1929 Open Championship

1929 Open Championship
Tournament information
Dates	8–10 May 1929
Location	Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland
Course(s)	Muirfield
Statistics
Par	70
Length	6,693 yards (6,120 m)
Field	109 players, 64 after cut
Cut	157 (+17)
Prize fund	£250
Winner's share	£75
Champion
	Walter Hagen
	292 (+12)
	← 1928 1930 →

Muirfield

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Location in Scotland

Muirfield

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Location in East Lothian, Scotland

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.^[4]^[5]

Qualifying was held 6–7 May, Monday and Tuesday, with 18 holes at Muirfield and 18 holes at the number 1 course Gullane,^[6] and the top 100 and ties qualified. Leo Diegel led the field with 144; the qualifying score was 162 and 109 players advanced.^[7]^[8]

Percy Alliss held the lead after the first round with a 69,^[9]^[10] 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.^[1]^[11] 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.^[9] 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.^[4]^[5]

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.

Course

Hole	Yards	Par	Hole	Yards	Par
1	450	4	10	459	4
2	353	4	11	359	4
3	380	4	12	380	4
4	180	3	13	128	3
5	510	5	14	450	4
6	450	4	15	393	4
7	153	3	16	193	3
8	455	4	17	507	5
9	483	4	18	410	4
Out	3,414	35	In	3,279	35
Source:^[2]		Total		6,693	70

Round summaries

First round

Wednesday, 8 May 1929

Place	Player	Score	To par
1	Percy Alliss	69	−1
T2	Jim Barnes	71	+1
T2	Leo Diegel	71	+1
T4	Ed Dudley	72	+2
	Johnny Farrell
	Herbert Jolly
	Abe Mitchell
T8	Michael Bingham	73	+3
	Bobby Cruickshank
	Gene Sarazen
	Macdonald Smith
	Al Watrous
	Tom Williamson

Source:^[9]^[10]

Second round

Thursday, 9 May 1929

Place	Player	Score	To par
1	Leo Diegel	71-69=140	E
2	Walter Hagen	75-67=142	+2
3	Abe Mitchell	72-72=144	+4
4	Percy Alliss	69-76=145	+5
T5	Bobby Cruickshank	73-74=147	+7
	Johnny Farrell	72-75=147
	Johnny Golden	74-73=147
	Gene Sarazen	73-74=147
T9	Tommy Armour	75-73=148	+8
	Aubrey Boomer	74-74=148
	Bill Mehlhorn	74-74=148

Source:^[11]

Third round

Friday, 10 May 1929 (morning)

Place	Player	Score	To par
1	Walter Hagen	75-67-75=218	+8
2	Percy Alliss	69-76-76=221	+11
T3	Leo Diegel	71-69-82=222	+12
T3	Abe Mitchell	72-72-78=222	+12
5	Johnny Farrell	72-75-76=223	+13
6	Bobby Cruickshank	73-74-78=225	+15
7	Archie Compston	76-73-77=226	+16
T8	Tommy Armour	75-73-79=227	+17
	Mark Seymour	75-74-78=227
	Al Watrous	73-79-75=227

Source:^[3]^[4]^[5]

Final round

Friday, 10 May 1929 (afternoon)

Place	Player	Score	To par	Money (£)
1	Walter Hagen	75-67-75-75=292	+12	75
2	Johnny Farrell	72-75-76-75=298	+18	50
3	Leo Diegel	71-69-82-77=299	+19	25
T4	Percy Alliss	69-76-76-79=300	+20	15
T4	Abe Mitchell	72-72-78-78=300	+20	15
6	Bobby Cruickshank	73-74-78-76=301	+21	10
7	Jim Barnes	71-80-78-74=303	+23
T8	Gene Sarazen	73-74-81-76=304	+24
T8	Al Watrous	73-79-75-77=304	+24
10	Tommy Armour	75-73-79-78=305	+25

Source:^[3]^[4]^[5]^[12]

Amateurs: Perkins (+32), MacKenzie (+33), Tolley (+33), Von Elm (+38)

References

^ ^a ^b Cavendish, Henry (10 May 1929). "Diegel, Hagen one, two in British Open". Milwaukee Sentinel. Universal Service. p. 1-part 2. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
^ ^a ^b "Muirfield". Glasgow Herald. 7 May 1929. p. 12.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Media guide". The Open Championship. 2011. p. 106. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Hagen's triumph". Glasgow Herald. 11 May 1929. p. 11.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Hagen retains British title". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. 11 May 1929. p. 18.
^ "Golf in rainstorms". Glasgow Herald. 7 May 1929. p. 12.
^ "109 qualifiers". Glasgow Herald. 8 May 1929. p. 14.
^ "Golf - Open Championship - Qualified". The Times. 8 May 1929. p. 7.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Wonderful golf". Glasgow Herald. 9 May 1929. p. 11.
^ ^a ^b "British pro takes lead from Diegel". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. 8 May 1929. p. 20. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
^ ^a ^b "'Open' record broken". Glasgow Herald. 10 May 1929. p. 13.
^ "Hagen's Triumph - Four Times 'Open' Golf Champion - The Leading Scores". The Glasgow Herald. 11 May 1929. p. 11.