1878 Open Championship

The 1929 Open Championship was the 64th Open Championship, held 8–10 May at Muirfield in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. Walter Hagen successfully defended his 1928 title, six strokes ahead of runner-up Johnny Farrell. It was Hagen's fourth win at the Open and his eleventh and final major title.Qualifying was held 6–7 May, Monday and Tuesday, with 18 holes at Muirfield and 18 holes at the number 1 course Gullane, and the top 100 and ties qualified. Leo Diegel led the field with 144; the qualifying score was 162 and 109 players advanced.Percy Alliss held the lead after the first round with a 69, while Leo Diegel matched that score in the second round to take the 36-hole lead. After a first-round 75, defending champion Hagen recorded an Open Championship record 67 in the second round on Thursday and was two back of Diegel. There was a change in the cut rule; players needed to be within fourteen strokes of the leader after 36 holes, but there was to be a minimum of sixty left in the field. The cut was at 157 (+17) and 64 advanced. Windy conditions on Friday caused scores to soar over the final two rounds. Diegel shot 82 in the morning, with Alliss and Abe Mitchell at 76 and 78, respectively. Hagen finished with two rounds of 75 for 292. Diegel was a shot behind runner-up Farrell in third place, while Alliss and Mitchell shared fourth at 300.Hagen, age 36, played the tournament just twice more, in 1933 and 1937, both following Ryder Cup matches in England. Six-time champion Harry Vardon, age 59, qualified for the Open for the final time and missed the cut by three strokes. Similar to 1928, this Open was played earlier than usual, in early May.

The 1966 Open Championship was the 95th Open Championship, held 6–9 July at Muirfield Golf Links in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. Jack Nicklaus won the first of his three Claret Jugs, one stroke ahead of runners-up Doug Sanders and Dave Thomas. It was the sixth of eighteen major titles for Nicklaus and marked the completion of the first of his three career grand slams.This was the first Open to be scheduled over four days, with one round each day, finishing on Saturday. Previous editions had played the third and fourth rounds on Friday. The U.S. Open changed to a four-day schedule the previous year in 1965, moving its final round from Saturday afternoon to Sunday. The Open Championship operated on a Wednesday through Saturday schedule through 1979. It was the final Open for 1964 champion Tony Lema, who died in a plane crash two weeks later, hours after the PGA Championship.Nicklaus has described Muirfield as "the best golf course in Britain." He later developed a championship golf course and community in Dublin, Ohio, a suburb north of his hometown of Columbus. Opened in 1974, Nicklaus named it Muirfield Village and it hosts his Memorial Tournament, a top invitational event on the PGA Tour since 1976.

The 1905 Open Championship was the 45th Open Championship, held 7–9 June at the Old Course at St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. James Braid won the Championship for the second time, five strokes ahead of runners-up Rowland Jones and John Henry Taylor.All entries played 18 holes on the first two days; those within fourteen strokes of the lead made the cut for the final two rounds on Friday.Strong winds and hard ground conditions made scoring difficult on all three days, with few rounds under 80. Sandy Herd, Taylor, Walter Toogood, and Harry Vardon co-led after the first round at 80. Scoring improved slightly on Thursday and Jones' 77 put him in the lead with 158; he was followed by Braid on 159 and James Kinnell and Arnaud Massy on 161. Just 45 players made the cut at 172 and better, including a sole amateur John Graham Jr.In the third round on Friday morning, Braid's 78 extended his lead to six shots over Kinnell, Massy, and Taylor. Jones took 87 and dropped eight strokes behind Braid. Scoring 81 in the afternoon, Braid was never challenged; he reached the turn in 38 and despite taking six at the 15th and 16th holes, came back in 43. A 78 moved Jones up to a second place tie with Taylor, five strokes behind the champion.

The 20th Ryder Cup Matches were held at Muirfield in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. The United States team won the competition by a score of 19 to 13 points. For the first time, what had previously been the "Great Britain" team was called "Great Britain and Ireland", although golfers from the Republic of Ireland had played since 1953, and from Northern Ireland since 1947. Muirfield had hosted the Open Championship the previous year, won by American Lee Trevino.

The 1895 Open Championship was the 35th Open Championship, held 12–13 June at the Old Course at St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. Defending champion J.H. Taylor won the Championship for the second time, by four strokes from runner-up Sandy Herd. Harry Vardon, one of the early starters, led after the first round with an 80 but had an 85 in the afternoon to finish the day on 165. Herd had the best round of the afternoon with a 77 and led overnight on 159, five strokes clear of Taylor and Andrew Kirkaldy on 164. Herd played steadily in the third round and finished with 82 to lead on 241. Taylor, playing in the last group, scored 80 to finish on 244. The Championship resolved into a battle between Herd and Taylor. Herd started well but took seven at the 5th. Playing in wind and rain, Herd eventually scored 85 to finish on 326. Taylor need an 81 to win and after 12 holes had only taken 49 strokes. Despite taking six at the next two holes he reached the 17th tee needing to take 12 or less to win. Playing carefully he scored five at the dangerous 17th and then four at the last to win by four strokes and retain the title. His 78 was the best round of the afternoon by four shots, the next best being an 82 by Ben Sayers.

The 1935 Open Championship was the 70th Open Championship, played 26–28 June at Muirfield in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. Alf Perry won his only major title, four strokes ahead of runner-up Alf Padgham.Qualifying took place on 24–25 June, Monday and Tuesday, with 18 holes at Muirfield and 18 holes at the number 1 course Gullane, and the top 100 and ties qualified. Defending champion Henry Cotton led the field on 141; the qualifying score was 153 and 109 players advanced.Cotton opened with 68 to take the lead on Wednesday, with Perry a stroke behind. Charles Whitcombe carded his own 68 in the second round and led by three over Cotton and Padgham after 36 holes, with Perry falling five back. The top sixty and ties would make the cut for the final 36 holes; it was at 153 (+9) and 62 advanced. In the third round on Friday morning, it was Perry who caught fire with 67 to move ahead of Cotton and Whitcombe, who shot 76 and 73, respectively. A 72 in the final round that afternoon put Perry at 283, four strokes ahead of runner-up Padgham. Whitcombe finished one back in third, while Cotton had 75 and fell into a tie for seventh at 293. Amateur Lawson Little, the reigning British Amateur champion, shot 69 and climbed into a tie for fourth at 289. Perry's winning total equaled the tournament scoring record. Padgham won the following year at Hoylake. Perry's win was his first in an important professional tournament, and he won just three more times. He finished third in 1939, but otherwise had no other top-10 finishes in a major championship. Perry was a member of three Ryder Cup teams in 1933, 1935, and 1937.

The 2002 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 131st Open Championship, held from 18 to 21 July at Muirfield Golf Links in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. Ernie Els won his first Claret Jug and third major title in a playoff over Stuart Appleby, Steve Elkington, and ultimately in a sudden-death playoff over Thomas Levet.Tiger Woods' bid for the Grand Slam came to a halt on Saturday with the worst round of his career up to that time, an 81 (+10) in cold, gusty rain. It took him and others out of contention, but he rebounded on Sunday with a six-under 65 and finished at even par, six strokes back. Woods was the first in thirty years to win the first two legs (Masters, U.S. Open), last done by Jack Nicklaus in 1972. Nicklaus' grand slam bid also ended at Muirfield, runner-up by one stroke to Lee Trevino in 1972. The only one to win the first three was Ben Hogan in 1953. Entering the championship, Woods had won seven of the previous eleven majors.

The 1873 Open Championship was the 13th Open Championship, held 4 October at the Old Course at St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. Tom Kidd won the Championship by a stroke from Jamie Anderson. This was the first Open Championship not held at Prestwick. The Championship was still contested over 36 holes; now two rounds of 18 holes rather than three rounds of 12. Since the new "Champion Trophy" (commonly known as the Claret Jug) was not ready in 1872, Kidd became the first golfer to receive it at the Championship. "The trophy conferred on the successful golfer is a silver cup which, however, can never become the absolute property of any winner (as was the case with the champion belt which fell to Young Tom Morris, who won it three times in succession). Along with the honour the winner receives a medal and likewise a money prize."In the days before the Championship the rain had fallen incessantly, leaving the course very wet. Although the day of the Championship itself was sunny with little wind, the course remained very heavy with several parts being pools of water. Under the rules at the time there was no concept of "casual water". The only option, other that playing it, was that "if the ball is in water, the player may take it out, change the ball if he pleases, tee it, and play from behind the hazard, losing a stroke." It was reported that "the play as a whole was indifferent, but this may be partly accounted for by the state of the green." The winning score of 179 was the highest recorded while the Championship was over 36 holes. This was partly because St Andrews was the toughest of the three courses used and partly due to the difficult conditions. The next time the Open (in 1876) was at St Andrews the winning score was 176. The best score in the first round was 91 by Jamie Anderson, Tom Kidd and Bob Kirk. A number of the players scored over 100. Three player beat 90 in the second round, the best being 88 by Tom Kidd, who won the Championship by a stroke from Jamie Anderson who scored 89. The favourites were Tom Morris, Jr. and Davie Strath. Defending champion Morris scored a second round 89 but his first round of 94 left him out of contention. Strath had a first round 97 that also left him too far behind. Henry Lamb from Royal Wimbledon Golf Club was the leading amateur, finishing in 8th place.

The 1992 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 121st Open Championship, held from 16–19 July at Muirfield Golf Links in Gullane, Scotland. Nick Faldo won his third Open Championship and fifth major title by one stroke over runner-up John Cook. It was Faldo's second win at Muirfield, where he won his first Claret Jug in 1987. Daren Lee of England was the only amateur to make the cut; he earned the silver medal as low amateur and finished in a tie for 68th place.

The 1959 Open Championship was the 88th Open Championship, held 1–3 July at Muirfield Golf Links in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. Gary Player, age 23, shot a final round of 68 to win the first of his nine major titles, two strokes ahead of runners-up Fred Bullock and Flory Van Donck. It was the first of Player's three Claret Jugs; he won again in 1968 and 1974. Muirfield was originally scheduled to host in 1957, but it was transferred to St. Andrews because of petrol rationing following the "Suez Crisis" in late 1956. Muirfield was subsequently allocated the 1959 Championship. Qualifying took place on 29–30 June, with 18 holes at Muirfield and 18 holes at the number 1 course of Gullane Golf Club. There were no exemptions and the number of qualifiers was limited to a maximum of 100, and ties did not qualify. The qualifying score was 147 and 90 players advanced to the first round the next day; defending champion Peter Thomson led with 137 and won the £50 qualifying prize. The maximum number of players making the cut after 36 holes was again set at 50, and ties did not make the cut. The purse was increased to £5,000, up 150 from 4,850 in 1958; the winner's share remained unchanged at £1,000, but the prizes for second to fifth places were increased. Second place received £700, with 525 for third, 400 for fourth, and 325 for fifth.Only four Americans were in the field of 90 (Willie Goggin, Bob Sweeny, Bob Watson, and John Garrett) and none made the cut. Sweeny and Garrett were amateurs.

The 1980 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 109th Open Championship, held from 17–20 July at Muirfield Golf Links in Gullane, Scotland. Tom Watson won his third Open Championship, four strokes ahead of runner-up Lee Trevino. It was the fourth of Watson's eight major titles; he won two additional Opens in 1982 and 1983. It was Watson's first win in a major in three years.Trevino, 40, had won the last Open played at Muirfield in 1972, successfully defending his 1971 title and ending the grand slam bid of Jack Nicklaus. Nicklaus, also 40, tied for fourth. He won at Muirfield in 1966 and was runner-up by a stroke in 1972. This was the first Open scheduled to end on a Sunday, with a Thursday start. The Open previously began on Wednesday and ended on Saturday. Prior to 1966, the final two rounds were scheduled for Friday. In 1970 and 1975, 18-hole playoffs were held on Sunday.

The 1987 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 116th Open Championship, held from 16–19 July at Muirfield Golf Links in Gullane, Scotland. Nick Faldo won the first of his three Open Championships, one stroke ahead of runners-up Paul Azinger and Rodger Davis. It was the first of Faldo's six major championships. It was the first win at The Open by an Englishman since Tony Jacklin in 1969.This was the thirteenth Open Championship held at Muirfield; the previous was in 1980 and the next in 1992.