1885 Open Championship: Bob Martin wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Bob Martin won the 1885 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, Scotland with 171, by 1 stroke over Archie Simpson.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1885 in The Open room, or every year on The Open winners list.
- Dates
- 3 October 1885
- Course
- Old Course, St Andrews, Scotland
- Edition
- 25th Open Championship
- Format
- 36 holes of stroke play
- Purse
- £35.50
- Trophy
- Claret Jug
- Champion
- Bob Martin · Scotland · born Cupar, Scotland
- Champion's title
- 2nd Open title
- How he got in
- open entry (no qualifying)
- Winning score
- 84-87 = 171 · won by 1 stroke
- Runner-up
- Archie Simpson (172)
- Deciding hole
- No. 17, round 2
- Final-day weather
- windy: "In ever-strengthening winds, Martin recorded an 87 in the afternoon"
- Low amateur
- Horace Hutchinson (178)
Top 10 as recorded
| Pos. | Player | R1 | R2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bob Martin | 84 | 87 | 171 |
| 2 | Archie Simpson | 83 | 89 | 172 |
| 3 | David Ayton | 89 | 84 | 173 |
| T4 | Willie Park Jr | 86 | 88 | 174 |
| T4 | Bob Simpson | 85 | 89 | 174 |
| T4 | Willie Fernie | 89 | 85 | 174 |
| 7 | Jack Burns | 88 | 87 | 175 |
| 8 | Peter Paxton | 85 | 91 | 176 |
| T9 | J.O.F. Morris | 91 | 86 | 177 |
| T9 | Willie Campbell | 86 | 91 | 177 |
What happened at the 1885 Open Championship
David Ayton took 11 at the 17th after twice playing from the road behind the green, and finished two behind.
Martin became the first player to win two Opens at St Andrews.
David Ayton "was left ruing an 11 at the 17th" after twice playing from the road behind the green, and finished two behind Bob Martin.
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).