1896 British Open Winner and Scores

The 1896 British Open was the 36th time this major was played, and the winningest Open golfer ever earned his first title here.

Winner: Harry Vardon, 316 (won playoff)

Where it was played: The Muirfield links at Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland

Tournament dates: June 10-11 and June 13, 1896

Leader after first round: Sandy Herd, 72

Leader after second round: J.H. Taylor, 155

Leader after third round: Sandy Herd, 235

What Happened in the 1896 Open Championship

Harry Vardon, J.H. Taylor and James Braid today are collectively known as the "Great Triumvirate" of British golf. Between them, they won the British Open 16 times.

But at the time of the 1896 British Open, there was no Great Triumvirate. Braid did not yet have an Open Championship to his credit, and wouldn't win his first for another five years. Vardon, too, had not yet won the Open. Taylor, however, was trying for three in row, coming off victories at the 1894 and 1895 Opens.

And Taylor almost did make it three in a row, but Vardon pipped Taylor in a playoff to earn his first championship. Vardon wound up leading the three greats (and everyone else) with a record six British Open wins; Taylor won five times, as did Braid.

Taylor and Sandy Herd traded the lead the first three rounds. Vardon began the final round four behind Herd, three behind Taylor. Herd took himself out of the running with a final-round 85. Taylor scored 80 and posted the clubhouse lead of 316.

Vardon could have won in regulation play, needing a score of four to do so. But he played the last hole conservatively and made five to close out a round of 77 and tie Taylor at 316. Two days later, Vardon and Taylor played a 36-hole playoff, and Vardon won that by four strokes, 157 to Taylor's 161.

It was the fourth playoff in Open Championship history to this point. Vardon won another of his six Clarets Jugs in a playoff at the 1911 British Open.

This was the last Open Championship played by Old Tom Morris, who, about to turn 73 years old, withdrew following the third round after posting three scores in the 100s. Morris was runner-up in the very first Open in 1860, and a four-time champion.

1896 British Open Final Scores

Harry Vardon 83-78-78-77—316 (78-79-157)
J.H. Taylor 77-78-81-80—316 (80-81-161)
Willie Fernie 78-79-82-80—319
a-Freddie Tait 83-75-84-77—319
Sandy Herd 72-84-79-85—320
James Braid 83-81-79-80—323
Davie Brown 80-77-81-86—324
Ben Sayers 83-76-79-86—324
Andrew Scott 83-84-77-80—324
Tom Vardon 83-82-77-83—325
Peter McEwan 83-81-80-84—328
Willie Auchterlonie 80-86-81-82—329
Archie Simpson 85-79-78-87—329
James Kay 77-88-83-82—330
Andrew Kirkaldy 84-85-79-82—330
Willie Park Jr. 79-80-83-88—330
Alfred Toogood 81-85-84-84—334
John Hunter 85-79-83-88—335
a-John E. Laidlay 85-82-82-86—335
David McEwan 83-89-81-82—335
Jack Ross 83-87-84-81—335
Walter Toogood 87-84-80-85—336
a-Harold Hilton 82-85-85-85—337
David Anderson Jr. 86-89-83-81—339
a-D.M. Jackson 85-84-82-88—339
Walter Kirk 85-87-84-83—339
David Herd 85-87-86-82—340
Albert Tingey 84-84-88-86—342
John W. Taylor 87-83-84-90—344
Peter Paxton 84-89-86-86—345
Jack Rowe 89-85-87-86—347
a-Samuel Mure Fergusson 85-93-84-86—348
Peter Fernie 86-87-92-84—349
Rowland Jones 88-85-89-87—349
George Lowe 91-85-88-88—352
Andrew Simpson 86-92-88-88—354
Henry Turpie 85-90-88-95—358
a-Thomas Gray 82-88-97-92—359
Christopher Calloway 93-92-87-88—360
Peter Rainford 87-87-93-95—362
Mungo Park Jr. 90-87-92-94—363
a-David Anderson 90-93-93-89—365
Bernard Nicholls 90-102-87-88—367
a-Oliver Thomson 86-93-94-94—367
William Day 97-94-89-94—374

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1895 British Open - 1897 British Open

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