1951 British Open Golf Tournament
The 1951 British Open was the 80th time the tournament was played. But it was the first time The Open took place outside of Scotland and England.
Winner: Max Faulkner, 285
Where it was played: Royal Portrush Golf Club in County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Tournament dates: July 4-6, 1951
Leader after first round: Jimmy Adams, 68
Leader after second round: Max Faulkner, 141
Leader after third round: Max Faulkner, 211
What Happened in the 1951 Open Championship
English golfer Max Faulkner won the 1951 British Open, and then another Brit did not win the Open Championship until 1969. Eighteen years later, it was Tony Jacklin who finally ended the British drought in their home championship.Faulkner had a 6-stroke lead following the third round, then held on to win by two over Antonio Cerda. It was Cerda's first time making the cut in the Open, but it started a 7-year run for the Argentine player in which he finished second twice and in the Top 10 every year.
Jimmy Adams and Norman Von Nida shared the first-round lead with rounds of 68, and those were the only sub-70 rounds of the tournament. Adams fell back with a second-round 77 and finished fourth; Von Nida followed with rounds of 77 and 80 and didn't complete the final round.
Faulkner took the lead with a second-round 70 and never relinquished it. This was the only major championship win for Faulkner (he never played a major in the United States) and one of five Top 10 finishes for him in the Open. He did post wins in several other important tournaments in Europe, including three victories in the Spanish Open.
A couple of future British Open winners from Australia made their championship debuts this year. Peter Thomson, who went on to win five Opens, finished sixth. And 1960 champion Kel Nagle placed 19th in his Open debut.
Peter Alliss missed the cut playing in his second British Open. And Reg Whitcombe, winner of the 1938 British Open, missed the cut playing in his last.
The 1951 Open was played at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. And this was the only Open Championship not played in Scotland or England until 2019, when the Open returned to Portrush.
1951 British Open Final Scores
| Max Faulkner | 71-70-70-74—285 |
| Antonio Cerda | 74-72-71-70—287 |
| Charlie Ward | 75-73-74-68—290 |
| Jimmy Adams | 68-77-75-72—292 |
| Fred Daly | 74-70-75-73—292 |
| Bobby Locke | 71-74-74-74—293 |
| Bill Shankland | 73-76-72-72—293 |
| Norman Sutton | 73-70-74-76—293 |
| Peter Thomson | 70-75-73-75—293 |
| Harry Weetman | 73-71-75-74—293 |
| John Panton | 73-72-74-75—294 |
| Dick Burton | 74-77-71-73—295 |
| Dai Rees | 70-77-76-72—295 |
| a-Frank Stranahan | 75-75-72-73—295 |
| Harry Bradshaw | 80-71-74-71—296 |
| Eric Cremin | 73-75-75-74—297 |
| a-Kep Enderby | 76-74-75-73—298 |
| Alan Waters | 74-75-78-71—298 |
| Ugo Grappasonni | 73-73-77-76—299 |
| Jack Hargreaves | 73-78-79-69—299 |
| William John Henderson | 77-73-76-73—299 |
| Kel Nagle | 76-76-72-75—299 |
| Christy O'Connor Sr. | 79-74-72-74—299 |
| a-Joe Carr | 75-76-73-76—300 |
| Pulvio Traviani | 74-79-73-74—300 |
| Flory Van Donck | 72-76-76-76—300 |
| Ernest Whitcombe | 74-74-76-76—300 |
| John McKenna | 74-76-76-76—302 |
| Alan Poulton | 77-77-73-75—302 |
| Wally Smithers | 75-73-76-78—302 |
| a-Cecil Beamish | 76-78-73-76—303 |
| Arthur Lees | 75-74-76-78—303 |
| G. Norman Roffe | 78-76-78-71—303 |
| Charles Rotar | 76-76-76-75—303 |
| William Hancock | 78-74-72-80—304 |
| Sam King | 78-76-77-73—304 |
| Fred Allott | 74-79-77-75—305 |
| John Fallon | 78-73-80-74—305 |
| John A. Jacobs | 76-77-77-75—305 |
| Eric Brown | 74-77-83-72—306 |
| Bobby Halsall | 80-74-77-75—306 |
| Arthur Lacey | 75-76-79-76—306 |
| Gregor McIntosh | 76-71-80-79—306 |
| Hassan Hassanein | 79-73-74-81—307 |
| Christie Kane | 75-76-81-77—309 |
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