1937 Open Championship: Henry Cotton wins at Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course)
Henry Cotton won the 1937 Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course), Scotland with 290, by 2 strokes over Reg Whitcombe.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1937 in The Open room, or every year on The Open winners list.
- Dates
- 7 July 1937 to 9 July 1937
- Course
- Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course), Scotland
- Edition
- 72nd Open Championship
- Format
- 72 holes of stroke play
- Field
- 141
- Made the cut
- 47 (cut at 153)
- Purse
- £500 · winner's share £100
- Trophy
- Claret Jug (replica to winner)
- Champion
- Henry Cotton · age 30 · England · born Holmes Chapel, England
- Champion's title
- 2nd Open title
- Winning score
- 74-72-73-71 = 290 · won by 2 strokes
- Runner-up
- Reg Whitcombe (292)
- 54-hole leader
- Reg Whitcombe (216) · Henry Cotton was 3 strokes back
- Final-day weather
- cold and wet: "Incessant cold rain that plagued the final day, almost flooding the course"
- Low amateur
- Bobby Locke (304)
Top 10 as recorded
| Pos. | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henry Cotton | 74 | 72 | 73 | 71 | 290 |
| 2 | Reg Whitcombe | 72 | 70 | 74 | 76 | 292 |
| 3 | Charles Lacey | 76 | 75 | 70 | 72 | 293 |
| 4 | Charles Whitcombe | 73 | 71 | 74 | 76 | 294 |
| 5 | Byron Nelson | 75 | 76 | 71 | 74 | 296 |
| 6 | Ed Dudley | 70 | 74 | 78 | 75 | 297 |
| T7 | Arthur Lacey | 75 | 73 | 75 | 75 | 298 |
| T7 | Alf Padgham | 72 | 74 | 76 | 76 | 298 |
| T7 | Bill Laidlaw | 77 | 72 | 73 | 76 | 298 |
| 10 | Horton Smith | 77 | 71 | 79 | 72 | 299 |
What happened at the 1937 Open Championship
The entire US Ryder Cup team played, having just beaten the hosts at Southport.
Cotton came from three behind with a closing 71 as 54-hole leader Reg Whitcombe shot 76.
No source names a deciding hole; 54-hole leader Reg Whitcombe topped his drive and took 6 at the 7th in the final round (R&A) and Cotton won by two with a closing 71.
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).