Low Amateurs at the British Open: The Full List
You won't find every year in the list, however, because there have been many years along the way when no amateur made the cut. In order to earn the Silver Medal today, or to be called "low amateur" at any point in the tournament's history, you have to make the cut. So when a year is skipped in the list, that means no amateur made the cut that year.
Who has been Open Championship low amateur most often? In the Silver Medal era (since 1949), that is Frank Stranahan. Stranahan earned the Silver Medal in 1949-51 plus 1953, four times. (He was also low am once before the Silver Medal was initiated.) For the full history of the tournament, the answer is William Doleman, who finished as low amateur nine times in the first couple decades of the Open.
List of British Open Low Amateurs
Those golfers listed back to 1949 are Silver Medal winners in recognition of their achievement. Remember: If a year does not appear in the following list, that means no amateur made the cut that year.
2024 — Calum Scott, 292, tied 43rd
2023 — Christo Lamprecht, 295, tied 74th
2022 — Aaron Jarvis, 289, tied 76th
2021 — Matthias Schmid, 282, tied 59th
2018 — Sam Locke, 293, tied 75th
2017 — Alfie Plant, 286, tied 62nd
2015 — Jordan Niebrugge, 277, tied sixth
2013 — Matthew Fitzpatrick, 294, tied 44th
2011 — Tom Lewis, 289, tied 30th
2010 — Jin Jeong, 284, tied 14th
2009 — Matteo Manassero, 284, tied 13th
2008 — Chris Wood, 290, tied fifth
2007 — Rory McIlroy, 289, tied 42nd
2006 — Marius Thorp, 288, tied 48th
2005 — Lloyd Saltman, 283, tied 15th
2004 — Stuart Wilson, 296, tied 63rd
2001 — David Dixon, 285, tied 30th
1998 — Justin Rose, 282, tied fourth
1997 — Barclay Howard, 293, tied 60th
1996 — Tiger Woods, 281, tied 22nd
1995 — Steve Webster, 289, tied 24th
1994 — Warren Bennett, 286, tied 72nd
1993 — Iain Pyman, 281, tied 27th
1992 — Daren Lee, 293, tied 68th
1991 — Jim Payne, 284, tied 38th
1989 — Russell Claydon, 293, tied 69th
1988 — Paul Broadhurst, 296, tied 57th
1987 — Paul Mayo, 297, tied 57th
1985 — Jose Maria Olazabal, 289, tied 25th
1982 — Malcolm Lewis, 300, tied 42nd
1981 — Hal Sutton, 295, tied 47th
1980 — Jay Sigel, 291, tied 38th
1979 — Peter McEvoy, 294, tied 17th
1978 — Peter McEvoy, 293, tied 39th
1973 — Danny Edwards, 296, tied 39th
1971 — Michael Bonallack, 291, tied 22nd
1970 — Steve Melnyk, 298, tied 41st
1969 — Peter Tupling, 294, tied 28th
1968 — Michael Bonallack, 300, tied 21st
1966 — Ronnie Shade, 293, tied 16th
1965 — Michael Burgess, 299, tied 29th
1962 — Charles Green, 308, tied 37th
1961 — Ronnie White, 306, tied 38th
1960 — Guy Wolstenholme, 283, sixth
1959 — Reid Jack, 288, tied fifth
1958 — Joe Carr, 298, 37th
1957 — Dickson Smith, 286, tied fifth
1956 — Joe Carr, 306, tied 36th
1955 — Joe Conrad, 293, tied 22nd
1954 — Peter Toogood, 291, tied 15th
1953 — Frank Stranahan, 286, tied second
1952 — J.W. Jones, 304, tied 27th
1951 — Frank Stranahan, 295, tied 12th
1950 — Frank Stranahan, 286, tied ninth
1949 — Frank Stranahan, 290, 13th
(The Silver Medal recognizing the low amateur was not awarded prior to 1949.)
1948 — Mario Gonzalez, Edwin Kingsley, 293, tied 11th
1947 — Frank Stranahan, 294, tied second
1946 — Richard Bell, 312, tied 23rd
1940-45 — Tournament not played
1939 — Jimmy Bruen, 298, tied 13th
1938 — Eustace Storey, 316, tied 26th
1937 — Bobby Locke, 304, tied 17th
1936 — Bobby Locke, 294, tied eighth
1935 — Lawson Little, 289, tied fourth
1934 — John McLean, 300, tied 16th
1933 — John McLean, 298, tied 18th
1932 — William Hope, 299 tied 15th
1931 — Eric McRuvie, 312, tied 36th
1930 — Bobby Jones, 291, winner
1929 — Philip Perkins, 312, tied 23rd
1928 — Philip Perkins, 307, tied 14th
1927 — Bobby Jones, 285, winner
1926 — Bobby Jones, 291, winner
1925 — Robert Harris, 311, tied 11th
1924 — Cyril Tolley, 314, tied 18th
1923 — Robert Scott Jr., 307, tied 22nd
1922 — Michael Scott, 313, tied 20th
1921 — Roger Wethered, 296, second (tied for first, lost playoff)
1920 — Willie Hunter, 322, tied 26th
1915-19 — Tournament not played
1914 — James Jenkins, 315, tied eighth
1913 — John Graham Jr., 318, tied 11th
1912 — Michael Scott, 327, tied 37th
1911 — Harold Hilton, 304, tied third
1910 — John Ball, 314, tied 19th
1909 — Edward Lassen, 308, tied 10th
1908 — John Ball, 311, tied 13th
1907 — John Graham Jr., 326, tied 13th
1906 — John Graham Jr., 306, fourth
1904 — John Graham Jr., 310, tied seventh
1903 — Robert Maxwell, 318, tied 13th
1902 — Robert Maxwell, 309, fourth
1901 — Harold Hilton, 320, fourth
1900 — Robert Maxwell, 329, tied seventh
1899 — Freddie Tait, 324, tied seventh
(Open Championships prior to 1899 were 36 holes in length.)
1898 — Harold Hilton, 157, tied fifth
1897 — Harold Hilton, 155, winner
1896 — Freddie Tait, 158, fifth
1895 — Laurie Auchterlonie, 168, ninth
1894 — John Ball, Freddie Tait, 173, tied ninth
1893 — John Ball, 162, tied second
1892 — Horace Hutchinson, 152, winner
1891 — Samuel Mure Fergusson, 170, fourth
1890 — John Ball, 164, winner
1889 — Johnny Laidlay, 162, tied fourth
1888 — Leslie Balfour, 175, fifth
1887 — Johnny Laidlay, 166, fourth
1886 — Johnny Laidlay, 162, tied eighth
1885 — Horace Hutchinson, 178, tied 11th
1884 — William Doleman, 178, tied 16th
1883 — Douglas Rolland, 167, tied 10th
1882 — Fitz Boothby, 175, tied third
1879 — Andrew Smith, 180, 11th
1878 — John Ball, 165, tied fourth
1876 — Henry Lamb, 186, seventh
1875 — William Doleman, 183, tied ninth
1874 — Thomas Hunter, 174, 16th
1873 — Henry Lamb, 192, eighth
1872 — William Doleman, 177, third
1870 — William Doleman, 169, fifth
1869 — William Doleman, 175, fifth
1868 — William Doleman, 181, 11th
1867 — William Doleman, 178, sixth
1866 — William Doleman, 183, tied seventh
1865 — William Doleman, 178, sixth
1863 — James Knight, 190, eighth
1862 — James Knight, 186, fifth
1861 — James Fairlie, 184, eighth
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Photo credit: Rory McIlroy by TourProGolfClubs [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
