The 1905 Open Championship was the 45th Open Championship, held 7–9 June at the Old Course at St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. James Braid won the Championship for the second time, five strokes ahead of runners-up Rowland Jones and John Henry Taylor.
All entries played 18 holes on the first two days; those within fourteen strokes of the lead made the cut for the final two rounds on Friday.
Strong winds and hard ground conditions made scoring difficult on all three days, with few rounds under 80. Sandy Herd, Taylor, Walter Toogood, and Harry Vardon co-led after the first round at 80. Scoring improved slightly on Thursday and Jones' 77 put him in the lead with 158; he was followed by Braid on 159 and James Kinnell and Arnaud Massy on 161. Just 45 players made the cut at 172 and better, including a sole amateur John Graham Jr.
In the third round on Friday morning, Braid's 78 extended his lead to six shots over Kinnell, Massy, and Taylor. Jones took 87 and dropped eight strokes behind Braid. Scoring 81 in the afternoon, Braid was never challenged; he reached the turn in 38 and despite taking six at the 15th and 16th holes, came back in 43. A 78 moved Jones up to a second place tie with Taylor, five strokes behind the champion.
Round summaries First round Wednesday, 7 June 1905 PlacePlayerScoreT1 Sandy Herd 80 J. H. Taylor Walter Toogood Harry VardonT5 James Braid 81 Herbert Hunt Rowland Jones Arnaud Massy Wilfrid Reid Thomas Renouf James Sherlock Alex Smith Robert Thomson Source:
Second round Thursday, 8 June 1905 PlacePlayerScore1 Rowland Jones 81-77=1582 James Braid 81-78=159T3 James Kinnell 82-79=161 Arnaud Massy 81-80=161T5 Sandy Herd 80-82=162 Robert Thomson 81-81=162 Harry Vardon 80-82=162T8 Ernest Gray 82-81=163 Walter Toogood 80-83=163T10 Willie Park Jr. 84-81=165 James Sherlock 81-84=165 J. H. Taylor 80-85=165 Tom Williamson 84-81=165 Source:
Third round Friday, 9 June 1905 (morning) PlacePlayerScore1 James Braid 81-78-78=237 T2 James Kinnell 82-79-82=243 Arnaud Massy 81-80-82=243 J. H. Taylor 80-85-78=243T5 Robert Thomson 81-81-82=244 Tom Williamson 84-81-79=244T7 Rowland Jones 81-77-87=245 James Sherlock 81-84-80=245 Sandy Herd 80-82-83=24510 Harry Vardon 80-82-84=246 Source:
Final round Friday, 9 June 1905 (afternoon) PlacePlayerScoreMoney (£)1 James Braid 81-78-78-81=318 50T2 Rowland Jones 81-77-87-78=323 20 J. H. Taylor 80-85-78-80=3234 James Kinnell 82-79-82-81=324 10T5 Ernest Gray 82-81-84-78=325 710s Arnaud Massy 81-80-82-82=3257 Robert Thomson 81-81-82-83=327 08 James Sherlock 81-84-80-83=328 T9 Tom Simpson 82-88-78-81=329 Harry Vardon 80-82-84-83=329 Source:
References
External links St Andrews 1905 (Official site)