1973 Open Championship Explained

1973 Open Championship
Dates:11–14 July 1973
Location:Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland
Course:Troon Golf Club,
Old Course
Tour:European Tour
PGA Tour
Par:72
Yardage:[1] [2]
Field:153 players
84 after 1st cut
60 after 2nd cut
Cut:152 (+8) (1st cut)
224 (+8) (2nd cut)[3]
Purse:£50,000
$130,000
Winners Share:£5,500
$14,300
Champion: Tom Weiskopf
Score:276 (−12)
Previous:1972
Next:1974

The 1973 Open Championship was the 102nd Open Championship, played 11–14 July at Troon Golf Club in Troon, Scotland. Tom Weiskopf won his only major championship by three strokes over runners-up Neil Coles and Johnny Miller, the winner of the U.S. Open a month earlier. Weiskopf was a wire-to-wire winner and his four-round total of 12-under-par 276 matched the then-existing Open Championship record set by Arnold Palmer on the same course in 1962.[4]

Gene Sarazen, 71, made a hole-in-one in the first round at the famous 8th hole, a 126yd par-3 named the "Postage Stamp," due to its small green.[5] [6] [7] Lee Trevino's bid for a third straight Open fell short, thirteen strokes back in a tie for tenth place.[8]

This was the course's last Open Championship under the name Troon Golf Club; it became Royal Troon Golf Club five years later in 1978,[9] and next hosted in 1982.

Course

See main article: Royal Troon Golf Club. Old Course

HoleNameYardsParHoleNameYardsPar
1Seal362410Sandhills4374
2Black Rock391411The Railway4815
3Gyaws381412The Fox4324
4Dunure556513Burmah4684
5Greenan210314Alton1803
6Turnberry577515Crosbie4574
7Tel-el-Kebir389416Well5425
8Postage Stamp126317Rabbit2233
9The Monk427418Craigend4254
Out3,41936In3,64536
Source: Total7,06472
Lengths of the course for previous Opens (since 1950):[10]
Opens from 1962 through 1989 played the 11th hole as a par-5.

Round summaries

First round

Wednesday, 11 July 1973

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1 Tom Weiskopfalign=center 68−4
T2 Jack Nicklaus69−3
Bert Yancey
4 Johnny Milleralign=center 70−2
T5 Peter Butler71−1
Neil Coles
Bruce Crampton
Lanny Wadkins
Peter Wilcock
T10 Vin Baker72E
Roberto De Vicenzo
Bruce Devlin
Arnold Palmer
Chi-Chi Rodríguez
David J. Russell (a)

Second round

Thursday, 12 July 1973

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1 Tom Weiskopfalign=center 68-67=135−9
T2 Johnny Milleralign=center 70-68=138−6
Bert Yanceyalign=center 69-69=138
4 Jack Nicklausalign=center 69-70=139−5
5 Christy O'Connor Snralign=center 73-68=141−3
6 Bernard Gallacheralign=center 73-69=142−2
T7 Brian Barnesalign=center 76-67=143−1
Peter Butleralign=center 71-72=143
Neil Colesalign=center 71-72=143
T10 Bob Charlesalign=center 73-71=144E
Lanny Wadkinsalign=center 71-73=144

Amateurs: Edwards (+6), Homer (+7), Russell (+7), R. Foster (+8),
Stuart (+9), Milne (+10), Hedges (+13), Bonallack (+15), Sym (+15), Burch (+16), Eyles (+18), James (+24)

Third round

Friday, 13 July 1973

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1 Tom Weiskopfalign=center 68-67-71=206−10
2 Johnny Milleralign=center 70-68-69=207−9
3 Bert Yancey69-69-73=211−5
T4 Brian Barnesalign=center 76-67-70=213−3
Neil Colesalign=center 71-72-70=213
6 Lanny Wadkins71-73-70=214−2
T7 Jack Nicklausalign=center 69-70-76=215−1
Christy O'Connor Snralign=center 73-68-74=215
9 Doug McClellandalign=center 76-71-69=216E
T10 Peter Butler71-72-74=217 +1
Bob Charles73-71-73=217
Bernard Gallacher73-69-75=217
Amateurs: Edwards (+5), R. Foster (+10), Russell (+12), Homer (+16)

Final round

Saturday, 14 July 1973

PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney (£)
1 Tom Weiskopf 68-67-71-70=276 −125,500
T2 71-72-70-66=279 −93,625
70-68-69-72=279
4 69-70-76-65=280 −82,750
5 69-69-73-70=281 −72,450
6 71-72-74-69=286 −22,150
T7 73-71-73-71=288 E1,717
73-68-74-73=288
71-73-70-74=288
T10 76-67-70-76=289 +11,350
76-71-72-70=289
73-73-73-70=289
75-73-73-68=289
Amateurs: Edwards (+8)
Source:[4] [11]

External links

55.5326°N -4.6507°W

Notes and References

  1. News: Nicklaus favored in Open . Spokesman-Review . Spokane, Washington . Associated Press . 11 July 1973 . 16.
  2. News: Course card . Glasgow Herald . Scotland . 12 July 1973 . 4.
  3. Web site: Media guide . The Open Championship . 2011 . 63, 203 . 16 July 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120418224641/http://www.theopen.com/~/media/The%20Open/Information/Media_Guide.ashx . 18 April 2012 .
  4. News: Weiskopf arrives with British Open win . Eugene Register-Guard . Oregon . Associated Press . 15 July 1973 . 1C.
  5. Web site: Postage Stamp, hole #8 . Royal Troon Golf Club . 9 July 2012 . https://archive.today/20130505055343/http://www.royaltroon.co.uk/courses-old-8.asp . 5 May 2013 . dead .
  6. News: Gene Sarazen gets ace in British Open golf . The Day . New London, Connecticut . Associated Press . 12 July 1973 . 28 .
  7. News: Gene Sarazen gives Open Championship a touch of class . Glasgow Herald . Scotland . Archer . Ian . 12 July 1973 . 4.
  8. His first hurrah . Sports Illustrated . Jenkins . Dan . Dan Jenkins . 23 July 1973 . 18.
  9. News: Now it's Royal Troon . Glasgow Herald . Scotland . 5 June 1978 . 16 .
  10. Web site: Media guide . The Open Championship . 2011 . 33, 203 . 2 July 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120418224641/http://www.theopen.com/~/media/The%20Open/Information/Media_Guide.ashx . 18 April 2012 .
  11. Web site: 1973 Open Championship results . databasegolf.com . 9 July 2012.
  12. News: Foreign exchange . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . July 14, 1973 . 11.

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