1971 Open Championship: Lee Trevino wins at Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Lee Trevino won the 1971 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England with 278 (−14), by 1 stroke over Lu Liang-Huan.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1971 in The Open room, or every year on The Open winners list.
- Dates
- 7 July 1971 to 10 July 1971
- Course
- Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England
- Edition
- 100th Open Championship
- Format
- 72 holes of stroke play
- Par
- 73
- Field
- 150
- Made the cut
- 64 (cut at 151)
- Purse
- £45,000 · winner's share £5,500
- Trophy
- Claret Jug (replica to winner)
- Champion
- Lee Trevino · age 31 · USA · born Dallas, USA
- Champion's title
- 1st Open title
- Winning score
- 69-70-69-70 = 278 (−14) · won by 1 stroke
- Runner-up
- Lu Liang-Huan (279)
- 54-hole leader
- Lee Trevino (208)
- Caddie
- Willie Aitchison
- Low amateur
- Michael Bonallack (291)
Top 10 as recorded
| Pos. | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee Trevino | 69 | 70 | 69 | 70 | 278 | −14 |
| 2 | Lu Liang-Huan | 70 | 70 | 69 | 70 | 279 | −13 |
| 3 | Tony Jacklin | 69 | 70 | 70 | 71 | 280 | −12 |
| 4 | Craig Defoy | 72 | 72 | 68 | 69 | 281 | −11 |
| T5 | Jack Nicklaus | 71 | 71 | 72 | 69 | 283 | −9 |
| T5 | Charles Coody | 74 | 71 | 70 | 68 | 283 | −9 |
| T7 | Gary Player | 71 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 284 | −8 |
| T7 | Billy Casper | 70 | 72 | 75 | 67 | 284 | −8 |
| T9 | Doug Sanders | 73 | 71 | 74 | 67 | 285 | −7 |
| T9 | Peter Thomson | 70 | 73 | 73 | 69 | 285 | −7 |
What happened at the 1971 Open Championship
Trevino went out in 31 to lead by six at the turn, then made a double-bogey 7 at the 17th (71st hole), which cut his lead to one.
At the 18th Lu's second shot hit a woman spectator on the head. Both Lu and Trevino birdied the last, and Lu finished second.
No source names a single hole: Trevino's double-bogey 7 at the 71st cut his lead to one, but both he and Lu birdied the 72nd, and SI says Trevino's "first few holes that last day won the tournament for him."
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).