1911 British Open Winner and Scores
Winner: Harry Vardon, 303
Where it was played: Royal St. George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England
Tournament dates: June 26-30, 1911
Leader after first round: Edward Blackwell (a), 71
Leader after second round: George Duncan, 144
Leader after third round: Harry Vardon, 223
What Happened in the 1911 Open Championship
Harry Vardon, with four previous wins in the Open Championship, and one-time Open champion Arnaud Massy, met in a playoff for the 1911 British Open title. And it was Vardon who emerged as champion.For Vardon, it was win No. 5 in this major, but his first in eight years. He would win once more, at the 1914 British Open, to finish with a record six Open titles.
The Top 7 finishers were all past or future Open Champions: Sandy Herd and amateur Harold Hilton, both winners, tied for third; Vardon's Great Triumvirate mates James Braid and J.H. Taylor shared fifth place, along with future winner Ted Ray.
The playoff between Vardon and Massy was scheduled for 36-holes, but it only went 34. Vardon led by five after the morning round — 74 to Massy's 79 — and that lead was 10 as the two golfers reached the 35th hole. After Vardon hit the green in two, Massy, the R&A history states, picked up his ball, said "I cannot play this damn game," and conceded the playoff to Vardon.
Massy was the 1907 British Open winner, the first Continental golfer and French golfer to win it. There wasn't another Continental champion until Seve Ballesteros won in 1979.
Vardon took over the lead in the third round, when second-round leader George Duncan struggled to an 83. Vardon led by three after 54 holes, and posted 303 after the fourth round. Herd, Hilton and Massy all reached the final hole needing a 4 to tie. Herd and Hilton made 5s, but Massy hit the green in two and 2-putted to force the playoff.
1911 British Open Final Scores
| Harry Vardon | 74-74-75-80—303 (74-64-138*) |
| Arnaud Massy | 75-78-74-76—303 (79-69-148*) |
| Sandy Herd | 77-73-76-78—304 |
| a-Harold Hilton | 76-74-78-76—304 |
| James Braid | 78-75-74-78—305 |
| Ted Ray | 76-72-79-78—305 |
| J.H. Taylor | 72-76-78-79—305 |
| George Duncan | 73-71-83-79—306 |
| Laurie Ayton | 75-77-77-78—307 |
| James Hepburn | 74-77-83-75—309 |
| Fred Robson | 78-74-79-78—309 |
| Fred Collins | 77-76-83-74—310 |
| J. Piper | 78-79-80-74—311 |
| Thomas Renouf | 75-76-79-81—311 |
| Tom Ball | 76-77-79-80—312 |
| Rowland Jones | 80-76-85-72—313 |
| Charles Mayo | 78-78-79-78—313 |
| Wilfred Reid | 78-79-80-76—313 |
| James Sherlock | 73-80-76-84—313 |
| a-Herbert Taylor | 83-73-76-81—313 |
| a-Edward Blackwell | 71-81-82-80—314 |
| Michael Moran | 72-78-83-81—314 |
| William Watt | 76-80-79-79—314 |
| Ernest C. Jones | 77-82-81-75—315 |
| a-Leicester B. Stevens | 79-83-77-76—315 |
| Josh Taylor | 79-81-80-75—315 |
| a-Robert Harris | 77-80-76-83—316 |
| Fred Leach | 75-79-87-75—316 |
| Tom Fernie | 80-78-76-83—317 |
| John Johnstone | 82-79-78-78—317 |
| Anthony Kettley | 79-77-81-80—317 |
| James Ockenden | 75-78-81-83—317 |
| Robert Thomson | 77-76-85-79—317 |
| Sidney Ball | 82-76-85-75—318 |
| Ernest Whitcombe | 77-85-80-76—318 |
| Eddie Goodban | 81-81-78-79—319 |
| Walter Hambleton | 83-78-78-80—319 |
| Len Holland | 81-81-77-80—319 |
| William Horne | 74-76-84-85—319 |
| Jack Rowe | 74-80-81-84—319 |
| a-Lionel Munn | 78-76-83-83—320 |
| a-Michael Scott | 78-80-81-81—320 |
| Harry Ball | 81-79-84-77—321 |
| Stephen Guard | 83-75-81-82—321 |
| Charles Johns | 79-79-83-80—321 |
| a-H.W. Beveridge | 75-79-83-85—322 |
| Horace Fulford | 75-83-81-83—322 |
| a-Angus Hambro | 81-77-84-80—322 |
| J.D. Edgar | 80-82-83-78—323 |
| a-Chick Evans | 78-78-78-89—323 |
| Frank Larke | 82-80-81-80—323 |
| Phillip Gaudin | 77-84-82-81—324 |
| a-S.G. James | 80-82-83-79—324 |
| Jean Gassiat | 80-82-79-84—325 |
| Thomas Simpson | 80-82-83-80—325 |
| James Souter | 86-76-81-82—325 |
| a-F.C. Carr | 82-79-81-84—326 |
| Arthur Grant | 82-80-83-81—326 |
| Albert Hallam | 77-83-81-85—326 |
| Ernest Risebro | 82-80-86-78—326 |
| George Tuck | 77-78-85-86—326 |
| Percy Hills | 80-77-89-81—327 |
| Cyril Hughes | 84-78-83-83—328 |
| a-E.A. Lassen | 81-79-85-85—330 |
| John Cowan | 79-83-85-85—332 |
| a-E. Noel Layton | 78-82-87-86—333 |
| William Jeffries | 77-84-88-85—334 |
| Alfred Matthews | 79-79-87-90—335 |
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