1936 Championship Alfred Padgham
The course, having been lengthened to 7078 yards, was described by some as “a monstrous length”, but they were duly told to “wait and see”. As it turned out, Hoylake proved to be the finest test of golf in the world and Gene Sarazen remarked at the time – “It is the greatest
course I have ever seen.” Alf Padgham with a tranquil and unruffled temperament and great recovery skills showed them all the way with rounds of 73, 72, 71 and 71 for 287, a record score for the Open up to that time.
1947 Championship Fred Daly
The American Amateur Frank Stranahan came very close to equalling Fred Daly’s total of 293 when at the final hole his nine iron shot finished approximately 8 inches from the hole. Some believe it was less than 3! Fred, in latter years, recalled a nightmare in which a voice
at the other end of the telephone exclaimed, “Fred, you are never going to believe this, but Stranahan really did hole that nine iron. Could you dig out your clubs and get over here for a play off?” But the fact was that Fred was the winner with 73, 70, 78 and 72 for a total of 293. When Fred was being laid to rest, a mourner at the graveside was heard to whisper “Goodbye Fred, that’s your last free drop.”
1956 Championship Peter Thomson
John Graham, Captain of Royal Liverpool at the time, describes watching Thomson win by saying: “He seemed to me to have a totally uncomplicated swing. He was full of confidence in his ability, yet it never appeared in his demeanour. Everything,
in fact, looked completely simple.” As a thirteen year old I too, whilst walking behind Thomson during his final round, can now appreciate the simplicity of his method. Just before the 2006 Championship I asked him why he had never written
an instructional book. After some thought he replied that he was not exactly sure how his swing worked! Other instructors please note. His winning score of 286 left Flory Van Donck three behind and Roberto de Vicenzo four.
1967 Championship Roberto de Vicenzo
Roberto de Vicenzo was, and still is, the most popular Hoylake Champion and I am confident he will, for the foreseeable future, remain so. He has returned on at least two occasions to play a few holes with members and about ten years ago he appeared
with three other Champions, Sam Snead, Tony Jacklin and Sandy Lyle in a special charity event. A fine man and a great golfer, his like will be difficult to find in the future. On 278 he finished two ahead of Jack Nicklaus and six ahead of Clive Clark and Gary Player.
2006 Championship Tiger Woods
The weather played a very good part in the outcome of our latest Championship. It was dry, hot and almost without a breeze for all four rounds. The course played quite short and the greens were firm and fast with a premium on shot placement and
accuracy. These conditions suited a great long iron player and putter. Tiger used his two iron off the tee to great effect on the par 4s and 5s and this gave him the edge. His final score of 18 under par was the second lowest ever recorded. He also held the lowest at 19 under in 2000 at St Andrews.
Hoylake looks forward to hosting the Open Championship
in 2014 when we will again, for the twelfth time, become the focus of attention throughout the world of golf. To watch archive film of some of the Hoylake Open champions please visit www.royal-liverpool-golf.com and click on the RLGC TV icon on the Home Page.
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