1954 British Open Winner and Scores
The 1954 British Open was the 83rd time the tournament was played. The champion here eventually won the tournament five times total, but this was his first.
Winner: Peter Thomson, 283
Where it was played: Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England
Tournament dates: July 7-9, 1954
Leader after first round: Sam King and Bill Spence, 69
Leader after second round: Bill Spence, 141
Leader after third round: Peter Thomson, Dai Rees and Syd Scott, 212
What Happened at the 1954 Open Championship
In his fourth appearance in the Open Championship, Peter Thomson claimed his first victory. It began a run of four British Open wins in five years for Thomson. Thomson did it by holding off Bobby Locke in the final round, ending Locke's own recent run of success: Locke had won three of the previous five Opens.Thomson played steady golf throughout, sharing the third-round lead with Dai Rees and Syd Scott (Scott set a course record in Round 2 with a 67). But Rees and Scott both carded 72s in the final round and shared second place with Locke.
Thomson finished with a 71, but opened the door on his last hole by hitting into a greenside bunker and making bogey. But Locke, needing a birdie at the last to force a playoff, was only able to make par. Rees also missed a putt on the 72nd hole that would have forced a playoff.
Thomson finished sixth in his Open debut in 1950. But over the following seven years, his finishes were: 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1. Thomson later added one more British Open title, in 1965.
Locke also won once more after 1954, claiming his fourth Open Championship in 1957. Three-time Masters champion Jimmy Demaret played the British Open only once in his career, and this was the year. He finished tied for 10th, six strokes behind the winner.
Thomson was the first Australian winner of the Open Championship, and just the second Australian-born golfer to win any of golf's professional majors. (Jim Ferrier, at the 1947 PGA Championship, was the first.)
The 1954 British Open was the first one played at Royal Birkdale.
1954 British Open Final Scores
| Peter Thomson | 72-71-69-71—283 |
| Bobby Locke | 74-71-69-70—284 |
| Dai Rees | 72-71-69-72—284 |
| Syd Scott | 76-67-69-72—284 |
| Jimmy Adams | 73-75-69-69—286 |
| Antonio Cerda | 71-71-73-71—286 |
| Jim Turnesa | 72-72-71-71—286 |
| Peter Alliss | 72-74-71-70—287 |
| Sam King | 69-74-74-70—287 |
| Jimmy Demaret | 73-71-74-71—289 |
| Flory Van Donck | 77-71-70-71—289 |
| Alfonso Angelini | 76-70-73-71—290 |
| Harry Bradshaw | 72-72-73-73—290 |
| Bill Spence | 69-72-74-75—290 |
| Bobby Halsall | 72-73-73-73—291 |
| a-Peter Toogood | 72-75-73-71—291 |
| Ugo Grappasonni | 72-75-74-71—292 |
| Christie Kane | 74-72-74-72—292 |
| Gene Sarazen | 75-74-73-70—292 |
| Norman Drew | 76-71-74-72—293 |
| Max Faulkner | 73-78-69-73—293 |
| Jack Hargreaves | 77-72-77-67—293 |
| John Jacobs | 71-73-80-69—293 |
| Eric Lester | 72-75-73-73—293 |
| Christy O'Connor Sr. | 74-72-72-75—293 |
| Lambert Topping | 75-76-69-73—293 |
| Norman Sutton | 70-80-72-72—294 |
| E.B. Williamson | 76-73-75-70—294 |
| Jimmy Hitchcock | 73-72-76-74—295 |
| Ben Shelton | 74-77-71-73—295 |
| a-Frank Stranahan | 73-75-71-76—295 |
| Jean Garaialde | 76-73-72-75—296 |
| Ralph Mills | 73-76-70-77—296 |
| T. Travena | 75-74-75-72—296 |
| Bill Branch | 73-78-71-75—297 |
| Fred Daly | 74-72-74-77—297 |
| Norman Von Nida | 76-74-74-73—297 |
| Jean-Baptiste Ado | 72-78-76-72—298 |
| Enrique Bertolino | 74-76-74-74—298 |
| Aldo Casera | 75-73-72-78—298 |
| Bill Shankland | 72-72-79-76—299 |
| William John Henderson | 74-72-76-78—300 |
| Al Watrous | 76-72-74-78—300 |
| Cecil Denny | 74-77-79-71—301 |
| Robert French | 75-75-77-75—302 |
| George Howard | 71-77-74-80—302 |
| Fred Bullock | 72-77-77-78—304 |
| Frank Jowle | 80-70-79-75—304 |
| Robert Mandeville | 74-73-78-79—304 |
| Hector Thomson | 76-75-74-79—304 |
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