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Every Golfer to Win an Open Championship at St. Andrews

Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

The Old Course at St. Andrews was established all the way back in 1552 and it has been the site of countless incredible gold moments. There have been 30 Open Championships held at St. Andrews, and these are the men who took home the Claret Jug.

1873 Open Championship Winner – Tom Kidd

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The 1873 Open was the first to feature two 18-hole rounds rather than three 12-hole rounds. The champion was a local boy, Tom Kidd, who worked as a caddie on the course. His winnings were £11. Kidd would pass away 11 years later in 1884.

1876 – Open Championship Winner – Bob Martin

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The 1876 Open Championship featured plenty of controversy as there were bigger crowds than expected. After the first two rounds, it was determined that Bob Martin and Davie Straith would participate in a playoff. Straith refused to do so in protest, and Martin was declared the winner.

1879 Open Championship Winner – Jamie Anderson

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One of the first real superstars of professional golf, Jamie Anderson, was looking for his 3rd consecutive Open Championship in 1879. He completed the three-peat and set a record by becoming the first person to break a two-round score of 170 in the Open.

1882 Open Championship Winner – Bob Ferguson

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A native of Musselburgh, Scotland, Bob Ferguson was a three-time winner of the Open Championship, including winning at St. Andrews in 1882. His reward for the win was a then-record purse for the Open Championship of £12.

1885 Open Championship Winner – Bob Martin

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The 1885 Open Championship was a neck-and-neck battle between previous champion Bob Martin and another fine player, in Archie Simpson. Simpson would start before Martin each day and set a tough pace, but Martin was able to catch him in the end winning the tournament by one stroke.

1888 Open Championship Winner – Jack Burns

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St. Andrews-born Jack Burns moved to England in 1887 to become the pro and greenskeeper at Warwickshire Golf Club, returning in 1888 to play that year’s Open Championship. He won the tournament by one store, taking home the £8 prize.

1891 Open Championship Winner – Hugh Kirkaldy

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The 1891 Open Championship was the last to consist of only 36 holes and Hugh Kirkaldy, only 23 years old at the time, set an Open record with a score of 166. Sadly, the talented Kirkaldy would die at only 28 years of age after falling ill with tuberculosis.

1895 Open Championship Winner – J.H. Taylor

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J.H. Taylor, who grew up as an orphan in Devon, England, began caddying at the age of 11. He was a quick study and soon became an outstanding player. Taylor won at Royal St. Georges in 1894 and followed that up with a win at St. Andrews in 1895.

1900 Open Championship Winner – J.H. Taylor

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John Henry Taylor, who professionally went by J.H. had won the 1995 Open at St. Andrews and came back in 1900 looking to repeat that feat. He captured his third of five Open Championships, winning the 1900 title by four strokes, besting Harry Vardon.

1905 Open Championship Winner – James Braid

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James Braid, from Fife, Scotland, was one of the Great Triumvirate of golfers of his era, along with Harry Vardon and J.H. Taylor. His 1905 win at St. Andrews would be the first he would win at the course and the second of his five Open Championships.

1910 Open Championship Winner – James Braid

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James Braid went into the 1905 Open Championship as a one-time winner of the event and went into the 1910 Open Championship as a four-time winner of the event. His win at the 1910 Open at St. Andrews would mark the final Open Championship of his storied career.

1921 Open Championship Winner – Jock Hutchison

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After an appeal from a popular golf magazine, the 1921 Open Championship saw an influx of American players. The winner of the tournament was Jock Hutchison, who was born in Scotland, but had become a naturalized United States citizen and was called the first U.S.-based player to win the Open.

1927 Open Championship Winner – Bobby Jones

By the time the 1927 Open Championship rolled around, Bobby Jones was the dominant force in golf. He easily won the tournament, finishing with a six-stroke win. Jones refused to accept his £75 prize to maintain his amateur status.

1933 Open Championship Winner – Denny Shute

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The American dominance at St. Andrews continued in 1933 when Denny Shute became the champion in 1933. Shute won in a playoff over American Craig Wood in a tournament that also featured players like Gene Sarazen, Walter Hagen and Olin Dutra.

1939 Open Championship Winner – Dick Burton

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Dick Burton got the Europeans back on the board at St. Andrews with his win at the Open Championship in 1939, winning the £100 prize. Burton would remain one of the longest-term Open Champions as the tournament was not played again until 1946 due to World War II.

1946 Open Championship Winner – Sam Snead

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The Open Championship was played for the first time in 7 years, and St. Andrews was chosen as the course. Sam Snead, who won every other golf major at least three times, only won the Open once, was the winner with this being his only Open Championship.

1955 Open Championship Winner – Peter Thomson

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Peter Thomson was a monster when it came to the Open Championship in the 50s and 60s, winning five of them. A true specialist, Thomson won no other majors. The Australian played well in all four rounds of the tournament, besting John Fallon by two strokes.

1957 Open Championship Winner – Bobby Locke

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Bobby Locke was one of the best players on the PGA Tour in the 1940s and 50s, winning the Open Championship four times, including at St. Andrews in 1957. He was also credited with coining the phrase, “You drive for show, and you putt for dough.”

1960 Open Championship Winner – Kel Nagle

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The winner of the 1960 Open Championship at St. Andrews was Kel Nagle, an Australian who won his first and only major. The real star of the event, the 100th anniversary of the Open, was Arnold Palmer, who finished one stroke behind, bringing plenty of stateside eyes to the tournament.

1964 Open Championship Winner – Tony Lema

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Champagne Tony was quickly rising to the top of the golf world in the 1960s and he won his first and only major at St. Andrews in 1964. Lema’s rise to the top would end tragically as he was killed in a plane crash in 1966, just two years later.

1970 Open Championship Winner – Jack Nicklaus

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Jack Nicklaus was the guy in 1970 and the favorite to win any golf tournament he chose to enter. He had a real fight on his hands from fellow American Doug Sanders in 1970, though he was able to win in a playoff to capture his second Open Championship.

1978 Open Championship Winner – Jack Nicklaus

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Jack Nicklaus was doing an awful lot of winning and that didn’t change during the first Open Championship at St. Andrews in 8 years. One of the most dominant forces the golf world has ever seen, Nicklaus’ win in 1978 meant that he had won every major at least 3 times.

1984 Open Championship Winner – Seve Ballesteros

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The 1984 Open Championship at St. Andrews is among the most famous in history due to the play of Seve Ballesteros. The Spaniard lurked on the leaderboard all weekend before his charge on the last day won him his second Open Championship and fourth major.

1990 Open Championship Winner – Nick Faldo

Dec 17, 2022; Orlando Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Faldo, one of the best players of the 80s and 90s, was dominant at St. Andrews in 1990, finishing the tournament 18 strokes under par to capture the title. His win at St. Andrews was his second of three career Open Championship wins.

1995 Open Championship Winner – John Daly

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With his dynamic long game, John Daly was a threat to win any golf tournament he entered. Everything went well for the American wild-child at St. Andrews in 1995 as the course was well suited to his game and he won in a playoff over Constantino Rocca.

2000 Open Championship Winner – Tiger Woods

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Tiger Woods was absolutely laying waste to the golf world in 2000 and the Open Championship was no exception. Woods was under 70 for all four rounds of the tourney, and he set a new Open record by finishing 19 under par, eight strokes ahead of Thomas Bjorn and Ernie Els.

2005 Open Championship Winner – Tiger Woods

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The magnificent Tiger Woods really enjoyed playing at St. Andrews in 2000, and he was nearly as good in his 2005 return. Woods let the major from the first round of play and finished off his big win topping runner-up Colin Montgomerie by five strokes.

2010 Open Championship Winner – Louis Oosthuizen

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Tiger Woods had won at St. Andrews in 2000 and 2005 but wasn’t a factor in 2010, finishing in a 23rd-place tie. Instead, Louis Oosthuizen played some of the best golf of his career over the weekend, winning the tournament over Lee Westwood by seven strokes.

2015 Open Championship Winner – Zach Johnson

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Louis Oosthuizen had a real chance at winning his second Open Championship but lost in a playoff to eventual winner Zach Johnson. Johnson, who had previously won a major at Augusta, won a four-hole playoff over Oosthuizen and Mark Leishman.

2022 Open Championship – Cam Smith

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Cam Smith started off strong during the 2022 Open Championship, but a third-round 73 put him four shots off the lead going into the final day. Smith shot a blistering 64 in the tournament’s final round to win by one stroke, setting a course record of 20 under par.

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