1891 - 1898 - 1891 – 1898

1893

The Amateur Championship is again held at Prestwick and is won by P C Anderson of St Andrews who is a 2 hole winner against the luckless J E Laidlay.

This championship, the second to be played over 72 holes, was the one in which Harry Vardon and J H Taylor made their debut. It was won by Willie Auchterlonie, a St Andrews clubmaker, the last home-based Scot to take the title (until Paul Lawrie in 1999). Following several days of assiduous practice, Auchterlonie won by two strokes from amateur J E Laidlay, with a score of 322.

1898

A close fought contest between Willie Park Jnr, winner in 1887 and 1889, and Harry Vardon of Ganton, winner in 1896, was decided at the final hole when Park, with the reputation of being “dead” from six feet, missed from three feet for a tie after Vardon had got down with a difficult pitch and a putt of eight feet for his par. This was Vardon’s second Open win and the first of three that he achieved at Prestwick. New conditions were introduced to exclude all players who were 20 strokes or more behind the leader after two rounds, an exception being made, if the case arose, to allow a minimum of 32 professionals to compete in the final two rounds.