The 1920 Open Championship was the 55th Open Championship, held 30 June to 1 July at Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club in Deal, Kent, England. George Duncan erased a 13-stroke deficit after 36 holes to win his only major title, two strokes ahead of runner-up Sandy Herd, the 1902 champion.[2] Due to World War I, it was the first Open in six years, the last was played in 1914.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 30 June – 1 July 1920 |
| Location | Deal, Kent, England |
| Course(s) | Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club |
| Statistics | |
| Field | 82 players[1] |
| Cut | none |
| Prize fund | £225 |
| Winner's share | £75 |
| Champion | |
 George Duncan | |
| 303 | |
Herd and Ted Ray, the 1912 winner, shared the first round lead after each opened with 72 on Wednesday morning. Both faltered in the afternoon's second round while Abe Mitchell shot a 73 for a 147 to open up a six-stroke lead over Herd and Jim Barnes after 36 holes. Ray was eight back, Len Holland 11 behind, while Duncan was 13 back after consecutive rounds of 80 for 160. Duncan played himself back into contention with a 71 in the third round on Thursday morning. Mitchell began that round with three bogeys, made a seven at the 5th hole, and finished with an 84. After 54 holes, Holland was at 229 and led by one over Herd and Barnes, with Mitchell and Duncan two back. Duncan carded a final round of 72 to finish at 303 total. Holland and Barnes both shot 79 for a 308 and 309, respectively. Mitchell rebounded with a 76 which left him at 307. Only Herd could match Duncan's score, but he found trouble on the 16th and settled for a 305, two strokes back of Duncan.
Six-time and defending champion Harry Vardon, age 50, finished at 318, fifteen strokes back in a tie for fourteenth place.
Two future champions from the United States, Walter Hagen and Scottish-born Tommy Armour, both made their Open Championship debuts this year and both finished at 329, 26 strokes back in a tie for 53rd. Armour was an amateur at the time.
This was the second and final Open Championship held at Royal Cinque Ports, which also hosted in 1909. Near the English Channel, the course is directly south of Royal St George's, which became the sole Open venue in southeastern England in the course rota. An exception was in 1932, when Prince's Golf Club hosted its only Open. All three courses are adjacent, with Prince's the furthest north.
Final leaderboard
Thursday, 1 July 1920
| Place | Player | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Duncan | Scotland |
80-80-71-72=303 |
| 2 | Sandy Herd | Scotland |
72-81-77-75=305 |
| 3 | Ted Ray |  Jersey |
72-83-78-73=306 |
| 4 | Abe Mitchell |  England |
74-73-84-76=307 |
| 5 | Len Holland |  United Kingdom |
80-78-71-79=308 |
| 6 | Jim Barnes | England |
79-74-77-79=309 |
| T7 | Arthur Havers | England |
80-78-81-74=313 |
| Syd Wingate | United Kingdom |
81-74-76-82=313 | |
| T9 | G. R. Buckle | United Kingdom |
80-80-77-78=315 |
| Archie Compston | England |
79-83-75-78=315 | |
| William Horne | United Kingdom |
80-81-73-81=315 |
References
- ^ "Media guide". The Open Championship. 2011. p. 119. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "Duncan captures British Open golf championship". Milwaukee Journal. 2 July 1920. p. 32. Retrieved 19 May 2013.