1952 Open Championship: Bobby Locke wins at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
Bobby Locke won the 1952 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, Lytham St Annes, England with 287, by 1 stroke over Peter Thomson.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1952 in The Open room, or every year on The Open winners list.
- Dates
- 9 July 1952 to 11 July 1952
- Course
- Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, Lytham St Annes, England
- Edition
- 81st Open Championship
- Format
- 72 holes of stroke play
- Purse
- £1,700
- Trophy
- Claret Jug (replica to winner)
- Champion
- Bobby Locke · age 34 · South Africa · born Germiston, South Africa
- Champion's title
- 3rd Open title
- Winning score
- 69-71-74-73 = 287 · won by 1 stroke
- Runner-up
- Peter Thomson (288)
- 54-hole leader
- Fred Daly (213) · Bobby Locke was 1 stroke back
- Deciding hole
- No. 15, round 4
- Low amateur
- Jackie Jones
Top 14 as recorded
| Pos. | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bobby Locke | 69 | 71 | 74 | 73 | 287 |
| 2 | Peter Thomson | 68 | 73 | 77 | 70 | 288 |
| 3 | Fred Daly | 67 | 69 | 77 | 76 | 289 |
| 4 | Henry Cotton | 75 | 74 | 74 | 71 | 294 |
| T5 | Antonio Cerda | 73 | 73 | 76 | 73 | 295 |
| T5 | Sam King | 71 | 74 | 74 | 76 | 295 |
| 7 | Flory Van Donck | 74 | 75 | 71 | 76 | 296 |
| 8 | Fred Bullock | 76 | 72 | 72 | 77 | 297 |
| T9 | Harry Bradshaw | 70 | 74 | 75 | 79 | 298 |
| T9 | Eric Brown | 71 | 72 | 78 | 77 | 298 |
| T9 | Willie Goggin | 71 | 74 | 75 | 78 | 298 |
| T9 | Arthur Lees | 76 | 72 | 76 | 74 | 298 |
| T9 | Syd Scott | 75 | 69 | 76 | 78 | 298 |
| T9 | Norman Von Nida | 77 | 70 | 74 | 77 | 298 |
What happened at the 1952 Open Championship
On the final morning Locke found the garage holding his clubs locked; a passing milkman drove him to fetch the key and he reached the 1st tee with just enough time to change his shoes.
Fred Daly's six at the 15th ended his chance, and Thomson, six behind at the turn, birdied the 18th for 70 to finish one short.
Fred Daly, the 54-hole leader, took a six at the 15th that "proved terminal" to his chances, and Locke won by one from Thomson.
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).