1956 British Open Winner and Scores
The 1956 British Open was the 85th time the tournament was played. The champion made it three wins in a row.
Winner: Peter Thomson, 286
Where it was played: Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England
Tournament dates: July 4-6, 1956
Leader after first round: Dennis Smalldon, 68
Leader after second round: Peter Thomson, 140
Leader after third round: Peter Thomson, 212
What Happened at the 1956 Open Championship
Australian great Peter Thomson made it three consecutive Claret Jugs, taking the 1956 Open Championship title after previously winning in 1954 and 1955. His first Open win was by one stroke, his second by two strokes, and this one by three strokes.The runner-up was Flory Van Donck, who posted one of his two second-place finishes in the Open. Roberto De Vicenzo finished solo third despite shooting 79 in the third round.
Thomson was tied for third place following his first-round 70, but took the lead with another 70 in the second round. His lead grew to three over Van Donck with a third-round 72, then Thomson and Van Donck matched 74s in the final round.
In winning, Thomson became the only golfer in the 20th century to win the Open three consecutive years. The only others who've done it did so in the 1800s, and before the tournament was extended to 72 holes:
- Young Tom Morris won four straight from 1868 through 1872;
- Jamie Anderson won in 1877, 1878 and 1879;
- and Bob Ferguson won in 1880, 1881 and 1882.
The 1956 British Open is also notable for the tournament debut of Gary Player. And it was a great debut for the 21-year-old Player, who finished in solo fourth. Player won the British Open in 1959, 1968 and 1974.
1956 British Open Final Scores
| Peter Thomson | 70-70-72-74—286 |
| Flory Van Donck | 71-74-70-74—289 |
| Roberto De Vicenzo | 71-70-79-70—290 |
| Gary Player | 71-76-73-71—291 |
| John Panton | 74-76-72-70—292 |
| Enrique Bertolino | 69-72-76-76—293 |
| Henry Cotton | 72-76-71-74—293 |
| Antonio Cerda | 72-81-68-73—294 |
| Mike Souchak | 74-74-74-72—294 |
| Christy O'Connor Sr. | 73-78-74-70—295 |
| Harry Weetman | 72-76-75-72—295 |
| a-Frank Stranahan | 72-76-72-76—296 |
| Bruce Crampton | 76-77-72-72—297 |
| Miguel Angel Martin | 71-74-75-77—297 |
| Dai Rees | 75-74-75-73—297 |
| John Jacobs | 73-77-76-72—298 |
| Al Balding | 70-81-76-73—300 |
| Jack Hargreaves | 72-80-75-73—300 |
| Ricardo Rossi | 75-77-72-76—300 |
| David Thomas | 70-78-77-75—300 |
| Charlie Ward | 73-75-78-74—300 |
| Ken Bousfield | 73-77-76-75—301 |
| Gerry De Wit | 76-73-74-78—301 |
| Ted Lester | 70-76-77-78—301 |
| Jimmy Adams | 75-76-76-75—302 |
| Laurie Ayton Jr. | 74-78-78-72—302 |
| Eric Moore | 75-75-78-74—302 |
| Ken Adwick | 77-76-74-76—303 |
| Syd Scott | 78-74-74-77—303 |
| Dennis Smalldon | 68-79-78-78—303 |
| Alfonso Angelini | 73-80-76-75—304 |
| Bernard Hunt | 75-73-81-75—304 |
| Ching-Po Chen | 78-74-77-76—305 |
| Marion Gonzalez | 72-81-75-77—305 |
| Roberto Salas | 79-72-78-76—305 |
| a-Joe Carr | 73-77-79-77—306 |
| Christy Greene | 76-75-79-76—306 |
| Michio Ishii | 74-77-77-78—306 |
| James Martin | 74-79-78-75—306 |
| Carlos Celles | 71-82-78-76—307 |
| Sebastian Miguel | 72-78-84-73—307 |
| Bill Shankland | 72-78-79-78—307 |
| Harry Bradshaw | 76-76-81-75—308 |
| T.H.T. Fairbairn | 80-73-81-74—308 |
| Frank Miller | 72-78-78-80—308 |
| Tevor Wilkes | 74-78-85-75—312 |
| Jack Wilkshire | 77-74-85-77—313 |
Previous and next:
1955 British Open - 1957 British Open
Sources:
Associated Press. "Thomson wins 3rd straight British Open," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 7, 1956, https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=J5dRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BmwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6142%2C1892753
TheOpen.com. "1956 / Royal Liverpool," The R&A, https://www.theopen.com/previous-opens/85th-open-royal-liverpool-1956
The R&A. The Open: 151st Royal Liverpool Media Guide, 2023.
