1948 British Open Winner and Scores

The 1948 British Open was the 77th time the tournament was played. The winner was Henry Cotton, who, with this victory, became a three-time Open champion.

Winner: Henry Cotton, 288

Where it was played: Muirfield in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland

Tournament dates: June 30-July 2, 1948

Leader after first round: Sam King, Flory Van Donck and Charlie Ward, 69

Leader after second round: Henry Cotton, 137

Leader after third round: Henry Cotton, 212

What Happened at the 1948 Open Championship

Henry Cotton won the last of his three Open titles at the 1948 British Open. In the 13 British Opens played from 1930 to 1948, Cotton won three, finished in the Top 7 nine times, and finished outside the Top 10 just once.

At this Open, Cotton took control with a second-round 66, earning a 4-stroke advantage heading into the 36-hole final day. He shot 75-72 on that final day, but in poor weather conditions Cotton added to his lead. No golfer managed to break 70 on the final (36-hole) day. Cotton wound up winning by five strokes over the defending champion, Fred Daly.

Robert De Vicenzo tied for third place, six strokes behind Cotton. It was De Vicenzo's debut in the Open Championship. In De Vicenzo's first three British Open appearances, he finished third, third and second. He eventually did win this title at the 1967 British Open.

Peter Alliss played in his first British Open this year, missing the cut. Alf Padgham, winner of the 1936 Open, tied for seventh, the last of his eight Top 10 finishes in the Open Championship.

Cotton's second-round 66 was the course record at Muirfield at the time, and it was only one shot off the then-tournament scoring record of 65. And that scoring record was held by ... Cotton, who shot 65 during his first victory at the 1934 British Open.

Cotton was a major figure in European golf for the rest of his long life, eventually becoming Sir Henry Cotton when he was posthumously knighted shortly after his death in 1987. The European Tour's top rookie receives the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award.

1948 British Open Final Scores

Henry Cotton	71-66-75-72—284
Fred Daly	72-71-73-73—289
Roberto De Vicenzo	70-73-72-75—290
Jack Hargreaves	76-68-73-73—290
Norman Von Nida	71-72-76-71—290
Charlie Ward	69-72-75-74—290
Johnny Bulla	74-72-73-72—291
Sam King	69-72-74-76—291
Alf Padgham	73-70-71-77—291
Flory Van Donck	69-73-73-76—291
a-Mario Gonzalez	76-72-70-75—293
a-Edwin Kingsley	77-69-77-70—293
Arthur Lees	73-69-73-78—293
Alan Waters	75-71-70-77—293
Max Faulkner	75-71-74-74—294
Dai Rees	73-71-76-74—294
Eddie Whitcombe	74-73-73-74—294
Dick Burton	74-70-74-77—295
Frank Jowle	70-78-74-73—295
Reg Whitcombe	77-67-77-74—295
Ken Bousfield	76-71-73-76—296
John Fallon	73-74-74-75—296
Tom Haliburton	73-74-76-74—297
Alf Perry	77-71-76-73—297
a-Frank Stranahan	77-71-75-74—297
Norman Sutton	72-73-77-75—297
Claude Harmon Sr.	75-73-78-72—298
John Hayes	74-73-75-78—300
Reg Horne	71-77-73-79—300
Arthur Clark	74-71-75-81—301
Harold Gould	75-73-78-75—301
William Collins Jr.	77-69-77-79—302
Bobby Cruickshank	74-74-77-77—302
Lawson Little	72-76-76-78—302
Charles Whitcombe	74-72-75-81—302
Walter Lyle	72-75-80-80—307

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