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1971 Open Championship

Front cover of the 1971 Open program
Tournament information
Dates	7–10 July 1971
Location	Southport, England
Course(s)	Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Statistics
Par	73
Length	7,080 yards (6,474 m)
Field	150 players 82 after 1st cut 64 after 2nd cut
Cut	151 (+5) (1st cut) 224 (+5) (2nd cut)
Prize fund	£45,000 $108,000
Winner's share	£5,500 $13,200
Champion
Lee Trevino
278 (−14)
← 19701972 →

The 1971 Open Championship was the 100th Open Championship, played 7–10 July at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. Lee Trevino won the first of his consecutive Open Championships, one stroke ahead of Lu Liang-Huan. It was the third of his six major titles and his second consecutive; he won the U.S. Open less than a month earlier in a playoff over Jack Nicklaus.

Trevino became the fourth player to win both the U.S. Open and the Open Championship in the same year, joining Bobby Jones (1926, 1930), Gene Sarazen (1932), and Ben Hogan (1953). Subsequent winners of both were Tom Watson (1982) and Tiger Woods (2000); all six are Americans.

Trevino also won the Canadian Open the previous week near Montreal for three national titles in 1971, all won in less than a month.

This was the last major championship of 1971 because the PGA Championship was played in February instead of its traditional date in August. (In 2019 the PGA moved to May.) Trevino's win, therefore, assured that Americans won all four major championships in 1971 (Charles Coody won the Masters Tournament and Nicklaus captured the PGA). This was the fifth time this had happened in golf history. (It has happened six more times since 1971, most recently in 2024.)

Course

Source:
Lengths of the course for previous Opens:

• 1965: 7,037 yards (6,435 m), par 73
• 1961: 6,844 yards (6,258 m)
• 1954: 6,867 yards (6,279 m)

Round summaries

First round

Wednesday, 7 July 1971

Place	Player	Score	To par
T1	Vicente Fernández	69	−4
	Tony Jacklin
	Howie Johnson
	Lee Trevino
T5	Billy Casper	70	−3
	Tommy Horton
	Lu Liang-Huan
	Kel Nagle
	John O'Leary
	Peter Thomson
	Brian Waites

Source:

Second round

Thursday, 8 July 1971

Place	Player	Score	To par
T1	Tony Jacklin	69-70=139	−7
	Lee Trevino	69-70=139
3	Lu Liang-Huan	70-70=140	−6
T4	Roberto De Vicenzo	71-70=141	−5
	Gary Player	71-70=141
T6	Billy Casper	70-72=142	−4
	Malcolm Gregson	71-71=142
	Tommy Horton	70-72=142
	Jimmy Kinsella	74-68=142
	Jack Nicklaus	71-71=142

Source:
Amateurs: Bonallack (−3), Melnyk (+4),
Humphreys (+6), Berry (+7), Carr (+8), M. Foster (+9), Birtwell (+11), Bird (+12), Rolley (+14).

Third round

Friday, 9 July 1971

Place	Player	Score	To par
1	Lee Trevino	69-70-69=208	−11
T2	Tony Jacklin	69-70-70=209	−10
	Lu Liang-Huan	70-70-69=209
T4	Craig Defoy	72-72-68=212	−7
	Gary Player	71-70-71=212
T6	Roberto De Vicenzo	71-70-72=213	−6
	Dale Hayes	71-72-70=213
	Peter Oosterhuis	76-71-66=213
T9	Jack Nicklaus	71-71-72=214	−5
	Ramón Sota	72-72-70=214

Source:
Amateurs: Bonallack (−2), Melnyk (+4).

Final round

Saturday, 10 July 1971

Place	Player	Score	To par	Money (£)
1	Lee Trevino	69-70-69-70=278	−14	5,500
2	Lu Liang-Huan	70-70-69-70=279	−13	4,000
3	Tony Jacklin	69-70-70-71=280	−12	3,250
4	Craig Defoy	72-72-68-69=281	−11	2,750
T5	Charles Coody	74-71-70-68=283	−9	2,300
	Jack Nicklaus	71-71-72-69=283
T7	Billy Casper	70-72-75-67=284	−8	1,775
	Gary Player	71-70-71-72=284
T9	Doug Sanders	73-71-74-67=285	−7	1,550
	Peter Thomson	70-73-73-69=285

Source:
Amateurs: Bonallack (−1), Melnyk (+6)

• The exchange rate at the time was approximately 2.41 dollars (US) per pound sterling.

References

1. ^ "Media guide". The Open Championship. 2011. pp. 65, 203. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
2. ^ Jacobs, Raymond (12 July 1971). "Trevino adds British title to US and Canadian opens". Glasgow Herald. p. 4.
3. ^ Veysey, Arthur (11 July 1971). "Trevino holds on, wins British Open". The Chicago Tribune. p. 1, sec. 2.
4. ^ Jenkins, Dan (19 July 1972). "Now for the Mexican Open". Sports Illustrated. p. 12.
5. Tupper, Fred (11 July 1971). "Trevino wins British Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). (New York Times). p. 1B.
6. "Card of course". Glasgow Herald. 7 July 1971. p. 6.
7. ^ Jacobs, Raymond (10 July 1971). "Trevino heckled as he takes Open lead with inward 33". Glasgow Herald. p. 4.
8. Jacobs, Raymond (8 July 1971). "Jacklin regains form and shares Open lead with a 69". Glasgow Herald. p. 6.
9. Jacobs, Raymond (9 July 1971). "Eagle 3 on the 18th puts Trevino level with Tony Jacklin". Glasgow Herald. p. 6.
10. "1971 Open Championship results". databasegolf.com. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
11. "British Open scores". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. 11 July 1971. p. 4B.
12. "Eurodollar rates ease in quiet trading". Glasgow Herald. 10 July 1971. p. 3.

External links

• 1971 - Royal Birkdale (Official site)

53°37′19″N 3°01′59″W / 53.622°N 3.033°W / 53.622; -3.033

• The Open Championship
• Golf tournaments in England
• 1971 in golf
• 1971 in English sport
• July 1971 sports events in the United Kingdom