1924 British Open Winner and Scores
Winner: Walter Hagen, 301
Where it was played: Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England
Tournament dates: June 26-27, 1924
Leader after first round: Cyril Tolley, 73
Leader after second round: Ernest Whitcombe, 147
Leader after third round: Walter Hagen and Ernest Whitcombe, 224
What Happened at the 1924 Open Championship
Walter Hagen and Ernest Whitcombe were tied with 18 holes to go, and both carded 43s on the front nines of their respective final rounds. Whitcombe shot 35 over his second nine to post the clubhouse lead at 302.When Hagen was on the 12th hole of his final round, he found out what Whitcombe's score was and knew what he needed to beat. He proceeded to do just that, but left it until the final green. Hagen — who played typical Hagen golf over his back nine, which is to say, wild driving and brilliant recovery shots — faced a 6-foot, downhill putt on the final green for the victory. He knocked it right into the middle of the cup.
Hagen's 1924 British Open win was his second; he first won in 1922 and later added two more victories in this Open. His victory here was the fifth of Hagen's 14 career wins in majors.
Whitcombe was part of a golfing family, his brothers Reg and Charles also competing in many Open Championships. Ernest and Charles also played in Ryder Cups; Reg was selected for a Ryder Cup but unable to play. Reg is the only of the Whitcombe brothers who won an Open, however, claiming the Claret Jug in 1938.
Macdonald Smith tied for third, one of 12 times he finished in the Top 5 in the U.S. Open or British Open without winning any of them.
Five-time Open winner J.H. Taylor, now 53 years old, finished fifth. At the other end of his career was Gene Sarazen, who made his first-ever appearance in a British Open this year. Sarazen, who had already won three majors in America, finished tied for 41st place. He won his only Claret Jug at the 1932 British Open, and didn't enter his final Open until 1976.
1924 British Open Final Scores
| Walter Hagen | 77-73-74-77—301 |
| Ernest Whitcombe | 77-70-77-78—302 |
| Frank Ball | 78-75-74-77—304 |
| Macdonald Smith | 76-74-77-77—304 |
| J.H. Taylor | 75-74-79-79—307 |
| Aubrey Boomer | 75-78-76-79—308 |
| George Duncan | 74-79-74-81—308 |
| Len Holland | 74-78-78-78—308 |
| Jim Barnes | 78-77-79-75—309 |
| George Gadd | 79-75-78-77—309 |
| James Sherlock | 76-75-78-80—309 |
| Percy Weston | 76-77-77-79—309 |
| Sandy Herd | 76-79-76-79—310 |
| Gilbert Nicholls | 75-78-79-78—310 |
| Tom Williamson | 79-76-80-75—310 |
| J.W. Gaudin | 79-78-80-76—313 |
| Charles Johns | 77-77-78-81—313 |
| James Braid | 80-80-78-76—314 |
| Albert S. Tingey Jr. | 82-81-76-75—314 |
| a-Cyril Tolley | 73-82-80-79—314 |
| Archie Compston | 79-81-76-79—315 |
| Bertram Weastell | 76-82-78-79—315 |
| Arthur Butchart | 82-75-77-82—316 |
| Rowland Jones | 80-73-82-81—316 |
| Fred Leach | 78-74-86-78—316 |
| William Robertson | 84-75-77-80—316 |
| Fred Robson | 83-80-77-76—316 |
| Syd Wingate | 79-79-82-76—316 |
| Arthur Havers | 79-77-86-75—317 |
| Mark Seymour | 74-81-80-82—317 |
| Herbert Osborne | 80-81-82-75—318 |
| Harry Ball | 81-78-79-81—319 |
| Albert Hallam | 76-83-80-80—319 |
| Charles Parsons | 80-77-83-79—319 |
| Ted Ray | 80-80-79-80—319 |
| J. Rimmer | 79-82-79-79—319 |
| Harry Crapper | 86-82-76-77—321 |
| Peter Robertson | 79-79-82-81—321 |
| William Twine | 80-79-86-76—321 |
| Thomas Walton | 77-86-82-77—322 |
| Raymond Botcazou | 80-83-78-82—323 |
| Fred Jarman | 84-78-78-83—323 |
| Gene Sarazen | 83-75-84-81—323 |
| a-William Sutton | 85-76-80-82—323 |
| James Adwick | 79-82-83-80—324 |
| William Button | 80-80-83-81—324 |
| David Sutherland | 79-80-85-80—324 |
| George Charman | 81-85-81-78—325 |
| George Kirby | 80-77-83-85—325 |
| William McMinn | 80-88-79-78—325 |
| Jack Rowe | 78-83-83-81—325 |
| A. Simpson | 82-78-80-85—325 |
| William H. Davies | 83-83-80-80—326 |
| Edward Douglas | 84-78-82-82—326 |
| J. Alsagurin | 82-86-77-82—327 |
| Thomas Barber | 78-85-84-80—327 |
| William Smith | 80-82-82-83—327 |
| Arthur Young | 82-79-87-79—327 |
| a-J.A. Hassall | 78-84-84-82—328 |
| a-William Hope | 87-78-81-82—328 |
| Jack Seager | 79-84-82-83—328 |
| Charles Wallis | 80-85-81-82—328 |
| a-Samuel Robinson | 85-81-82-81—329 |
| Harry Sutton | 81-79-83-87—330 |
| Philip Rodgers | 82-81-86-82—331 |
| Albert Seymour | 85-78-84-84—331 |
| John Thompson | 88-78-78-87—331 |
| a-M.S. Walker | 81-81-82-88—332 |
| C.C. Anderson | 84-82-85-82—333 |
| Jerry Bond | 87-84-83-79—333 |
| Harry Walker | 81-87-81-84—333 |
| Percy Wyatt | 86-84-83-81—334 |
| Sidney Ball | 84-78-87-86—335 |
| John Harrison | 86-88-81-85—340 |
| William Gimber | 86-85-87-87—345 |
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