1902 British Open Winner and Scores

The 1902 British Open was the 42nd time this major was played. The winner used a newfangled golf ball that helped him earn the victory.

Winner: Sandy Herd, 307

Where it was played: Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England

Tournament dates: June 4-5, 1902

Leader after first round: Harry Vardon, 72

Leader after second round: Harry Vardon, 149

Leader after third round: Sandy Herd, 226

What Happened at the 1902 Open Championship

The 1902 British Open was just the second one played at Royal Liverpool, and it was here that Sandy Herd achieved his only Open victory. Herd won despite struggling to an 81 in the final round.

But the real significance of the 1902 Open is Herd's use of the Haskell golf ball. The Haskell was the first golf ball with a rubber core. Walter Travis used one to win the 1901 U.S. Amateur, but Herd's victory while using a Haskell ball here marked the first of what we now call the professional major championships to be won with what we now also recognize as the first modern golf ball. In short time, the Haskell ball drove the previous generation's gutta-percha balls out of the game.

Herd only adopted the Haskell himself after playing a practice round with John Ball, the 1890 British Open winner, who was using it. After Herd's victory, the R&A history states, "everyone started using" the Haskell ball.

Herd trailed Harry Vardon by four at the midway point, but jumped in front with a third-round 73.

He led by three entering the final round, but stumbled around in 81. That gave several golfers chances to catch Herd, and two of the Great Triumvirate — James Braid and Vardon — nearly did. In fact, both Braid and Vardon had putts on the final hole that would have tied Herd, but both missed. Vardon's putt to tie, the R&A tournament history states, "reached the lip of the cup and then stopped stone dead on the edge of the hole."

Vardon had led by four after 36 holes, but closed with rounds of 80 and 79.

Herd played in 38 British Open tournaments, first in 1885 and last in 1933. Twenty of those times, Herd finished in the Top 10. He was runner-up four times.

Fred Herd, Sandy's brother, won the 1898 U.S. Open. The Herds were the third pair of brothers to both win professional majors.

1902 British Open Final Scores

Sandy Herd	77-76-73-81—307
James Braid	78-76-80-74—308
Harry Vardon	72-77-80-79—308
a-Robert Maxwell	79-77-79-74—309
Tom Vardon	80-76-78-79—313
a-Harold Hilton	79-76-81-78—314
James Kinnell	78-80-79-77—314
J.H. Taylor	81-76-77-80—314
Ted Ray	79-74-85-80—318
Andrew Kirkaldy	77-78-83-82—320
Arnaud Massy	77-81-78-84—320
Willie Fernie	76-82-84-79—321
Rowland Jones	79-78-85-79—321
a-Sidney Fry	78-79-80-85—322
a-John Ball Jr.	79-79-84-81—323
Jack Rowe	79-78-85-81—323
James Sherlock	79-84-80-81—324
Jack White	82-75-82-86—325
Ben Sayers	84-80-80-82—326
Thomas Renouf	84-82-77-84—327
Walter Toogood	83-83-80-81—327
George Pulford	81-81-85-81—328
Fred Jackson	80-81-83-85—329
Willie Park Jr.	79-82-82-86—329
William McEwan	83-84-81-82—330
Tom Yeoman	85-83-79-83—330
C. Ralph Smith	85-79-85-82—331
David Herd	82-81-84-85—332
Peter Rainford	78-79-88-87—332
Archie Simpson	88-79-85-81—333
Tom Williamson	78-80-90-85—333
George Cassidy	80-82-87-85—334
Fred Collins	83-84-84-83—334
a-Thomas Hunter	84-80-84-86—334
Andrew Scott	84-84-82-85—335
Peter McEwan	84-84-82-86—336
a-Harold Holden	82-82-87-87—338
Willie Auchterlonie	83-84-86-86—339
William C. Gaudin	81-84-89-85—339
William Leaver	85-82-82-90—339
William Lewis	83-84-89-87—343

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Sources:
(Book titles are affiliate links; commissions earned)
Brenner, Morgan. The Majors of Golf, Volume 2, 2009, McFarland and Company.
Liverpool Mercury. "The Open Championship: Victory of Sandy Herd of Huddersfield," Friday, June 6, 1902.
TheOpen.com. "1902 / Royal Liverpool," The R&A, https://www.theopen.com/previous-opens/42nd-open-royal-liverpool-1902.
R&A. The Open Media Guide, 151st Royal Liverpool, 2023.