1906 Open Championship
The 1906 Open Championship was the 46th Open Championship, held 13–15 June at Muirfield in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. Defending champion James Braid won the Championship for the third time, four strokes ahead of runner-up J.H. Taylor.[2]
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 13–15 June 1906 |
| Location | Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland |
| Course(s) | Muirfield |
| Statistics | |
| Field | 181 players, 72 after cut[1] |
| Cut | 163 |
| Prize fund | £115 |
| Winner's share | £50 |
| Champion | |
 James Braid | |
| 300 | |
There was no qualifying competition. All entries played 18 holes in pairs on the first two days with all those within 14 strokes of the leader making the cut and playing 36 holes on the final day.
The feature of the opening round on Wednesday was the play of the amateurs. John Graham Jr. led with a 71, while Robert Maxwell was amongst those tied for second on 73 with Robert Whitecross and Hugh Watt, both from Dirleton Castle Golf Club, a further shot behind.[3]
Taylor and Harry Vardon came to fore in the second round on Thursday. Taylor was out in 41 but came back in 31, despite three-putting the last. Vardon was only a shot worse with a 73. Taylor led on 149, with Vardon and Graham on 150; 72 players were within 14 shots of Taylor and made the cut.[4]
Taylor's third round 75 on Friday morning was good enough for him to retain the lead by a stroke over Rowland Jones and three over Braid and Vardon. In the final round that afternoon, Jones scored a disappointing 83 to drop out of contention, while Taylor scored 80 and Vardon 78. Only two players bettered 77, Walter Toogood with a 71 and Braid with a 73, but Toogood was already out of the picture after an 83 in the morning. Needing a 76 for victory, Braid reached the turn in 38 and after more steady play he was left with two fives at the last two holes to win. A 45-foot (14 m) putt for a three at the 17th hole secured the victory.[2]
Past champions in the field
| Player | Country | Year(s) won | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Braid | Scotland | 1901, 1905 | 77 | 76 | 74 | 73 | 300 | 1 |
| J.H. Taylor |  England | 1894, 1895, 1900 | 77 | 72 | 75 | 80 | 304 | 2 |
| Harry Vardon | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Jersey | 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903 | 77 | 73 | 77 | 78 | 305 | 3 |
| Sandy Herd | Scotland | 1902 | 81 | 79 | 77 | 80 | 317 | 19 |
| John Ball (a) | England | 1890 | 80 | 82 | 77 | 82 | 321 | T35 |
| Willie Fernie | Scotland | 1883 | 82 | 83 | CUT | T84 | ||
| William Auchterlonie | Scotland | 1893 | 85 | 87 | CUT | T133 | ||
Did not enter: Jack White (1904), Harold Hilton (1892, 1897).
Round summaries
First round
Wednesday, 13 June 1906
| Place | Player | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Graham Jr. (a) | Scotland | 71 |
| T2 | George Duncan | Scotland | 73 |
| Percy Hills | England | ||
| Robert Maxwell (a) | Scotland | ||
| T5 | Rowland Jones | England | 74 |
| Robert Whitecross (a) | Scotland | ||
| Hugh Watt (a) | Scotland | ||
| 8 | Ben Sayers Jr. | Scotland | 75 |
| T9 | James Douglas Edgar | England | 76 |
| Arnaud Massy | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} France | ||
| Thomas Renouf | Jersey | ||
| Robert Thomson | Scotland | ||
| Tom Vardon | Jersey |
Second round
Thursday, 14 June 1906
| Place | Player | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | J.H. Taylor | England | 77-72=149 |
| T2 | John Graham Jr. (a) | Scotland | 71-79=150 |
| Harry Vardon | Jersey | 77-73=150 | |
| T4 | George Duncan | Scotland | 73-78=151 |
| Robert Maxwell (a) | Scotland | 73-78=151 | |
| 6 | Rowland Jones | England | 74-78=152 |
| T7 | James Braid | Scotland | 77-76=153 |
| Thomas Renouf | Jersey | 76-77=153 | |
| T9 | Phil Gaudin | Jersey | 77-77=154 |
| Ernest Gray | England | 77-77=154 | |
| David Kinnell | Scotland | 78-76=154 | |
| Robert Thomson | Scotland | 76-78=154 | |
| Tom Williamson | England | 77-77=154 |
Third round
Friday, 15 June 1906 (morning)
| Place | Player | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | J.H. Taylor | England | 77-72-75=224 |
| 2 | Rowland Jones | England | 74-78-73=225 |
| T3 | James Braid | Scotland | 77-76-74=227 |
| Harry Vardon | Jersey | 77-73-77=227 | |
| T5 | John Graham Jr. (a) | Scotland | 71-79-78=228 |
| Robert Maxwell (a) | Scotland | 73-78-77=228 | |
| 7 | Thomas Renouf | Jersey | 76-77-76=229 |
| T8 | Arnaud Massy | France | 76-80-76=232 |
| Ernest Gray | England | 77-77-78=232 | |
| Tom Williamson | England | 77-77-78=232 |
Final round
Friday, 15 June 1906 (afternoon)
| Place | Player | Country | Score | Money (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Braid | Scotland | 77-76-74-73=300 | 50 |
| 2 | J.H. Taylor | England | 77-72-75-80=304 | 25 |
| 3 | Harry Vardon | Jersey | 77-73-77-78=305 | 15 |
| 4 | John Graham Jr. (a) | Scotland | 71-79-78-78=306 | 0 |
| 5 | Rowland Jones | England | 74-78-73-83=308 | 10 |
| 6 | Arnaud Massy | France | 76-80-76-78=310 | 7 10s |
| 7 | Robert Maxwell (a) | Scotland | 73-78-77-83=311 | 0 |
| T8 | George Duncan | Scotland | 73-78-83-78=312 | 2 10s |
| Ted Ray | Jersey | 80-75-79-78=312 | ||
| Thomas Renouf | Jersey | 76-77-76-83=312 |
References
- "Media guide". The Open Championship. 2011. p. 130. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
- "Open Championship - victory of James Braid". Glasgow Herald. 16 June 1906. p. 12.
- "Open Championship - first day's play at Muirfield". Glasgow Herald. 14 June 1906. p. 12.
- "Open Championship - second day's play". Glasgow Herald. 15 June 1906. p. 14.
- 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.