1880 Open Championship: Bob Ferguson wins at Musselburgh Links (9-hole)
Bob Ferguson won the 1880 Open Championship at Musselburgh Links (9-hole), Scotland with 162, by 5 strokes over Peter Paxton.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1880 in The Open room, or every year on The Open winners list.
- Dates
- 9 April 1880
- Course
- Musselburgh Links (9-hole), Scotland
- Edition
- 20th Open Championship
- Format
- 36 holes of stroke play
- Trophy
- Claret Jug
- Champion
- Bob Ferguson · Scotland · born Musselburgh, Scotland
- Champion's title
- 1st Open title
- How he got in
- open entry (no qualifying)
- Winning score
- 81-81 = 162 · won by 5 strokes
- Runner-up
- Peter Paxton (167)
Top 10 as recorded
| Pos. | Player | R1 | R2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bob Ferguson | 81 | 81 | 162 |
| 2 | Peter Paxton | 84 | 83 | 167 |
| 3 | Ned Cosgrove | 82 | 86 | 168 |
| T4 | George Paxton | 85 | 84 | 169 |
| T4 | Bob Pringle | 90 | 79 | 169 |
| T4 | David Brown | 86 | 83 | 169 |
| 7 | Andrew Kirkaldy | 85 | 85 | 170 |
| T8 | David Grant | 87 | 84 | 171 |
| T8 | Willie Brown | 87 | 84 | 171 |
| 10 | Tom Morris Sr | 87 | 88 | 175 |
What happened at the 1880 Open Championship
Ferguson took 8 at the 2nd after his ball came off the road and rebounded off a telegraph pole.
The date was announced at short notice and three-time defending champion Jamie Anderson did not play.
Ferguson's 8 at the 2nd (ball off the road and a telegraph pole) is recorded, but he won by five and no hole is called decisive.
How this was built
Every value is shown as recorded in GNN's The Open data. A value no source confirmed is left out; nothing is estimated. Where sources disagree, the organizer's own record is used.
Data: the-open.json (The Open room's data), with GNN's Open Championship addendum tables L (top ten by round), H (deciding hole), W (final-day weather).