1933 Open Championship


The 1933 Open Championship was the 68th Open Championship, held 5–8 July at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland. Denny Shute defeated fellow American Craig Wood by five strokes in a Saturday playoff to win his only Open title, the first of his three major championships. The Ryder Cup was held in late June at Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club in North West England, and the members of the American team played in the championship, similar to four years later in 1937.
Qualifying took place on 3–4 July, Monday and Tuesday, with 18 holes on the Old Course and 18 holes on the New Course, and the top 100 and ties qualified. Willie Nolan led the qualifiers with 138; the qualifying score was 158 and 117 players qualified. The leading 60 players and ties after 36 holes made the cut to play on the final day. Walter Hagen led after each of the first two rounds and scores of 152 and better made the cut.
In pursuit of his twelfth major title, Hagen opened with 68 to take the lead on He held on to it after 36 holes at 140 on Thursday, but then carded 161 in the final two rounds and fell out of the top twenty.
A group of four players shared the 54-hole lead at 216 at midday on Friday: Henry Cotton, Abe Mitchell, Syd Easterbrook, and Leo Diegel. Wood began the final round a stroke behind, while Shute was three back at even par. The final round was a disaster for the leaders as Easterbrook shot 77, while Cotton and Mitchell both carded 79. Shute and Wood tied for the clubhouse lead with rounds of 73 and 75, respectively. Diegel found the 18th green in two and needed only a two-putt to join the playoff. He left his first putt short, then completely missed the ball on his second attempt. The untimely mistake caused him to miss out on the playoff by a single stroke, as did American Gene Sarazen. In the final round Wood managed to hit a drive at the 5th, but he found a bunker and lost a stroke on the hole.
During the playoff, Wood opened with a pair of sixes and was four strokes down after two holes. Shute prevailed over Wood in the 36-hole playoff by five shots. Wood lost playoffs at all four major championships before finally winning one, this loss was the first. He won two majors in 1941 at The Masters and U.S. Open.
This was the first playoff at the Open in a dozen years, since 1921, also won by an American at St Andrews; was born in Scotland but became a U.S. citizen the previous year.
The Old Course was par 73 in 1933; the #17 Road Hole was a par-5 through the 1946 Open.

Card of the course

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

Past champions in the field

Made the cut

Source:

Missed the cut

Source:
Herd, age 65, fell during the first round and twisted an ankle.
Did not advance past qualifying rounds :
Did not enter:

First round

Wednesday, 5 July 1933
PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
1Walter Hagen68−5
T2Ed Dudley70−3
T2Tom Fernie70−3
T2Cyril Tolley 70−3
T5Herbert Jolly Guernsey71−2
T5Willie Nolan71−2
T5Fred Robertson71−2
T8Archie Compston72−1
T8George Dunlap 72−1
T8Gene Sarazen72−1
T8Bert Weastell72−1

Source:

Second round

Thursday, 6 July 1933
PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
1Walter Hagen68-72=140−6
2Ed Dudley70-71=141−5
T3Abe Mitchell74-68=142−4
T3Fred Robertson71-71=142−4
5Cyril Tolley 70-73=143−3
T6Aubrey Boomer74-70=144−2
T6Henry Cotton73-71=144−2
T8Leo Diegel75-70=145−1
T8Syd Easterbrook73-72=145−1
T8Joe Kirkwood Sr.72-73=145−1
T8Gene Sarazen72-73=145−1
T8Willie Spark73-72=145−1

Source:

Third round

Friday, 7 July 1933
PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo par
T1Henry Cotton73-71-72=216−3
T1Leo Diegel75-70-71=216−3
T1Syd Easterbrook73-72-71=216−3
T1Joe Kirkwood Sr.72-73-71=216−3
T1Abe Mitchell74-68-74=216−3
T6Ed Dudley70-71-76=217−2
T6Craig Wood77-72-68=217−2
T8Auguste Boyer76-72-70=218−1
T8Gene Sarazen72-73-73=218−1
T10Walter Hagen68-72-79=219E
T10Fred Robertson71-71-77=219E
T10Denny Shute73-73-73=219E
T10Cyril Tolley 70-73-76=219E

Source:

Final round

Friday, 7 July 1933
PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo parMoney
T1Denny Shute73-73-73-73=292EPlayoff
T1Craig Wood77-72-68-75=292EPlayoff
T3Leo Diegel75-70-71-77=293+135
T3Syd Easterbrook73-72-71-77=293+135
T3Gene Sarazen72-73-73-75=293+135
6Olin Dutra76-76-70-72=294+220
T7Henry Cotton73-71-72-79=295+314
T7Ed Dudley70-71-76-78=295+314
T7Abe Mitchell74-68-74-79=295+314
T7Alf Padgham74-73-74-74=295+314
T7Reg Whitcombe76-75-72-72=295+314

Source:

Amateurs: McLean, Tolley, Somerville, Dunlap, Jamieson

Playoff

Saturday, 8 July 1933
PlacePlayerCountryScoreTo parMoney
1Denny Shute75-74=149+3100
2Craig Wood78-76=154+875

Scorecards

Morning round
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out101112131415161718BackTotal
Shute444444543364545444543975
Wood664543533394544554443978

Afternoon round
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out101112131415161718BackTotal
Shute444544434363354554543874
Wood454444644393445444543776

Source:
EagleBirdieBogeyDouble bogeyTriple bogey+