1928 British Open Winner and Scores
Winner: Walter Hagen, 292
Where it was played: Royal St. George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England
Tournament dates: May 9-11, 1928
Leader after first round: Bill Mehlhorn, 71
Leader after second round: Jose Jurado, 145
Leader after third round: Walter Hagen, 220
What Happened in the 1928 Open Championship
Walter Hagen won the 1928 British Open, but let's start by mentioning Harry Vardon. Vardon was 58 years old in 1928, and he played four rounds of consistent golf: 78-79-80-80. The key is the four rounds, however: The 1928 British Open is the last time 6-time champion Vardon made the cut in this tournament. In fact, he played it only one more time.With 2-time defending champion Bobby Jones absent, this Open shaped up as a battle between the American stars, Hagen and Gene Sarazen. And that's what it turned out to be, with Englishman Archie Compston getting into the mix.
A few weeks prior to the British Open, Compston and Hagen faced off in a 72-hole "challenge match," a match-play exhibition that Compston dominated, winning 18-and-17. At the British Open, however, Compston trailed Hagen by two strokes entering the final round, with Sarazen one behind Hagen.
At the previous Open at Royal St. George's, in 1922, Hagen won. And proving he liked a good Sandwich, Hagen won here again this year. Hagen shot a final-round 72, one better than the 73s of Sarazen and Compston, to win by two over Sarazen. Compston was in third, three behind Hagen.
It was the third Open Championship win for Hagen, who added one more the following year. And it was Hagen's 10th major championship win overall.
The Claret Jug was presented to Hagen by the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VIII. The Prince was the club captain at Royal St. George's.
1928 British Open Final Scores
| Walter Hagen | 75-73-72-72—292 |
| Gene Sarazen | 72-76-73-73—294 |
| Archie Compston | 75-74-73-73—295 |
| Percy Alliss | 75-76-75-72—298 |
| Fred Robson | 79-73-73-73—298 |
| Jim Barnes | 81-73-76-71—301 |
| Aubrey Boomer | 79-73-77-72—301 |
| Jose Jurado | 74-71-76-80—301 |
| Bill Mehlhorn | 71-78-76-77—302 |
| William H. Davies | 78-74-79-73—304 |
| Fred Taggart | 76-74-77-78—305 |
| Albert Whiting | 78-76-76-75—305 |
| Jack Smith | 79-77-76-74—306 |
| a-T.P. Perkins | 80-79-76-72—307 |
| William Twine | 75-79-77-76—307 |
| Stewart Burns | 76-74-75-83—308 |
| a-Charles Hezlet | 79-76-78-76—309 |
| Henry Cotton | 77-75-83-75—310 |
| George Duncan | 75-77-78-80—310 |
| Duncan McCulloch | 78-78-78-76—310 |
| Abe Mitchell | 78-75-82-76—311 |
| Tom Williamson | 77-73-77-84—311 |
| Alfred Bradbeer | 83-76-78-75—312 |
| George Gadd | 83-73-78-78—312 |
| Jean Gassiat | 76-77-81-78—312 |
| a-W.L. Hope | 84-75-75-78—312 |
| James Ockenden | 80-78-79-75—312 |
| Reg Whitcombe | 79-77-81-75—312 |
| Reginald G. Wilson | 82-73-77-80—312 |
| Syd Wingate | 75-82-79-76—312 |
| Arthur Lacey | 80-77-79-77—313 |
| Arthur Young | 77-77-78-81—313 |
| Gus Faulkner | 80-75-81-78—314 |
| William Holley | 80-78-79-77—314 |
| Herbert Jolly | 84-73-75-82—314 |
| Ted Ray | 77-78-80-79—314 |
| Thomas Barber | 77-78-81-79—315 |
| James McDowall | 82-75-80-78—315 |
| Rufus Stewart | 79-75-82-79—315 |
| William Watt | 79-76-78-82—315 |
| James Braid | 80-79-81-76—316 |
| a-R.W. Hartley | 81-77-76-82—316 |
| Pierre Hirigoyen | 81-74-78-83—316 |
| Bert Hodson | 80-79-79-78—316 |
| Arnaud Massy | 79-79-79-79—316 |
| a-T.A. Torrance | 79-74-81-82—316 |
| Ernest Kenyon | 79-79-81-78—317 |
| Harry Vardon | 78-79-80-80—317 |
| Leo Wallace | 79-80-75-83—317 |
| a-A.J. Evans | 80-79-82-78—319 |
| Earnest Barker | 81-78-77-89—325 |
| Albert S. Tingey | 81-78-81-85—325 |
Previous and next:
1927 British Open - 1929 British Open