1939 British Open Winner and Scores
The 1939 British Open was the 74th time this major was played — and the last time until 1946 due to World War II.
Winner: Dick Burton, 290
Where it was played: The Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland
Tournament dates: July 5-7, 1939
Leader after first round: Dick Burton, Harry Busson, Max Faulkner and Bobby Locke, 70
Leader after second round: Dick Burton, 142
Leader after third round: John Fallon, 215
What Happened at the 1939 Open Championship
The 1939 British Open was the last one played until 1946, as World War II put most of the golf world on hold. Not long after this Open concluded, the Royal Air Force began using the Old Course's fairways as runways.It was because of World War II that the winner of the 1939 British Open is the answer to a trick question: Who held the British Open title the longest? The answer is Englishman Dick Burton who, after winning here, held the title for the next seven years, until the tournament resumed in 1946. Burton himself entered service with the RAF shortly after winning the Open.
Burton had two other Top 10 finishes in the Open Championship, but played only one other major, the 1946 U.S. Open (missing the cut).
The third-round leader was John Fallon, but Fallon struggled to a 79 in the final round and wound up tied for third place. The early clubhouse leader was Johnny Bulla, who posted a score of 292.
Burton had held or shared the lead after both the first and second rounds, but a 77 in the third round meant he started Round 4 four strokes behind Fallon's lead. But Burton played most of his round after Bulla had already finished, with that 292 score as his target. And he shot a 71 that ended with a birdie on the final hole to claim the Claret Jug.
1939 British Open Final Scores
| Dick Burton | 70-72-77-71—290 |
| Johnny Bulla | 77-71-71-73—292 |
| John Fallon | 71-73-71-79—294 |
| Sam King | 74-72-75-73—294 |
| Alf Perry | 71-74-73-76—294 |
| Bill Shankland | 72-73-72-77—294 |
| Reg Whitcombe | 71-75-74-74—294 |
| Martin Pose | 71-72-76-76—295 |
| Percy Alliss | 75-73-74-74—296 |
| Ernest Kenyon | 73-75-74-74—296 |
| Bobby Locke | 70-75-76-75—296 |
| Dai Rees | 71-74-75-77—297 |
| Jimmy Adams | 73-74-75-76—298 |
| Enrique Bertolino | 73-75-75-75—298 |
| a-Jimmy Bruen Jr. | 72-75-75-76—298 |
| Henry Cotton | 74-72-76-76—298 |
| William Anderson | 73-74-77-75—299 |
| Emilio Serra | 77-72-73-77—299 |
| W.H. Green | 75-75-72-78—300 |
| William H. Davies | 71-79-74-77—301 |
| Syd Easterbrook | 74-71-80-76—301 |
| a-Alex Kyle | 74-76-75-76—301 |
| a-Leonard Crawley | 72-76-80-74—302 |
| Max Faulkner | 70-76-76-80—302 |
| James Busson Jr. | 70-75-81-77—303 |
| Laurie Ayton Jr. | 72-77-78-77—304 |
| William Collins | 75-74-79-76—304 |
| Fred Taggart | 73-77-76-78—304 |
| Aurelio Castanon | 77-73-80-75—305 |
| Laurie Ayton Sr. | 76-72-82-76—306 |
| Charlie Ward | 71-74-78-83—306 |
| John Busson | 79-70-81-77—307 |
| a-Andrew Dowie | 76-74-81-77—308 |
| a-Bob Sweeny Jr. | 74-75-80-79—308 |
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1938 British Open - 1946 British Open