1971 Open Championship Explained

1971 Open Championship
Location:Southport, England
Course:Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Dates:7–10 July 1971
Par:73
Yardage:7080yd
Field:150 players
82 after 1st cut
64 after 2nd cut
Cut:151 (+5) (1st cut)
224 (+5) (2nd cut)[1]
Purse:£45,000
$108,000
Winners Share:£5,500
$13,200
Champion: Lee Trevino
Score:278 (−14)
Previous:1970
Next:1972

The 1971 Open Championship was the 100th Open Championship, played 7–10 July at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. Lee Trevino won the first of his consecutive Open Championships, one stroke ahead of Lu Liang-Huan.[2] [3] It was the third of his six major titles and his second consecutive; he won the U.S. Open less than a month earlier in a playoff over Jack Nicklaus.[4] [5]

Trevino became the fourth player to win both the U.S. Open and the Open Championship in the same year, joining Bobby Jones Gene Sarazen (1932), and Ben Hogan (1953). Subsequent winners of both were Tom Watson (1982) and Tiger Woods (2000); all six are Americans.

Trevino also won the Canadian Open the previous week near Montreal for three national titles in 1971, all won in less than a

This was the last major championship of 1971 because the PGA Championship was played in February instead of its traditional date in August. (In 2019 the PGA moved to May.) Trevino's win, therefore, assured that Americans won all four major championships in 1971 (Charles Coody won the Masters Tournament and Nicklaus captured the PGA). This was the fifth time this had happened in golf history. (It has happened six more times since 1971, most recently in 2024.)

Course

See main article: Royal Birkdale Golf Club.

Hole123456789Out101112131415161718InTotal
Yards4934274162123584731584594103,4063934121905172025364015105133,6747,080
Par544344344354435354553873
Source:[6] [7]
Lengths of the course for previous Opens:[1]

Round summaries

First round

Wednesday, 7 July 1971

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
T1 Vicente Fernández69−4
Tony Jacklin
Howie Johnson
Lee Trevino
T5 Billy Casper70−3
Tommy Horton
Lu Liang-Huan
Kel Nagle
John O'Leary
Peter Thomson
Brian Waites
Source:[8]

Second round

Thursday, 8 July 1971

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
T1 Tony Jacklinalign=center 69-70=139−7
Lee Trevinoalign=center 69-70=139
3 Lu Liang-Huanalign=center 70-70=140−6
T4 Roberto De Vicenzoalign=center 71-70=141−5
Gary Playeralign=center 71-70=141
T6 Billy Casperalign=center 70-72=142−4
Malcolm Gregsonalign=center 71-71=142
Tommy Hortonalign=center 70-72=142
Jimmy Kinsellaalign=center 74-68=142
Jack Nicklausalign=center 71-71=142
Source:[9]
Amateurs: Bonallack (−3), Melnyk (+4),
Humphreys (+6), Berry (+7), Carr (+8), M. Foster (+9), Birtwell (+11), Bird (+12), Rolley (+14).

Third round

Friday, 9 July 1971

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1 Lee Trevinoalign=center 69-70-69=208−11
T2 Tony Jacklinalign=center 69-70-70=209−10
Lu Liang-Huanalign=center 70-70-69=209
T4 Craig Defoyalign=center 72-72-68=212−7
Gary Playeralign=center 71-70-71=212
T6 Roberto De Vicenzo71-70-72=213 −6
Dale Hayes71-72-70=213
Peter Oosterhuis76-71-66=213
T9 Jack Nicklausalign=center 71-71-72=214−5
Ramón Sotaalign=center 72-72-70=214
Source:[7]
Amateurs: Bonallack (−2), Melnyk (+4).

Final round

Saturday, 10 July 1971

PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney (£)
1 Lee Trevino 69-70-69-70=278 −145,500
2 70-70-69-70=279 −134,000
3 69-70-70-71=280 −123,250
4 72-72-68-69=281 −112,750
T5 74-71-70-68=283 −92,300
71-71-72-69=283
T7 70-72-75-67=284 −81,775
71-70-71-72=284
T9 73-71-74-67=285 −71,550
70-73-73-69=285
Source:[1] [2] [10] [11]
Amateurs: Bonallack (−1), Melnyk (+6)

External links

53.622°N -3.033°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Media guide . The Open Championship . 2011 . 65, 203 . 13 May 2017 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120418224641/http://www.theopen.com/~/media/The%20Open/Information/Media_Guide.ashx . 18 April 2012 .
  2. News: Trevino adds British title to US and Canadian opens . Glasgow Herald . Jacobs . Raymond . 12 July 1971 . 4.
  3. News: Trevino holds on, wins British Open . The Chicago Tribune . Veysey . Arthur . 11 July 1971 . 1, sec. 2.
  4. Now for the Mexican Open . Sports Illustrated . Jenkins . Dan . Dan Jenkins . 19 July 1972 . 12.
  5. News: Trevino wins British Open . Eugene Register-Guard . (Oregon). (New York Times) . Tupper . Fred . 11 July 1971 . 1B.
  6. News: Card of course . Glasgow Herald . 7 July 1971 . 6.
  7. News: Trevino heckled as he takes Open lead with inward 33 . Glasgow Herald . Jacobs . Raymond . 10 July 1971 . 4 .
  8. News: Jacklin regains form and shares Open lead with a 69. Glasgow Herald . Jacobs . Raymond . 8 July 1971. 6.
  9. News: Eagle 3 on the 18th puts Trevino level with Tony Jacklin . Glasgow Herald . Jacobs . Raymond . 9 July 1971 . 6 .
  10. Web site: 1971 Open Championship results . databasegolf.com . 11 July 2012.
  11. News: British Open scores . Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press . 11 July 1971 . 4B.
  12. News: Eurodollar rates ease in quiet trading . Glasgow Herald . July 10, 1971 . 3.