| 1926 |
| 1926 |
| Bobby Jones |
A Ticket to History…
Following rounds of 72, 72 and 73, Bobby Jones returned to his hotel in between rounds to ease his tension and to assess his 2-shot deficit to fellow American Al Watrous.
On returning to the recently awarded ‘Royal’ venue, Jones discovered that he had forgotten his competitors’ ticket and a fastidious security guard refused his entry. He calmly visited a pay gate and gained entry as a spectator.
Standing on the 15th tee Jones was still trailing by two but after picking up two strokes to forge a tie, Jones’ drive on the challenging 17th hole found a sand scrape area. From the dunes, Jones hit a remarkable recovery shot onto the green, closer than Watrous’ approach. After Watrous three-putted, Jones wound up taking the decisive lead in the Championship. His final five-hole performance across the challenging final stretch saw Jones record a fourth round of 74, enough to claim a two-stroke victory over his fellow American. It was first of three Open Championship victories, proceeding to claim a further two claret jugs in 1927 and 1930.
