1898 British Open Winner and Scores
Winner: Harry Vardon, 307
Where it was played: Prestwick Golf Club in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, Scotland
Tournament dates: June 8-9, 1898
Leader after first round: Harold Hilton and Willie Park Jr., 76
Leader after second round: Willie Park Jr., 151
Leader after third round: Willie Park Jr., 229
What Happened in the 1898 Open Championship
Harry Vardon trailed by two strokes entering the final round, but outplayed third-round leader Willie Park Jr., 76 to 79, to win his second Open Championship. He went on to win four more times for a tournament-record six victories.Park was the co-leader with defending champion Harold Hilton after a first-round 76, then took a three-stroke lead at the midway point with a second-round 75. Vardon was in second place at that point.
Vardon shaved one stroke off Park's lead following the third round, then scored 76 in the last round to post 307.
Park, still on the course, reached the final green facing a 4-foot putt to tie Vardon's score and force a playoff. But Park later said members of the crowd gave him wrong information about Vardon's score. Park actually needed to score 3 to tie Vardon, but thought he only needed a 4. And he missed that 4-foot putt, scoring 4, and finishing second by a stroke.
This was the first British Open that featured a cut following the second round. Willie Auchterlonie, winner of the 1893 Open Championship the last time the tournament was played at Prestwick, was among those who missed the cut.
1898 British Open Final Scores
| Harry Vardon | 79-75-77-76—307 |
| Willie Park Jr. | 76-75-78-79—308 |
| a-Harold Hilton | 76-81-77-75—309 |
| J.H. Taylor | 78-78-77-79—312 |
| a-Freddie Tait | 81-77-75-82—315 |
| David Kinnell | 80-77-79-80—316 |
| Willie Fernie | 79-85-77-77—318 |
| John Hunter | 82-79-81-77—319 |
| Thomas Renouf | 77-79-81-83—320 |
| James Braid | 80-82-84-75—321 |
| Philip Wynne | 83-79-81-78—321 |
| James Kay | 81-81-77-83—322 |
| George Pulford | 83-81-78-81—323 |
| Jack White | 82-81-77-83—323 |
| James Kinnell | 77-81-78-88—324 |
| Archie Simpson | 83-80-82-79—324 |
| Sandy Herd | 80-79-84-82—325 |
| Peter McEwan | 83-83-77-82—325 |
| Ben Sayers | 85-78-79-85—327 |
| Walter Toogood | 82-84-83-78—327 |
| a-John Gairdner | 84-77-82-85—328 |
| David Herd | 79-81-83-85—328 |
| J.L. Hutchinson | 83-79-84-82—328 |
| Andrew Kirkaldy | 82-84-85-77—328 |
| Peter Paxton | 81-82-86-79—328 |
| Tom Williamson | 86-84-77-81—328 |
| C. Ralph Smith | 84-78-85-82—329 |
| J.W. Taylor | 83-84-80-82—329 |
| Fred Butel | 81-84-86-81—332 |
| Andrew H. Scott | 83-84-78-87—332 |
| Bob Simpson | 84-81-82-85—332 |
| Tom Hutchinson | 85-81-86-82—334 |
| Jack Kirkaldy | 82-82-85-85—334 |
| Jack Rowe | 84-77-88-85—334 |
| a-Charles Whigham | 85-82-84-83—334 |
| a-Edward Blackwell | 84-82-84-87—337 |
| Harry Harris | 85-84-85-83—337 |
| David McEwan | 82-84-88-89—343 |
| Joseph Dalgleish | 84-84-92-86—346 |
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