAYLOR
M/C
76
77
-
-
-
M/C
Sydney FAIRWEATHER
M/C
77
76
-
-
-
M/C
Keith DALBY
M/C
80
73
-
-
-
M/C
Charles WHITCOMBE
M/C
76
77
-
-
-
M/C
Rex HARTLEY
M/C
77
76
-
-
-
M/C
Paul RUNYAN
M/C
76
77
-
-
-
M/C
W.M. WATT
M/C
75
78
-
-
-
M/C
Thomas BARBER
M/C
78
75
-
-
-
M/C
Francisco ALONSO
M/C
77
76
-
-
-
M/C
R. DORNAN
M/C
75
78
-
-
-
M/C
J. MCCREDIE
M/C
79
75
-
-
-
M/C
Percy BAXTER
M/C
77
77
-
-
-
M/C
George DUNCAN
M/C
76
78
-
-
-
M/C
Robert BALLANTINE
M/C
76
78
-
-
-
M/C
Pierre HIRIGOYEN
M/C
76
78
-
-
-
M/C
Robert RUTHERFORD
M/C
76
78
-
-
-
M/C
James H. BUSSON JR
M/C
79
76
-
-
-
M/C
Leslie COTTON
M/C
79
76
-
-
-
M/C
Bert HODSON
M/C
76
79
-
-
-
M/C
H. PROWSE
M/C
78
77
-
-
-
M/C
William OKE
M/C
77
78
-
-
-
M/C
Sam KING
M/C
74
81
-
-
-
M/C
P.P. WYNNE JR
M/C
79
76
-
-
-
M/C
Hugh MCNEILL
M/C
74
82
-
-
-
M/C
William CAMPBELL
M/C
83
73
-
-
-
M/C
John DE FOREST
M/C
74
82
-
-
-
M/C
J. BERNARDINO
M/C
76
80
-
-
-
M/C
H.G. BENTLEY
M/C
81
75
-
-
-
M/C
Tom COLLINGE
M/C
76
80
-
-
-
M/C
Philip RODGERS
M/C
79
77
-
-
-
M/C
Tom GREEN
M/C
76
80
-
-
-
M/C
Angel DE LA TORRE
M/C
79
77
-
-
-
M/C
Ernest SMITH
M/C
81
76
-
-
-
M/C
H. CRAPPER
M/C
77
80
-
-
-
M/C
J.K. MECHAN
M/C
79
78
-
-
-
M/C
R.B. BAYLISS
M/C
75
82
-
-
-
M/C
Fred TAGGART
M/C
78
79
-
-
-
M/C
David RAMSAY
M/C
77
81
-
-
-
M/C
L.I. Arana E. YBARRA
M/C
81
77
-
-
-
M/C
R.W.G. WILSON
M/C
78
80
-
-
-
M/C
Fred BRADBEER
M/C
80
78
-
-
-
M/C
Dennis KYLE
M/C
76
83
-
-
-
M/C
Billy BURKE
M/C
77
82
-
-
-
M/C
George HUTTON
M/C
76
84
-
-
-
M/C
L.G. GARNETT
M/C
78
82
-
-
-
M/C
Dick BURTON
M/C
82
78
-
-
-
M/C
Lister HARTLEY
M/C
77
84
-
-
-
M/C
E. WATSON
M/C
81
80
-
-
-
M/C
Hugh ROBERTS
M/C
82
79
-
-
-
M/C
Eddie SMITH
M/C
81
82
-
-
-
M/C
H.S. LAIDLAW
M/C
80
83
-
-
-
M/C
Walter FENTON
M/C
78
85
-
-
-
M/C
R.J. LAWRANCE
M/C
85
82
-
-
-
M/C
Peter ROBERTSON
M/C
83
84
-
-
-
M/C
James BRODLIE JR
NR
-
-
-
-
-
M/C
Sandy HERD
Scr
-
-
-
-
-
M/C

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