1921 Open Championship


The 1921 Open Championship was the 56th Open Championship, held 23–25 June at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland. Former local Jock Hutchison won his only Open Championship, in a 36-hole playoff over amateur Roger Wethered. It was Hutchison's second and final major title.

Qualification

Qualifying took place on 20–21 June, Monday and Tuesday, with 18 holes on the Eden Course and 18 holes on the Old Course; the top 80 and ties qualified. Jock Hutchison led the field on 146; the qualifying score was 161 and 85 players advanced.
The entries included an unusually large number of U.S.-based players following a funding-raising campaign by an American golf magazine. On September 27, 1920 Golf Illustrated wrote a letter to the Professional Golfers' Association of America with a suggestion that a team of twelve to twenty American professionals be chosen to play in the British Open, to be financed by popular subscription. At that time no American golfer had won the British Open. The idea was that of James D. Harnett, who worked for the magazine. The PGA of America made a positive reply and the idea was announced in the November 1920 issue. The fund was called the British Open Championship Fund. By the next spring the idea had been firmed-up. A team of 12 would be chosen, who would sail in time to play a warm-up tournament at Gleneagles prior to the British Open at St Andrews, two weeks later. The team of 12 was chosen by PGA president George Sargent and PGA secretary Alec Pirie, with the assistance of USGA vice-president Robert Gardner. A team of 11 sailed from New York on the RMS Aquitania on May 24, together with James Harnett, Harry Hampton deciding at the last minute that he could not travel. The American team was: Jim Barnes, Emmet French, Clarence Hackney, Walter Hagen, Charles Hoffner, Jock Hutchison, Tom Kerrigan, George McLean, Fred McLeod, Bill Mehlhorn, and Wilfrid Reid.
The day before the Glasgow Herald Tournament, a match was played between the Americans and a team of British professionals, the first match between American and British professionals. It was a forerunner of the Ryder Cup matches, which began six years later in 1927.
After the Glasgow tournament, most of the American team travelled to St Andrews to practice, however, Walter Hagen and Jock Hutchison played in a tournament at Kinghorn on June 14 and 15. Hagen had a poor first round and didn't turn up for the second day, while Hutchison scored 74 and 64 and took the £50 first prize. The American-based entry was augmented by two other professionals, Jack Burgess and James Douglas Edgar, and some amateurs, including Bobby Jones. All the American-based professionals qualified with the exception of Wilfrid Reid, who scored 163. Two of the amateurs qualified, Bobby Jones and Paul Hunter.

Venue

^ The 10th hole was posthumously named for Bobby Jones in 1972.

Details

During the first round on Thursday morning, Hutchison made a hole-in-one at the 8th and then drove the green at the par-4 9th, his ball settling inches from the hole. He finished with a round of 72 and a two-shot lead, and continued to lead after 36 holes at 147, a shot ahead of Jim Barnes and Ted Ray. In the two-day format, there was no cut after 36 holes.
After the third round on Friday morning, Hutchison trailed Barnes and Sandy Herd by four shots, but both co-leaders shot 80 in the final round and fell into a tie for sixth with five others. Wethered, a student at Oxford, carded 71 to finish at 296, while Hutchison shot 70 to tie and force a Saturday playoff.

Playoff

Wethered almost did not make it to the playoff, as he was scheduled to play for his cricket team that day and had to be persuaded to stay and play golf. In the playoff, the first two holes were halved before Hutchison gained two shots at the 3rd. However he played a poor 4th hole and took six to make the match all square again. Hutchison took a grip on the match by scoring four threes from the 7th to the 10th while Wethered took four fours. At lunch, Hutchison held a three shot lead.
In the afternoon, Hutchison struggled at the first three holes but managed to halve the holes with Wethered. The match then turned decisively with Wethered taking six at the 4th and Hutchison taking threes at the 5th and 6th. Wethered dropped another shot at the 7th and now Hutchison was nine strokes ahead. Hutchison was in trouble at the 11th and took five but Wethered three-putted and only gained one stroke. Thereafter, Hutchison's lead increased to twelve before his cautious play at the final holes reduced the lead to nine.
Although a native of St Andrews, Hutchison had become a U.S. citizen and was credited as being the Open's first American champion. The Times reported under the headline "Cup Goes to U.S.A." that "our Open Championship goes for the first time in its history to America." The following year, Hagen became the first U.S.-born winner. Bobby Jones, 19, played at St Andrews and the Open for the first time, and was the low amateur after 36 holes. He withdrew in the third round after taking four shots to get out of a bunker at the 11th.

Past champions in the field

PlayerCountryYear wonR1R2R3R4TotalFinish
George Duncan192074757874301T5
Sandy Herd190275747380302T6
Arnaud Massy190774757479302T6
James Braid1901, 1905,
1906, 1908, 1910		77757876306T16
Ted Ray191276728178307T19
Harry Vardon1896, 1898, 1899,
1903, 1911, 1914		77778074308T23
J.H. Taylor1894, 1895
1900, 1909, 1913		80807574309T26
Jack White190476828181320T57

Source:

Round summaries

First round

Thursday, 23 June 1921
PlacePlayerCountryScore
1Jock Hutchison
72
2Henry Kinch73
T3Jim Barnes74
T3George Duncan74
T3Walter Hagen74
T3Tom Kerrigan74
T3Arnaud Massy74
T3Walter Pursey74
T9Percy Alliss75
T9Sandy Herd75
T9Percy Hills75
T9Charles Hoffner75
T9Paul Hunter 75
T9Bill Mehlhorn75
T9Alfred Miles75
T9Mark Seymour 75
T9--75

Source:

Second round

Thursday, 23 June 1921
PlacePlayerCountryScore
1Jock Hutchison
72-75=147
T2Jim Barnes74-74=148
T2Ted Ray76-72=148
T4George Duncan74-75=149
T4Sandy Herd75-74=149
T4Arnaud Massy74-75=149
T4George McLean76-73=149
T8Arthur Havers76-74=150
T8Henry Kinch73-77=150
T8Joe Kirkwood76-74=150
T8Tom Williamson79-71=150

Source:

Third round

Friday, 24 June 1921
PlacePlayerCountryScore
T1Jim Barnes74-74-74=222
T1Sandy Herd75-74-73=222
T3Joe Kirkwood76-74-73=223
T3Arnaud Massy74-75-74=223
5Tom Williamson79-71-74=224
T6Walter Hagen74-79-72=225
T6Roger Wethered 78-75-72=225
T8Jock Hutchison
72-75-79=226
T8Tom Kerrigan74-80-72=226
T10George Duncan74-75-78=227
T10Arthur Havers76-74-77=227

Source:

Final round

Friday, 24 June 1921
PlacePlayerCountryScoreMoney
T1Jock Hutchison
72-75-79-70=296Playoff
T1Roger Wethered 78-75-72-71=296Playoff
3Tom Kerrigan74-80-72-72=29840
4Arthur Havers76-74-77-72=29925
5George Duncan74-75-78-74=30115
T6Jim Barnes74-74-74-80=3026
8s 7d
T6Walter Hagen74-79-72-77=3026
8s 7d
T6Sandy Herd75-74-73-80=3026
8s 7d
T6Joe Kirkwood76-74-73-79=3026
8s 7d
T6Fred Leach78-75-76-73=3026
8s 7d
T6Arnaud Massy74-75-74-79=3026
8s 7d
T6Tom Williamson79-71-74-78=3026
8s 7d

Source:
Amateurs: Wethered, Hunter, Kyle, Seymour,
Armour, Murray, Harris, Quilter.

Playoff

Saturday, 25 June 1921
PlacePlayerCountryScoreMoney
1Jock Hutchison
74-76=15075
2Roger Wethered 77-82=1590

Source:

Scorecards

Morning round
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out101112131415161718BackTotal
Hutchison453654333363445545443874
Wethered455454444394444444553877

Afternoon round
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out101112131415161718BackTotal
Hutchison454433433334554545654376
Wethered454654533394474744544382