1880 British Open Winner and Scores
Winner: Bob Ferguson, 162
Where it was played: Musselburgh Links in Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland
Tournament dates: April 9, 1880
Leader after first round: Bob Ferguson and Peter Paxton, 81
What Happened in the 1880 Open Championship
The 1880 British Open was the site of Bob Ferguson's first championship. Ferguson went on to win the tournament in 1881 and 1882, as well (and lost in a playoff going for four in a row at the 1883 British Open).Ferguson's tournament didn't get off to a great start, though: He had to play off a road on the second hole, and his next shot struck a telegraph pole. But following two loops around the Musselburgh nine, Ferguson still had the first-round lead at 81.
Ferguson and Peter Paxton shared the lead following the morning 18 (two rounds over the 9-hole links), and they finished 1-2. But Ferguson pulled away from Paxton in the afternoon, winning by five.
The defending champion, Jamie Anderson, would have been going for his fourth consecutive Open victory here, but he chose not to enter the tournament. Future winner Willie Park Jr. did enter, and finished 16th in his first appearance. Park Jr. joined his father, Willie Park Sr. (15th) and uncle, Mungo Park (20th) in the field.
The tournament featured a hole-in-one, which was even rarer in these days, by Andrew Kirkaldy during the third nine.
1880 British Open Final Scores
| Bob Ferguson | 81-81—162 |
| Peter Paxton | 84-83—167 |
| Ned Cosgrove | 82-86—168 |
| David Brown | 86-83—169 |
| George Paxton | 85-84—169 |
| Bob Pringle | 90-79—169 |
| Andrew Kirkaldy | 85-85—170 |
| Willie Brown | 87-84—171 |
| David Grant | 87-84—171 |
| Tom Morris Sr. | 87-88—175 |
| Tom Arundel | 86-93—179 |
| Thomas Brown | 90-89—179 |
| Willie Campbell | 88-91—179 |
| J. Foreman | 92-87—179 |
| Willie Park Sr. | 89-92—181 |
| Willie Park Jr. | 92-90—182 |
| David Corstorphine | 93-90—183 |
| George Strath | 87-96—183 |
| Ben Sayers | 91-93—184 |
| Mungo Park | 95-92—187 |
| A. Brown | 97-92—189 |
| Robert Drummond | 96-94—190 |
| William Thomson | 96-94—190 |
| James Beveridge | 94-97—191 |
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