1902 Open Championship


The 1902 Open Championship was the 42nd Open Championship, held 4–5 June at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England. Sandy Herd won the Championship, a stroke ahead of runners-up James Braid and Harry Vardon.
All entries played 36 holes on the first day with all those within 19 strokes of the leader making the cut and playing 36 holes on the final day, with the additional provision that the final day's field had to contain at least 32 professionals.
Vardon sliced his first two shots out of bounds at the 1st hole and took six, there being no penalty stroke for out of bounds at that time. However, he played the rest of the round so well that his score of 72 was four shots ahead of the second place Willie Fernie, the 1883 champion. Vardon again started badly in the afternoon but his 77 still gave him a four shot lead over Herd and Ted Ray. 45 players, including nine amateurs, made the cut on 168.
The next morning, Herd shot 73, four strokes better than anyone else. This gave him a three stroke lead over Vardon who had taken 80. Braid, J.H. Taylor and Tom Vardon were in third place, eight strokes behind Herd.
Herd started his final round well but took six at the 8th and 9th holes and then 5 at the short 11th. Another shot was dropped at the short 13th and he eventually finished in 81. Harry Vardon took six at the 3rd and 8th but then rallied and needed a four at the last to tie with Herd. However, he three putted to finish a shot behind. Braid was the final player with a change to match Herd. Reaching the turn in 40, the same as Herd, he need to come back in 33 to tie. He had a putt at the last to tie but missed to finish in a tie for second place with Vardon. The amateur Robert Maxwell matched Braid's 74 to finish in fourth place, the only player under 80 in all four rounds.

First day leaderboard

Wednesday, 4 June 1902
PlacePlayerCountryScore
1Harry Vardon72-77=149
T2Sandy Herd77-76=153
T2Ted Ray79-74=153
4James Braid78-76=154
T5Harold Hilton 79-76=155
T5Andrew Kirkaldy77-78=155
T7Robert Maxwell 79-77=156
T7Tom Vardon80-76=156
T9Sidney Fry 78-79=157
T9Rowland Jones79-78=157
T9Peter Rainford78-79=157
T9Jack Rowe79-78=157
T9J.H. Taylor81-76=157
T9Jack White82-75=157

Final leaderboard

Source:
Thursday, 5 June 1902
PlacePlayerCountryScoreMoney
1Sandy Herd77-76-73-81=307£50
T2James Braid78-76-80-74=308£20
T2Harry Vardon72-77-80-79=308£20
4Robert Maxwell 79-77-79-74=309−
5Tom Vardon80-76-78-79=313£10
T6Harold Hilton 79-76-81-78=314−
T6James Kinnell78-80-79-77=314£7 10s
T6J.H. Taylor81-76-77-80=314£7 10s
9Ted Ray79-74-85-80=3180
T10Andrew Kirkaldy77-78-83-82=3200
T10Arnaud Massy77-81-78-84=3200