1947 Open Championship
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 2–4 July 1947 |
| Location | Hoylake, England |
| Course(s) | Royal Liverpool Golf Club |
| Organized by | The R&A |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 68[1][2] |
| Length | 6,978 yards (6,381 m)[1] |
| Field | 98, 39 after cut[3] |
| Cut | 156 (+20) |
| Prize fund | £1,000 $4,000 |
| Winner's share | £150 $600 |
| Champion | |
 Fred Daly | |
| 293 (+21) | |
The 1947 Open Championship was a major golf tournament played at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England. In the 76th Open Championship, Northern Ireland's Fred Daly became the first Irish winner of the Open Championship, one stroke ahead of runners-up Reg Horne and amateur Frank Stranahan.[4] It was Daly's only major title.
Qualifying took place on 30 June–1 July. Entries played 18 holes at Hoylake and 18 holes at Arrowe Park. The number of qualifiers was limited to a maximum of 100. Ties for 100th place would not qualify.[5] The qualifying score was 155 and 98 players qualified. The Australian Norman Von Nida led the qualifiers for the second successive year, scoring 139.[6] Only five Americans entered the qualifier.[1] The maximum number of players making the cut after 36 holes was again set at 40. Ties for 40th place did not make the cut.[5] Par was set at 68 for the championship, which was the course record at the time. The course was regularly par 72 at 7,048 yards (6,445 m); all four par-5 holes were shortened slightly and made into par-4 holes.[1]
The total prize money was £1000. The winner received £150 with £100 for second, £75 for third, £50 for fourth, £25 for fifth and then £15 each for the next 35 players. The £1000 was completed with a £15 prize for winning the qualification event and four £15 prizes for the lowest score in each round. Where an amateur finished in a place where there was a cash prize that money was donated to the P.G.A. Benevolent Fund.[5] The prize money distribution meant that, with a maximum of 40 players making the cut, all professionals making the cut received prize money.
Henry Cotton and Laurie Ayton, Jnr shared the first round lead on Wednesday,[7] but in the second round both fell back with rounds of 78 and 80, respectively.[2] After 36 holes, Daly led at 143 (+7), four shots ahead of Cotton and Sam King.[8] Stranahan was the only amateur to make the cut.
Daly had a poor third round on Friday morning, shooting 78 to fall into a tie for the lead with Cotton, Arthur Lees, and Norman Von Nida. There were a further nine players within three-strokes of the lead. Horne, who began two back, made the first move with a 35 on the front-nine. He took a pair of 5s at the 16th and 17th holes, however, and at the 18th his putt for a 3 lipped out and finished at 294. Daly began the round with a 38 (+4) on the front, but he recovered on the back and holed a birdie putt on the 18th to post 293. Cotton made the turn in 36 and needed another 36 on the back to tie Daly, but in the blustery wind this proved too difficult and he finished at 297. That left Stranahan as the last player on the course able to tie Daly. He reached the 17th needing to play the final two holes in 7, but a three-putt led to a 5 and saw him needing an improbable 2 on the last. He gave it a good shot, with his approach stopping less than a foot (0.3 m) from the hole.
Final leaderboard
Friday, 4 July 1947
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par | Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fred Daly | Northern Ireland |
73-70-78-72=293 | +21 | £150 |
| T2 | Reg Horne |  England |
77-74-72-71=294 | +22 | £87 10s |
| Frank Stranahan (a) |  United States |
71-79-72-72=294 | – | ||
| 4 | Bill Shankland |  Australia |
76-74-75-70=295 | +23 | £50 |
| 5 | Dick Burton | England |
77-71-77-71=296 | +24 | £25 |
| T6 | Johnny Bulla | United States |
80-72-74-71=297 | +25 | £15 |
| Henry Cotton | England |
69-78-74-76=297 | |||
| Sam King | England |
75-72-77-73=297 | |||
| Arthur Lees | England |
75-74-72-76=297 | |||
| Norman Von Nida | Australia |
74-76-71-76=297 | |||
| Charlie Ward | England |
76-73-76-72=297 |
- (a) denotes amateur
Source:[3]
References
- ^ a b c d "Set par of 68 for British Open". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. 30 June 1947. p. 9.
- ^ a b "Cotton, King tie for lead". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. 3 July 1947. p. 2, part 2.
- ^ a b "Media Guide". The Open Championship. 2011. p. 91. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
- ^ "Stranahan misses title". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. 5 July 1947. p. 4, part 2.
- ^ a b c ""Open" golf conditions". The Glasgow Herald. 13 March 1947. p. 6.
- ^ "Open Championship qualifiers". The Times. 2 July 1947. p. 2.
- ^ "Yanks falter in British Open". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. 3 July 1947. p. 13.
- ^ "Tempers, scores high in England". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. 3 July 1947. p. 8.