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Harold Hilton

England · born , West Kirby, England · died

2major championships

Summary

  • First major 1892 The Open
  • Last major 1897 The Open
  • Other titles 1900 The Amateur, 1901 The Amateur, 1911 U.S. Amateur and 1911 The Amateur and 1 more

Wins

  1. 1892 The Open Muirfield · 305 · by 3 strokes from Hugh Kirkaldy, John Ball Jr and Sandy Herd
  2. 1897 The Open Royal Liverpool Golf Club · 314 · by 1 stroke from James Braid
  3. 1900 The Amateur Championship Royal St George's Golf Club · 8 & 7
  4. 1901 The Amateur Championship St Andrews Links · 1 up
  5. 1911 U.S. Amateur The Apawamis Club · 37 holes
  6. 1911 The Amateur Championship Prestwick Golf Club · 4 & 3
  7. 1913 The Amateur Championship St Andrews Links · 6 & 5

Near misses

  1. 1891 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished T8 · 175
  2. 1891 The Amateur Championship St Andrews Links · runner-up to Johnny Laidlay · 20 holes
  3. 1892 The Amateur Championship Royal St George's Golf Club · runner-up to John Ball · 3 & 1
  4. 1893 The Open Prestwick Golf Club · finished T8 · 332
  5. 1896 The Amateur Championship Royal St George's Golf Club · runner-up to Freddie Tait · 8 & 7
  6. 1898 The Open Prestwick Golf Club · finished 3 · 309
  7. 1901 The Open Muirfield · finished 4 · 320
  8. 1902 The Open Royal Liverpool Golf Club · finished T6 · 314
  9. 1911 The Open Royal St George's Golf Club · finished T3 · 304

Moments

  1. 1892 Open This was the first Open played over 72 holes and the first held at Muirfield, which the Honourable Company had opened only nine months earlier.
  2. 1892 Open Hilton was seven shots behind the halfway leader, amateur Horace Hutchinson, then shot a third-round 72, the best of the day, to get within two.
  3. 1897 Open Braid needed a 3 at the 18th to tie, but his approach ran 20 feet past and he missed the return putt.
  4. 1897 Open While Braid finished, the amateur Hilton calmed his nerves by playing billiards in the clubhouse.

Results by championship

    Best day

    1892 The Open

    Muirfield · 305 · by 3 strokes from Hugh Kirkaldy, John Ball Jr and Sandy Herd

    This was the first Open played over 72 holes and the first held at Muirfield, which the Honourable Company had opened only nine months earlier.

    Hilton was seven shots behind the halfway leader, amateur Horace Hutchinson, then shot a third-round 72, the best of the day, to get within two.

    Chosen by rule: his widest winning margin in a major. Year page: 1892.

    Career line, 1891–1913

    The Open
    1891 The Open: finished T81892 The Open: won1893 The Open: finished T81897 The Open: won1898 The Open: finished 31901 The Open: finished 41902 The Open: finished T61911 The Open: finished T3
    U.S. Amateur
    1911 U.S. Amateur: won
    The Amateur
    1891 The Amateur: runner-up1892 The Amateur: runner-up1896 The Amateur: runner-up1900 The Amateur: won1901 The Amateur: won1911 The Amateur: won1913 The Amateur: won
    1895190019051910

    16 results. Hover or tap a mark; click it for the year.

    • Major win
    • Other win
    • Runner-up
    • Top 10

    Harold Hilton was born on January 12, 1869, in West Kirby, England. Hilton won 2 major championships: 2 Open Championships (1892, 1897).

    See Harold Hilton in our rooms: The Open and Every Ground.

    Cards you pull this visit stack here. Tap one to go back to it.

    The record

    Wins in the majors (2)

    1. 1892 The Open Muirfield · 305 · by 3 strokes from Hugh Kirkaldy, John Ball Jr and Sandy Herd
    2. 1897 The Open Royal Liverpool Golf Club · 314 · by 1 stroke from James Braid
    3. 1900 The Amateur Championship Royal St George's Golf Club · 8 & 7
    4. 1901 The Amateur Championship St Andrews Links · 1 up
    5. 1911 U.S. Amateur The Apawamis Club · 37 holes
    6. 1911 The Amateur Championship Prestwick Golf Club · 4 & 3
    7. 1913 The Amateur Championship St Andrews Links · 6 & 5

    Near misses

    Top-10 finishes are listed for The Open, the one championship with a full top 10 every year.

    1. 1891 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished T8 · 175
    2. 1891 The Amateur Championship St Andrews Links · runner-up to Johnny Laidlay · 20 holes
    3. 1892 The Amateur Championship Royal St George's Golf Club · runner-up to John Ball · 3 & 1
    4. 1893 The Open Prestwick Golf Club · finished T8 · 332
    5. 1896 The Amateur Championship Royal St George's Golf Club · runner-up to Freddie Tait · 8 & 7
    6. 1898 The Open Prestwick Golf Club · finished 3 · 309
    7. 1901 The Open Muirfield · finished 4 · 320
    8. 1902 The Open Royal Liverpool Golf Club · finished T6 · 314
    9. 1911 The Open Royal St George's Golf Club · finished T3 · 304

    Other wins in championships we cover

    1. 1900 The Amateur Championship Royal St George's Golf Club · 8 & 7
    2. 1901 The Amateur Championship St Andrews Links · 1 up
    3. 1911 U.S. Amateur The Apawamis Club · 37 holes
    4. 1911 The Amateur Championship Prestwick Golf Club · 4 & 3
    5. 1913 The Amateur Championship St Andrews Links · 6 & 5

    Sources

    Elsewhere: Wikipedia.

    Every fact on this page comes from Golf Network News data sets compiled in October 2026 (Masters, PGA Championship, The Open, U.S. Women's Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Tour 2024–2026, major host sites, Champions Dinner menus, and the U.S. Open and state rooms). These are the sources those rows cite.

    1. where2golf
    2. Wikipedia: Harold Hilton
    3. R&A 1892
    4. GC 1892
    5. R&A 1897
    6. GC 1897
    7. R&A 1891
    8. Golf Compendium 1891
    9. R&A 1893
    10. Golf Compendium 1893
    11. R&A 1898
    12. Golf Compendium 1898
    13. R&A 1901
    14. Golf Compendium 1901
    15. R&A 1902
    16. Golf Compendium 1902
    17. R&A 1911
    18. Wikipedia: The Amateur Championship
    19. golfcompendium.com: british amateur championship winners
    20. golfbible.co.uk: amateur championship
    21. Wikipedia: U.S. Amateur
    22. championships-plt.usga.org: u s amateur champions
    23. Wikipedia: Apawamis Club
    24. Wikipedia: John Ball (golfer)
    25. Wikipedia: Freddie Tait