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Henry Cotton

England · born , Holmes Chapel, England · died

3major championships

Summary

  • First major 1934 The Open
  • Last major 1948 The Open
  • Ryder Cup 3 Cups · 2-4-0 · 2 points (33.3%)
  • Ryder Cup captain 1947, 1953

Wins

  1. 1934 The Open Royal St George's Golf Club · 283 · by 5 strokes from Sid Brews
  2. 1937 The Open Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course) · 290 · by 2 strokes from Reg Whitcombe
  3. 1948 The Open Muirfield · 284 · by 5 strokes from Fred Daly

Near misses

  1. 1927 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished 9 · 298
  2. 1930 The Open Royal Liverpool Golf Club · finished 8 · 299
  3. 1931 The Open Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course) · finished T10 · 302
  4. 1932 The Open Prince's Golf Club · finished T10 · 295
  5. 1933 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished T7 · 295 (+3)
  6. 1935 The Open Muirfield · finished T7 · 293
  7. 1936 The Open Royal Liverpool Golf Club · finished T3 · 289
  8. 1938 The Open Royal St George's Golf Club · finished 3 · 298
  9. 1946 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished T4 · 295
  10. 1947 The Open Royal Liverpool Golf Club · finished T6 · 297
  11. 1952 The Open Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club · finished 4 · 294
  12. 1956 The Open Royal Liverpool Golf Club · finished T6 · 293
  13. 1957 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished T9 · 287
  14. 1958 The Open Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club · finished T8 · 284

Ryder Cup

3 Cups, 6 matches: 2 won, 4 lost, 0 halved, 2 points. Foursomes 0-3-0, four-ball 0-0-0, singles 2-1-0.

  1. 1929 Moortown Golf Club GB · GB won 7–5 · 1-1-0, 1 point
  2. 1937 Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club GB · USA won 8–4 · 1-1-0, 1 point
  3. 1947 Portland Golf Club GB · USA won 11–1 · 0-2-0, 0 points
  4. 1947 Captain GB · lost 1–11
  5. 1953 Captain GB · lost 5.5–6.5

Rivals

Ryder Cup partners

Ryder Cup opponents

Next in the chain: Ernest Whitcombe's rivals →

Moments

  1. 1934 Open Cotton's second-round 65 set a new Open record, and Dunlop named its "65" ball after it.
  2. 1934 Open That night Cotton put the Claret Jug in Harry Vardon's hands at his Sandwich hotel, and both men shed a tear.
  3. 1937 Open The entire US Ryder Cup team played, having just beaten the hosts at Southport.
  4. 1937 Open Cotton came from three behind with a closing 71 as 54-hole leader Reg Whitcombe shot 76.
  5. 1948 Open Cotton's second-round 66 (out 33, home 33), a Muirfield record, was watched all the way round by King George VI.
  6. 1948 Open In poor weather on the final day no one broke 70; Cotton's 75-72 kept him clear and he won by five, 11 years after his previous Open title.
  7. 1929 Ryder Cup Henry Cotton, all square with Al Watrous at lunch, won 4 & 3 to give GB the winning point; play was in cold weather with hail and at one point snow on the greens.
  8. 1937 Ryder Cup Henry Cotton beat Tony Manero 5 & 3 and Dai Rees beat Byron Nelson 3 & 1, but the USA won the last four singles to become the first visiting team to win.
  9. 1947 Ryder Cup The USA swept the foursomes 4-0, with Ed Oliver and Lew Worsham beating Henry Cotton and Arthur Lees 10 & 9.

Records and firsts

  1. 1934 Open largest 54-hole lead · 10

Results by championship

    Best day

    1934 The Open

    Royal St George's Golf Club · 283 · by 5 strokes from Sid Brews

    Cotton's second-round 65 set a new Open record, and Dunlop named its "65" ball after it.

    That night Cotton put the Claret Jug in Harry Vardon's hands at his Sandwich hotel, and both men shed a tear.

    Record: largest 54-hole lead · 10

    Chosen by rule: the major win our record tables single out. Year page: 1934.

    Career line, 1927–1958

    The Open
    1927 The Open: finished 91930 The Open: finished 81931 The Open: finished T101932 The Open: finished T101933 The Open: finished T71934 The Open: won1935 The Open: finished T71936 The Open: finished T31937 The Open: won1938 The Open: finished 31946 The Open: finished T41947 The Open: finished T61948 The Open: won1952 The Open: finished 41956 The Open: finished T61957 The Open: finished T91958 The Open: finished T8
    Ryder Cup
    1929 Ryder Cup (GB): 1-1-01937 Ryder Cup (GB): 1-1-01947 Ryder Cup (GB): 0-2-0
    193019401950

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

    • Major win
    • Top 10
    • Ryder Cup, GB / Europe

    Henry Cotton was born on January 26, 1907, in Holmes Chapel, England. Cotton won 3 major championships: 3 Open Championships (1934, 1937, 1948). Cotton played in 3 Ryder Cups for GB (1929, 1937, 1947), winning 2, losing 4 and halving 0 of 6 matches for 2 points, and captained the side in 1947 and 1953.

    See Henry Cotton 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 (3)

    1. 1934 The Open Royal St George's Golf Club · 283 · by 5 strokes from Sid Brews
    2. 1937 The Open Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course) · 290 · by 2 strokes from Reg Whitcombe
    3. 1948 The Open Muirfield · 284 · by 5 strokes from Fred Daly

    Near misses

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

    1. 1927 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished 9 · 298
    2. 1930 The Open Royal Liverpool Golf Club · finished 8 · 299
    3. 1931 The Open Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course) · finished T10 · 302
    4. 1932 The Open Prince's Golf Club · finished T10 · 295
    5. 1933 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished T7 · 295 (+3)
    6. 1935 The Open Muirfield · finished T7 · 293
    7. 1936 The Open Royal Liverpool Golf Club · finished T3 · 289
    8. 1938 The Open Royal St George's Golf Club · finished 3 · 298
    9. 1946 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished T4 · 295
    10. 1947 The Open Royal Liverpool Golf Club · finished T6 · 297
    11. 1952 The Open Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club · finished 4 · 294
    12. 1956 The Open Royal Liverpool Golf Club · finished T6 · 293
    13. 1957 The Open Old Course, St Andrews · finished T9 · 287
    14. 1958 The Open Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club · finished T8 · 284

    Ryder Cup

    Cotton played 3 Ryder Cups for GB: 6 matches, 2 won, 4 lost, 0 halved, 2 points (33.3% of those available). By format: foursomes 0-3-0, four-ball 0-0-0, singles 2-1-0 (won-lost-halved).

    1. 1929 Moortown Golf Club GB · GB won 7–5 · 1-1-0, 1 point
    2. 1937 Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club GB · USA won 8–4 · 1-1-0, 1 point
    3. 1947 Portland Golf Club GB · USA won 11–1 · 0-2-0, 0 points
    4. 1947 Captain GB · lost 1–11
    5. 1953 Captain GB · lost 5.5–6.5

    Partners, with matches played together: Ernest Whitcombe (1), Alf Padgham (1), Arthur Lees (1).

    Records and firsts

    Rows from our record tables that name this player, worded as the tables word them.

    1. 1934 Open largest 54-hole lead · 10

    Sources

    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. Britannica
    2. where2golf
    3. WP: List of European Ryder Cup golfers
    4. Wikipedia: Henry Cotton (golfer)
    5. R&A 1934
    6. GC 1934
    7. R&A 1937
    8. GC 1937
    9. R&A 1948
    10. GC 1948
    11. R&A 1927
    12. R&A 1930
    13. R&A 1931
    14. R&A 1932
    15. R&A 1933
    16. R&A 1935
    17. R&A 1936
    18. R&A 1938
    19. R&A 1946
    20. R&A 1947
    21. Golf Compendium 1952
    22. R&A 1956
    23. R&A 1957
    24. R&A 1958
    25. GC: 1929 ryder cup
    26. Wikipedia: 1929 Ryder Cup
    27. GC: 1937 ryder cup
    28. Wikipedia: 1937 Ryder Cup
    29. GC: 1947 ryder cup
    30. Wikipedia: 1947 Ryder Cup
    31. WP Ryder Cup
    32. Golf Compendium