1923 Open Championship


The 1923 Open Championship was the 58th Open Championship, held 14–15 June at Troon Golf Club in Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Arthur Havers holed a bunker shot on the 72nd hole to win his only major title, one stroke ahead of defending champion Walter Hagen, who won the following year.
Under the rotation system then in place, the Open should have been held at Muirfield. However some doubt existed "as to the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers being desirous of their course being used for the event" and the Championship was moved to Troon, the first Open Championship to be played there. Troon hosted the Open for the second time in 1950, the first time the Open had been held in southwest Scotland since 1925 at nearby Prestwick.
Qualifying took place on 11–12 June, Monday and Tuesday, with 18 holes on the New Course at Troon Golf Club and 18 holes on Troon Municipal Course number 2. The top eighty and ties qualified. Albert Tingey Jr., Syd Wingate, and Charles Whitcombe led the field on 146; the qualifying score was 159 and 88 players advanced.
Hagen was among the eleven who just qualified on 159, while future champions Jim Barnes and Gene Sarazen both scored 160 and missed out by a stroke. After a 75 on Monday, Sarazen was in the first group out on the New Course on Tuesday morning; they had the worst of the rain and wind, and he shot 85. Sarazen, age 21, already a winner of two majors, had won the Daily Dispatch Northern Professional Championship just ten days earlier at Lytham. Six-time champion Harry Vardon was at 163; it was the first time he did not play in an Open in over thirty years. Wednesday was an idle day.
In the opening round on Thursday morning, Joe Kirkwood led with 72; after the second round that afternoon, Havers and Charles Whitcombe co-led at 146, with Hagen a stroke back. In the two-day format, there was no cut after 36 holes.
Havers carded a third consecutive 73 on Friday morning to carry a two-stroke lead over Hagen into the final round that afternoon. Hagen threatened the lead throughout the round, and when Havers found a bunker on his approach shot at the 18th it appeared as if the door was open for Hagen. Havers, however, chipped in from the bunker to post a 76 for 295. Hagen found the same bunker and needed to hole out to force a 36-hole playoff on Saturday, but his shot narrowly missed and he finished a shot behind Havers. Macdonald Smith finished a stroke behind Hagen in third place.
After his win, Havers made a tour of the United States and defeated both Bobby Jones and Gene Sarazen in match play contests.

Past champions in the field

PlayerCountryYear wonR1R2R3R4TotalFinish
Walter Hagen1922767174752962
George Duncan192079757474302T6
Ted Ray191279757377304T12
Sandy Herd190282757476307T22
J.H. Taylor1894, 1895
1900, 1909, 1913		80787979316T44
James Braid1901, 1905,
1906, 1908, 1910		79857974317T49

Source:
Did not advance past qualifying rounds :
Did not enter:
This was the first Open at Troon and its Old Course was changed significantly with the addition of sixty new banked-up bunkers. Its length was reduced slightly, from ; the 5th hole was reduced from.

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, 14 June 1923
PlacePlayerCountryScore
1Joe Kirkwood72
T2Tom Fernie73
T2Arthur Havers73
T2Hugh Roberts73
5Robert Scott Jr. 74
T6George Buckle75
T6Charles Gadd75
T6Jimmy McDowall75
T9Frank Ball76
T9Fred Collins76
T9Walter Hagen76
T9James MacKenzie76

Source:

Second round

Thursday, 14 June 1923
PlacePlayerCountryScore
T1Arthur Havers73-73=146
T1Charles Whitcombe70-76=146
3Walter Hagen76-71=147
4Gordon Lockhart78-71=149
5Robert Scott Jr. 74-76=150
T6Tom Fernie73-78=151
T6Joe Kirkwood72-79=151
T6Tom Walton77-74=151
9Johnny Farrell79-73=152
T10Frank Ball76-77=153
T10Sid Brews77-76=153
T10Macdonald Smith
80-73=153
T10Willie Watt76-77=153

Source:

Third round

Friday, 15 June 1923
PlacePlayerCountryScore
1Arthur Havers73-73-73=219
T2Joe Kirkwood72-79-69=220
T2Charles Whitcombe70-76-74=220
4Walter Hagen76-71-74=221
5Macdonald Smith
80-73-69=222
T6Sid Brews77-76-72=225
T6Tom Fernie73-78-74=225
T6Gordon Lockhart78-71-76=225
T6Willie Watt70-76-74=225
T10Fred Collins76-78-72=226
T10Abe Mitchell77-77-72=226

Source:

Final round

Friday, 15 June 1923
PlacePlayerCountryScoreMoney
1Arthur Havers73-73-73-76=29575
2Walter Hagen76-71-74-75=29640
3Macdonald Smith
80-73-69-75=29725
4Joe Kirkwood72-79-69-78=29815
5Tom Fernie73-78-74-75=30010
T6George Duncan79-75-74-74=3028
15s
T6Charles Whitcombe70-76-74-82=3028
15s
T8Herbert Jolly Guernsey79-75-75-74=3034
7s 6d
T8James MacKenzie76-78-74-75=3034
7s 6d
T8Abe Mitchell77-77-72-77=3034
7s 6d
T8Willie Watt76-77-72-78=3034
7s 6d

Source:
Amateurs: R. Scott, Tolley, Soulby, Caven, E. Scott, Watson