1936 Open Championship
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 25–27 June 1936 |
| Location | Hoylake, England |
| Course(s) | Royal Liverpool Golf Club |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 74 [1] |
| Length | 7,078 yards (6,472 m)[2] |
| Field | 107 players, 62 after cut[3] |
| Cut | 156 (+8) |
| Prize fund | £500 |
| Winner's share | £100 |
| Champion | |
 Alf Padgham | |
| 287 (−9) | |
The 1936 Open Championship was the 71st Open Championship, held 25–27 June at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England. Alf Padgham won his only major title, one stroke ahead of runner-up Jimmy Adams.[4][5]
Qualifying was originally planned for 22–23 June but heavy rain caused the first day's play to be abandoned. A lightning bolt stunned three spectators and a caddy. Greens on the two qualifying courses were five or six inches deep in water.[6] All the scores were voided and players had to start again the next day. Henry Cotton had completed his round of 67 at Wallasey before play was abandoned.[7] Qualifying eventually took place on 23–24 June. Entries played 18 holes at Royal Liverpool and 18 holes at Wallasey. The top 100 and ties qualified.[8] The qualifying score was 155 and 107 players qualified. Henry Cotton led the qualifiers on 139, having scored 68 at Wallasey on the rearranged day, with Wally Smithers two shots behind on 141.[9] Because of the delay in the qualifying rounds the schedule was pushed back. The first round was played on Thursday, the second on Friday, and the final two rounds on Saturday.[3] The top 60 and ties would make the cut and qualify for the final 36 holes.
After the second round, Bill Cox and Adams were tied for the lead, with five players a shot back, including Padgham and Henry Cotton.[2] Adams and Cotton shared the 54-hole lead, with Padgham and Tom Green a stroke behind. In the final round, Padgham tied Adams for the lead at the turn. He made a 4 on the 17th, then made a 15-footer for a 3 at the 18th to post a 287 total. Adams stood on the 17th knowing that he needed to play the last two holes in eight strokes to tie Padgham. His approach shot found a greenside bunker, and after he failed to get up-and-down he now needed a 3 on the 18th. He found the green in two, but his 12-foot (3.7 m) putt lipped out and he finished a stroke behind Padgham. Cotton and Green were still on the course, but neither could mount a charge, giving Padgham the championship.
Future four-time Open champion Bobby Locke finished tied for 8th in his major championship debut. Jim Ferrier, the winner of the 1947 PGA Championship, also made his debut in a major and finished in 44th.
Course
| Hole | Name | Yards | Par | Hole | Name | Yards | Par | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Course | 435 | 4 | 10 | Dee | 455 | 5 | |
| 2 | Road | 419 | 4 | 11 | Alps | 193 | 3 | |
| 3 | Long | 480 | 5 | 12 | Hilbre | 464 | 5 | |
| 4 | New | 158 | 3 | 13 | Rushes | 179 | 3 | |
| 5 | Telegraph | 424 | 4 | 14 | Field | 511 | 5 | |
| 6 | Briars | 438 | 4 | 15 | Lake | 443 | 4 | |
| 7 | Dowie | 200 | 3 | 16 | Dun | 532 | 5 | |
| 8 | Royal | 527 | 5 | 17 | Far | 419 | 4 | |
| 9 | Stand | 393 | 4 | 18 | Punch Bowl | 408 | 4 | |
| Out | 3,474 | 36 | In | 3,604 | 38 | |||
| Total | 7,078 | 74 | ||||||
Source:[2]
Final leaderboard
Saturday, 27 June 1936
| Place | Player | Country | Score | To par | Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alf Padgham | England |
73-72-71-71=287 | −9 | £100 |
| 2 | Jimmy Adams |  Scotland |
71-73-71-73=288 | −8 | £75 |
| T3 | Henry Cotton | England |
73-72-70-74=289 | −7 | £40 |
| Marcel Dallemagne |  France |
73-72-75-69=289 | |||
| T5 | Percy Alliss | England |
74-72-74-71=291 | −5 | £21 13s 4d |
| Tom Green | England |
74-72-70-75=291 | |||
| Gene Sarazen |  United States |
73-75-70-73=291 | |||
| T8 | Arthur Lacey | England |
76-74-72-72=294 | −2 | £15 |
| Bobby Locke (a) |  South Africa |
75-73-72-74=294 | – | ||
| Reg Whitcombe | England |
72-77-71-74=294 | £15 |
- (a) denotes amateur
References
- ^ "Cox sets sizzling pace to take lead in Open golf play". Montreal Gazette. Canadian Press. 26 June 1936. p. 15.
- ^ a b c "Cox, Adams in lead in title golf play with totals of 144". Montreal Gazette. Canadian Press. 27 June 1936. p. 15.
- ^ a b "Media guide". The Open Championship. 2011. p. 97. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
- ^ "Alf Padgham's 287 wins British Open golf crown". Miami Daily News. United Press. 27 June 1936. p. 6. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
- ^ "9-under-par total scored by Padgham wins British Open". Montreal Gazette. Canadian Press. 29 June 1936. p. 18.
- ^ Talbot, Gayle (23 June 1936). "Storm Halts British Open Test". The Salt Lake Tribune. p. 13
- ^ "Golf - A wash-out - Qualifying rounds postponed". The Times. 23 June 1936. p. 8.
- ^ "Golf - The Championships". The Times. 28 February 1936. p. 6.
- ^ "Golf - Open Championship - Some excellent performances". The Times. 25 June 1936. p. 7.