The 1934 Open Championship was the 69th Open Championship, held 27–29 June at Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England. Henry Cotton dominated the championship, leading wire-to-wire on his way to a five-stroke win and his first of three Open titles.

Qualifying took place on 25–26 June, Monday and Tuesday, with 18 holes at St. George's and 18 holes at Royal Cinque Ports, and the top 100 and ties qualified. George Gadd led the qualifiers on 140; Cotton scored a course record 66 in the first round at Royal St George's and 75 at Royal Cinque Ports to be a shot behind on 141. He was joined on 141 by Jimmy Adams and Percy Alliss. The qualifying score was 152 and 101 players advanced.

Cotton opened with 67 on Wednesday to take a three-shot lead over Fred Taggart. Cotton then shot an Open-record 65 in the second round to open up a nine-shot lead over Alf Padgham, while two strokes further back in third were Joe Kirkwood, Denny Shute, and Charles Whitcombe. The top 60 and ties would make the cut and qualify for the final 36 holes; it was at 153 (and better) and 69 advanced.

Conditions were tougher on Friday with a stiff breeze blowing. Cotton scored a third round of 72 in the morning and extended his lead to ten shots over Kirkwood. Scottish amateur Jack McLean had seven threes in his outward nine of 31 and finished with a third round 69, the best third round score. Despite his comfortable lead, Cotton suffered from nerves and began to feel the pressure in the final round that afternoon. He made the turn in 40, then dropped three shots on the next three holes. With Sid Brews scoring 71, Cotton needed a last round of 83 to win. Suddenly it appeared as if his victory was in jeopardy. He managed to get up-and-down on the 13th and steadied himself on his way to a 79 and 283, five strokes ahead of runner-up Brews. His total tied the championship record set by Gene Sarazen two years earlier.

Cotton was the first resident Briton to win the Open Championship since Arthur Havers in 1923. The previous ten had been won by American-born players or residents (Englishman Jim Barnes (1925)). Cotton's win was part of a long period of sustained excellence in the tournament. From 1930 through 1952, he finished in the top-10 in all but one of the Opens he played in. In all, he played in twenty Opens between 1927 and 1958, winning three and finishing in the top-10 in seventeen.

Cotton received the Ryle Memorial Medal, awarded to members of the British P.G.A. winning the Open Championship. He was the first recipient since Arthur Havers in 1923. Living in Belgium, Cotton was not eligible for the Tooting Bec Cup awarded to the British P.G.A. member living in Great Britain scoring the lowest round in the Open Championship. It was won by Bill Davies for his second round of 68.

Round summaries First round Wednesday, 27 June 1934 PlacePlayerScore1 Henry Cotton 672 Fred Taggart 70 T3 Marcel Dallemagne 71 Cecil Denny Bert Hodson Bill Laidlaw Alf Padgham Denny Shute Charles Whitcombe T10 Gordon Good 72 Paddy Mahon Bill Twine Frank Weston Ernest Whitcombe Source:

Second round Thursday, 28 June 1934 PlacePlayerScore1 Henry Cotton 67-65=1322 Alf Padgham 71-70=141 T3 Joe Kirkwood Sr. 74-69=143 Denny Shute 71-72=143 Charles Whitcombe 71-72=143T6 Marcel Dallemagne 71-73=144 Bill Davies 76-68=144 Willie Nolan 73-71=144 T9 Cecil Denny 71-74=145 Bert Hodson 71-74=145 Source:

Third round Friday, 29 June 1934 (morning) PlacePlayerScore1 Henry Cotton 67-65-72=2042 Joe Kirkwood Sr. 74-69-71=214 3 Marcel Dallemagne 71-73-71=215 4 Alf Padgham 71-70-75=216 T5 Sid Brews 76-71-70=217 Bill Davies 76-68-73=217 Charles Whitcombe 71-72-74=217T8 Percy Alliss 73-75-71=219 Bert Hodson 71-74-74=219 Willie Nolan 73-71-75=219 Charlie Ward 76-71-72=219 Source:

Final round Friday, 29 June 1934 (afternoon) PlacePlayerScoreMoney (£)1 Henry Cotton 67-65-72-79=283 1002 Sid Brews 76-71-70-71=288 753 Alf Padgham 71-70-75-74=290 50T4 Marcel Dallemagne 71-73-71-77=292 25 Joe Kirkwood Sr. 74-69-71-78=292 Macdonald Smith 77-71-72-72=292T7 Bert Hodson 71-74-74-76=295 1710s Charles Whitcombe 71-72-74-78=295T9 Percy Alliss 73-75-71-77=296 1210s Ernest Whitcombe 72-77-73-74=296 Source:

Amateurs: McLean (300), Thompson (307), Flaherty (308), Hartley (308),Garnett (311), Storey (311), Ricardo (313).

References

External links Royal St George's 1934 (Official site)