1949 Open Championship: Bobby Locke wins at Royal St George's Golf Club
Bobby Locke won the 1949 Open Championship at Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, England with 283, beating Harry Bradshaw in a playoff.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1949 in The Open room, or every year on The Open winners list.
- Dates
- 6 July 1949 to 9 July 1949
- Course
- Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, England
- Edition
- 78th Open Championship
- Format
- 72 holes of stroke play
- Field
- 96
- Made the cut
- 31 (cut at 147)
- Purse
- £1,500
- Trophy
- Claret Jug (replica to winner)
- Champion
- Bobby Locke · age 31 · South Africa · born Germiston, South Africa
- Champion's title
- 1st Open title
- Winning score
- 69-76-68-70 = 283
- Runner-up
- Harry Bradshaw (283)
- 54-hole leaders
- Bobby Locke, Harry Bradshaw, Max Faulkner (213)
- Playoff
- 36-hole stroke play; beat Harry Bradshaw; Locke 135 (67-68); Bradshaw 147 (74-73)
- Deciding hole
- No. 14, round playoff, playoff hole 14
- Low amateur
- Frank Stranahan (290)
Top 10 as recorded
| Pos. | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bobby Locke | 69 | 76 | 68 | 70 | 283 |
| 2 | Harry Bradshaw | 68 | 77 | 68 | 70 | 283 |
| 3 | Roberto De Vicenzo | 68 | 75 | 73 | 69 | 285 |
| T4 | Charlie Ward | 73 | 71 | 70 | 72 | 286 |
| T4 | Sam King | 71 | 69 | 74 | 72 | 286 |
| T6 | Arthur Lees | 74 | 70 | 72 | 71 | 287 |
| T6 | Max Faulkner | 71 | 71 | 71 | 74 | 287 |
| T8 | Jimmy Adams | 67 | 77 | 72 | 72 | 288 |
| T8 | John Fallon | 69 | 75 | 72 | 72 | 288 |
| T8 | Wally Smithers | 72 | 75 | 70 | 71 | 288 |
What happened at the 1949 Open Championship
In round two Bradshaw's drive at the 5th came to rest inside a broken beer bottle; unsure of the rule, he played it as it lay, moved it about 25 yards and took a 6.
In the playoff Locke hit a 4-iron from about 200 yards to a couple of feet at the 14th for an eagle 3 while Bradshaw took 6, and Locke won by 12 strokes.
At the 14th in the morning playoff round Locke hit a 4-iron from 200 yards to a couple of feet for an eagle 3 while Bradshaw took 6, and "the gap only grew" to a 12-stroke win.
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).