1991 Open Championship: Ian Baker-Finch wins at Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Ian Baker-Finch won the 1991 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England with 272 (−8), by 2 strokes over Mike Harwood.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1991 in The Open room, or every year on The Open winners list.
- Dates
- 18 July 1991 to 21 July 1991
- Course
- Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England
- Edition
- 120th Open Championship
- Format
- 72 holes of stroke play
- Par
- 70
- Field
- 156
- Made the cut
- 113 (cut at 148)
- Purse
- £900,000 · winner's share £90,000
- Trophy
- Claret Jug (replica to winner)
- Champion
- Ian Baker-Finch · age 30 · Australia · born Nambour, Australia
- Champion's title
- 1st Open title
- Winning score
- 71-71-64-66 = 272 (−8) · won by 2 strokes
- Runner-up
- Mike Harwood (274)
- 54-hole leaders
- Ian Baker-Finch, Mark O'Meara (206)
- Caddie
- Pete Bender
- Low amateur
- Jim Payne (284)
Top 11 as recorded
| Pos. | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ian Baker-Finch | 71 | 71 | 64 | 66 | 272 | −8 |
| 2 | Mike Harwood | 68 | 70 | 69 | 67 | 274 | −6 |
| T3 | Fred Couples | 72 | 69 | 70 | 64 | 275 | −5 |
| T3 | Mark O'Meara | 71 | 68 | 67 | 69 | 275 | −5 |
| T5 | Jodie Mudd | 72 | 70 | 72 | 63 | 277 | −3 |
| T5 | Bob Tway | 75 | 66 | 70 | 66 | 277 | −3 |
| T5 | Eamonn Darcy | 73 | 68 | 66 | 70 | 277 | −3 |
| 8 | Craig Parry | 71 | 70 | 69 | 68 | 278 | −2 |
| T9 | Seve Ballesteros | 66 | 73 | 69 | 71 | 279 | −1 |
| T9 | Bernhard Langer | 71 | 71 | 70 | 67 | 279 | −1 |
| T9 | Greg Norman | 74 | 68 | 71 | 66 | 279 | −1 |
What happened at the 1991 Open Championship
Baker-Finch birdied five of the first seven holes in the final round and went out in 29.
Baker-Finch's third-round 64 set a Royal Birkdale course record, which Jodie Mudd broke with a 63 in round 4. His closing 66 equalled Watson's 1977 record of 130 for the last 36 holes.
No single hole is named: Baker-Finch's win is credited to his front nine of 29 (five birdies in the first seven holes) in the final round.
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).