1899 British Open Winner and Scores
Winner: Harry Vardon, 310
Where it was played: Royal St. George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England
Tournament dates: June 7-8, 1899
Leader after first round: James Kinnell, Harry Vardon and Tom Williamson, 76
Leader after second round: Harry Vardon, 152
Leader after third round: Harry Vardon, 233
What Happened in the 1899 Open Championship
The final British Open of the 1800s took place at Royal St. George's in Sandwich, England, and Harry Vardon claimed his third Open Championship in a four-year period. He was the defending champ, and he also won in 1896 (his first of an eventual six wins in this tournament).Vardon led by one over J.H. Taylor after the first day (the tournament was two days, 36 holes per day). He opened with back-to-back 76s, in each round tying for low round.
Vardon expanded his lead over the first 18 of the second day. Despite shooting 81 in that third round, Vardon led by three strokes after its conclusion, a sign of just how tough the scoring was. He eventually won by five over runner-up Jack White.
Five years later, when the Open Championship returned to Royal St. George's, White improved his standing by one place: He won the 1904 British Open.
The low amateur was Freddie Tait, who finished seventh and was one of only two golfers who broke 80 in the third round. It was the last appearance in the Open for Tait, who was a 2-time British Amateur Championship winner: He was killed the following year fighting in the Boer War.
1899 British Open Final Scores
| Harry Vardon | 76-76-81-77—310 |
| Jack White | 79-79-82-75—315 |
| Andrew Kirkaldy | 81-79-82-77—319 |
| J.H. Taylor | 77-76-83-84—320 |
| James Braid | 78-78-85-81—322 |
| Willie Fernie | 79-83-82-78—322 |
| James Kinnell | 76-84-80-84—324 |
| a-Freddie Tait | 81-82-79-82—324 |
| Albert Tingey | 81-81-79-85—326 |
| Tom Williamson | 76-84-80-86—326 |
| Ben Sayers | 81-79-82-86—328 |
| a-Harold Hilton | 86-80-80-83—329 |
| Thomas Renouf | 79-82-84-84—329 |
| Willie Park Jr. | 77-79-85-89—330 |
| Willie Aveston | 77-86-82-86—331 |
| Sandy Herd | 82-81-80-89—332 |
| Percy Rainford | 79-83-83-87—332 |
| Ted Ray | 84-80-84-84—332 |
| Archie Simpson | 84-84-81-83—332 |
| Walter Toogood | 82-86-81-84—333 |
| a-C.E. Hambro | 78-86-88-82—334 |
| Tom Hutchison | 82-87-82-85—336 |
| Alfred Toogood | 83-85-85-84—337 |
| William McEwan | 84-86-83-85—338 |
| a-John Ball | 81-82-90-86—339 |
| Andrew Scott | 86-85-87-81—339 |
| John W. Taylor | 82-85-86-86—339 |
| David Herd | 80-88-83-89—340 |
| James Kay | 85-81-86-89—341 |
| Joseph Dalgeish | 87-87-81-87—342 |
| Jack Rowe | 87-80-89-87—343 |
| a-John E. Laidlay | 83-88-91-82—344 |
| Alfred Vardon | 87-88-88-85—348 |
| Henry Harris | 86-88-82-94—350 |
| C. Ralph Smith | 84-91-85-90—350 |
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