imported>Spartathenian: /* top */ unlinking Scotland per WP:GEOLINK; plus copyediting and general fixes

2025-03-15T10:47:52Z

top: unlinking Scotland per WP:GEOLINK; plus copyediting and general fixes

New page

{{Short description|12th Open Championship, at Prestwick Golf Club, South Ayrshire, Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2013}}
{{Infobox individual golf tournament
| name = 1872 Open Championship
| image =
| dates = 13 September 1872
| location = [[Prestwick, Ayrshire|Prestwick, South Ayrshire]], Scotland
| course = [[Prestwick Golf Club]]
| tour =
| par =
| yardage = 
| field = 8 players<ref name=ocmg11>{{cite web|url=http://www.theopen.com/~/media/The%20Open/Information/Media_Guide.ashx |publisher=The Open Championship |title=Media guide |year=2011 |page=156 |access-date=29 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418224641/http://www.theopen.com/~/media/The%20Open/Information/Media_Guide.ashx |archive-date=18 April 2012 }}</ref>
| cut =
| purse = Not known
| winners_share = £8
| champion = {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Tom Morris Jr.]]
| score = 166
| previous = [[1870 Open Championship|1870]]
| next = [[1873 Open Championship|1873]]
}}
{{Location map
|UK Scotland
|relief = 1
|label = <small>Prestwick</small>
|lat = 55.502
|long = -4.619
|caption = Location in Scotland
|float =
|background=
|width = 240
}}

The '''1872 Open Championship''' was the 12th [[Open Championship]], held 13 September at [[Prestwick Golf Club]] in [[Prestwick, Ayrshire|Prestwick, South Ayrshire]], Scotland. [[Tom Morris Jr.]] won the Championship for the fourth successive time, by three strokes from runner-up [[Davie Strath]], having been five shots behind Strath before the final round. He was just {{age in years and days|20 Apr 1851|13 Sep 1872|sep=and}} old.

In 1870, Tommy Morris Jr. had won the [[Challenge Belt]] for the third successive year and gained permanent possession of it. The Championship was, therefore, without a trophy. At the 1871 Spring Meeting of Prestwick Golf Club (which had run and hosted the Championship from its start in 1860), it was agreed that they would invite [[The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews]] and the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers at Musselburgh to share in the running and hosting of the Championship. Discussions proceeded slowly and thus there was no Championship in 1871.

The Championship was announced in August 1872,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GJNEAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jrUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3299%2C6857511 |newspaper = The Glasgow Herald |date=22 August 1872 |page=2 |title=Prestwick Golf Club}}</ref> although the final minute of agreement between Prestwick, the Royal and Ancient and the Honourable Company to host The Open jointly was not signed until 11 September. Each of the three clubs would host the Championship in rotation and each agreed to contribute £10 towards the cost of the new trophy. The first Championship under this agreement was played at Prestwick just two days later, on 13 September. There was no time to get the new trophy made and winner was presented with a medal instead as well as the £8 first prize.

There were only 8 competitors and the contest started at 10 a.m. The pairings were Tom Morris Jr. (St Andrews) and [[William Hunter (golfer)|William Hunter]] (Prestwick St Nicholas), Tom Morris Jr. (St Andrews) and [[Davie Park]] (Musselburgh), [[Charlie Hunter (golfer)|Charlie Hunter]] (Prestwick) and [[William Doleman]] (Prestwick St Nicholas), Davie Strath (St Andrews) and Hugh Brown (Prestwick).<ref name=glasgowh>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gl5EAAAAIBAJ&sjid=G7IMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3128%2C830825 |newspaper = The Glasgow Herald |date=14 September 1872 |page=7 |title=Golf at Prestwick - Autumn Meeting - Competition for the Trophy}}</ref> There was a strong wind all day which made for difficult playing conditions.

Tom Morris Jr. scored 57 in the first round, missing four short putts. Davie Strath went one better, scoring 56. Charles Hunter had the third best score with 60. At the 4th hole of his second round Morris's third shot ended up against the wall at the back of the green. Morris couldn't play towards the green and so he hit the ball into the wall to try to make it rebound onto the green. However the ball jumped into the air, went over the wall and landed on the far side. Morris then played a blind [[niblick]] shot over the wall and "laid it dead at the hole".<ref name=glasgowh/> He finished with a 56 and a total of 113. Strath, however, had a 52, for a total of 108 and a 5-shot lead. Park was now third, but 10 strokes behind Strath.

In the final round, Morris had a good score of 53 and set a target of 166. Strath started the round well "but after the second hole he played an unfortunate iron shot, which caused him three strokes."<ref name=glasgowh/> He lost another shot at the last after going in the water. He ended up with a round of 61 and a total of 169, three strokes behind Morris.

==Final leaderboard==
Source:<ref name=glasgowh/><ref name=brenner>{{cite book |title=The Majors of Golf: Complete Results of the Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters, 1860-2008 |volume=1 |first=Morgan G. |last=Brenner |year=2009 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-3360-5}}</ref>

''Friday, 13 September 1872''
{|class=wikitable
!Place!!Player!!Score!!Money
|-
|align=center|1 || {{flagicon|SCO}} '''[[Young Tom Morris|Tom Morris, Jr.]]''' || 57-56-53=166 || align=center|£8
|-
|align=center|2 || {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Davie Strath]] || 56-52-61=169 || align=center|
|-
|align=center|3 || {{flagicon|SCO}} [[William Doleman]] (a) || 63-60-54=177 || align=center|
|-
|rowspan=2 align=center|T4 || {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Tom Morris Sr.]] || 62-60-57=179 || rowspan=2 align=center|
|-
| {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Davie Park]] || 61-57-61=179
|-
|align=center|6 || {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Charlie Hunter (golfer)|Charlie Hunter]] || 60-60-69=189 || align=center|
|-
|align=center|7 || {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Hugh Brown (golfer)|Hugh Brown]] || 65-73-61=199 || align=center|
|-
|align=center|8 || {{flagicon|SCO}} [[William Hunter (golfer)|William Hunter]] (a) || 65-63-74=202 || align=center|
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.theopen.com/previous-opens/12th-open-Prestwick-1872 Prestwick 1872 (Official site)]

{{The Open Championships}}
{{Old and Young Tom Morris|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
{{coord|56.043|-2.823|type:event|display=title}}

[[Category:The Open Championship]]
[[Category:Golf tournaments in Scotland]]
[[Category:1870s in golf|Open Championship]]
[[Category:1872 in Scottish sport|Open Championship]]
[[Category:September 1872|Open Championship]]

1872 Open Championship - Revision history

imported>Spartathenian: /* top */ unlinking Scotland per WP:GEOLINK; plus copyediting and general fixes