1904 Open Championship
The 1904 Open Championship was the 44th Open Championship, held 8–10 June at Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England. Jack White won his only major title, one stroke ahead of runners-up James Braid and J.H. Taylor, both former champions.[2]
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 8–10 June 1904 |
| Location | Sandwich, England |
| Course(s) | Royal St George's Golf Club |
| Statistics | |
| Field | 144 players, 52 after cut[1] |
| Cut | 168 |
| Prize fund | £115 |
| Winner's share | £50 |
| Champion | |
 Jack White | |
| 296 | |
For the first time, the Open was scheduled for three days; the final day remained at 36 holes, but the first two rounds were now over two days.[3] Those within nineteen strokes of the leader made the 36-hole cut, with the additional provision that the final day's field had to contain at least 32 professionals.
The opening round on Wednesday was cold and windy, which led to some high scoring. Robert Thomson led with 75 after reaching the turn in 34. He was a shot ahead of amateur John Graham Jr. and Harry Vardon.[4] It was less windy on Thursday for the second round, and Vardon led on 149, followed by Thomson on 151 and Graham on 152. James Sherlock set a new record for the Open with 71, while Willie Park Jr. scored 72; 52 players were within nineteen strokes of Vardon and made the cut at 168 or better.[5]
Overnight rain and light winds made for some low scoring on Friday. Braid set a new Championship record with a 69 in the third round, reaching the turn in 31. White has the second best score with a 72. After the morning round, Braid led on 226 with White on 227; Vardon was at 228 after a disappointing 79.[2]
White, one of the early starters in the afternoon, scored 69 for 296.[2] Braid also played well but his 71 left him a shot behind. He holed a long putt at the 15th but a four at the short 16th left him too much to do. Taylor was the last player with a chance to catch White but needed a 67 to do so. Starting 3-3-2, he reached the turn in 32. However, like Braid, he took four at the 16th and also ended up a shot behind. His 68 was another new Open record. White's total of 296 was yet another, the first total under 300.
Past champions in the field
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Braid | Scotland | 1901 | 77 | 80 | 69 | 71 | 297 | T2 |
| J.H. Taylor |  England | 1894, 1895, 1900 | 77 | 78 | 74 | 68 | 297 | T2 |
| Harry Vardon | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Jersey | 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903 | 76 | 73 | 79 | 74 | 302 | 5 |
| Sandy Herd | Scotland | 1902 | 84 | 76 | 76 | 75 | 311 | 9 |
| Willie Park Jr. | Scotland | 1887, 1889 | 84 | 72 | 81 | 78 | 315 | T12 |
| John Ball | England | 1890 | 83 | 78 | 79 | 88 | 318 | 18 |
| Willie Fernie | Scotland | 1883 | 84 | 79 | WD | T48 | ||
| Harold Hilton (a) | England | 1892, 1897 | WD | T114 | ||||
Did not enter: William Auchterlonie (1893), Jack Burns (1888).
Round summaries
First round
Wednesday, 8 June 1904
| Place | Player | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Thomson | Scotland | 75 |
| T2 | John Graham Jr. (a) | Scotland | 76 |
| Harry Vardon | Jersey | ||
| T4 | James Braid | Scotland | 77 |
| J.H. Taylor | England | ||
| Tom Vardon | Jersey | ||
| 7 | Andrew Kirkaldy | Scotland | 78 |
| T8 | George Coburn | England | 79 |
| Phil Gaudin | Jersey | ||
| T10 | Robert Maxwell | Scotland | 80 |
| Ben Sayers | Scotland | ||
| Jack White | Scotland |
Second round
Thursday, 9 June 1904
| Place | Player | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harry Vardon | Jersey | 76-73=149 |
| 2 | Robert Thomson | Scotland | 75-76=151 |
| 3 | John Graham Jr. (a) | Scotland | 76-76=152 |
| T4 | James Sherlock | England | 83-71=154 |
| Tom Vardon | Jersey | 77-77=154 | |
| T6 | J.H. Taylor | England | 77-78=155 |
| Jack White | Scotland | 80-75=155 | |
| 8 | Willie Park Jr. | Scotland | 84-72=156 |
| T9 | James Braid | Scotland | 77-80=157 |
| Andrew Kirkaldy | Scotland | 78-79=157 |
Third round
Friday, 10 June 1904 (morning)
| Place | Player | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Braid | Scotland | 77-80-69=226 |
| 2 | Jack White | Scotland | 80-75-72=227 |
| 3 | Harry Vardon | Jersey | 76-73-79=228 |
| T4 | J.H. Taylor | England | 77-78-74=229 |
| Tom Vardon | Jersey | 77-77-75=229 | |
| 6 | John Graham Jr. (a) | Scotland | 76-76-78=230 |
| T7 | Andrew Kirkaldy | Scotland | 78-79-74=231 |
| Robert Thomson | Scotland | 75-76-80=231 | |
| 9 | James Sherlock | England | 83-71-78=232 |
| 10 | Ernest Gray | England | 84-77-74=235 |
Final round
Friday, 10 June 1904 (afternoon)
| Place | Player | Country | Score | Money (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack White | Scotland | 80-75-72-69=296 | 50 |
| T2 | James Braid | Scotland | 77-80-69-71=297 | 20 |
| J.H. Taylor | England | 77-78-74-68=297 | ||
| 4 | Tom Vardon | Jersey | 77-77-75-72=301 | 10 |
| 5 | Harry Vardon | Jersey | 76-73-79-74=302 | 7 10s |
| 6 | James Sherlock | England | 83-71-78-77=309 | |
| T7 | John Graham Jr. (a) | Scotland | 76-76-78-80=310 | 0 |
| Andrew Kirkaldy | Scotland | 78-79-74-79=310 | ||
| 9 | Sandy Herd | Scotland | 84-76-76-75=311 | |
| T10 | Robert Maxwell (a) | Scotland | 80-80-76-77=313 | |
| Ben Sayers | Scotland | 80-80-76-77=313 |
References
- "Media guide". The Open Championship. 2011. p. 133. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
- "Open Championship - Victory of Jack White". Glasgow Herald. 11 June 1904. p. 10.
- "The Open Championship - preliminary practice". Glasgow Herald. 8 June 1904. p. 11.
- "Open Championship - first day's play at Sandwich". Glasgow Herald. 9 June 1904. p. 12.
- "Open Championship - second day's play". Glasgow Herald. 10 June 1904. p. 13.
- Brenner, Morgan G. (2009). The Majors of Golf: Complete Results of the Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters, 1860-2008. 1. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3360-5.