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The British Open : 1950s Trivia Quiz

The oldest major in men's golf is the Open Championship, generally referred to outside the UK as the British Open. This quiz features that tournament during the 1950's.

A multiple-choice quiz by Dizart. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
Dizart

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
392,195

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
8 / 10

Plays
240

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. In 1950, at Royal Troon, which southern hemisphere golfer successfully defended his title won the previous year? Hint

Roberto de Vicenzo

Bobby Locke

Norman Von Nida

Bill Shankland

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Question 2 of 10

2. Which course in Northern Ireland hosted the Open for the first time in 1951? Hint

Royal County Down

Royal Portrush

Portstewart

Moyola Park

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Question 3 of 10

3. In 1952, which English course hosted The Open Championship for the first time since 1926? Hint

Royal Lytham & St Annes

Wentworth

Sunningdale

Royal Mid-Surrey

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Question 4 of 10

4. In 1953, at Carnoustie, which American golfer added the British Open title to the Masters and US Open crowns that he had won earlier in the year? Hint

Sam Snead

Ben Hogan

Byron Nelson

Gene Sarazen

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Question 5 of 10

5. 1954 saw a first-ever Open championship for which English course? Hint

Royal Birkdale

Royal St George's

Royal Liverpool

Prince's Golf Club

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Question 6 of 10

6. The Open returned to the "home of golf", St Andrews, in 1955. Peter Thomson defended his title with a two stroke victory over which Scotsman? Hint

Tom Haliburton

Eric Brown

John Fallon

John Panton

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Question 7 of 10

7. The 1956 Open at Royal Liverpool saw Peter Thomson make it a hat-trick of titles with a three-shot victory over which player from continental Europe? Hint

Jean Garaialde

Alfonso Angelini

Flory Van Donck

Angel Miguel

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Question 8 of 10

8. The 1957 British Open was scheduled for Muirfield, near Edinburgh, but ended up being played at St Andrews. What was the unusual reason for the switch of venue? Hint

Earthquake in the Edinburgh area saw serious damage to the course

Unexploded World War 2 bomb unearthed at Muirfield

Petrol rationing because of the Suez Crisis

Muirfield refused to allow women members

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Question 9 of 10

9. In 1958, at Royal Lytham & St Annes, Peter Thomson won his fourth claret jug with a victory in a play-off over Dave Thomas of Wales. What format was used for the play-off back in '58? Hint

18-holes

Sudden Death

6-holes

36-holes

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Question 10 of 10

10. The final Open of the decade in 1959 saw a first claret jug for which legendary golfer? Hint

Gary Player

Jack Nicklaus

Arnold Palmer

Lee Trevino

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In 1950, at Royal Troon, which southern hemisphere golfer successfully defended his title won the previous year?

Answer: Bobby Locke

Bobby Locke, from South Africa, had won his first Open in 1949 at Royal St George's, and successfully defended the title in 1950. He shot a then-record score of 279 to finish two shots ahead of Argentina's Roberto de Vicenzo.

2. Which course in Northern Ireland hosted the Open for the first time in 1951?

Answer: Royal Portrush

1951 was the first time the Open was held in Northern Ireland, with Royal Portrush in County Antrim being the venue. The champion was Englishman Max Faulkner, by two strokes from Antonio Cerda of Argentina.

3. In 1952, which English course hosted The Open Championship for the first time since 1926?

Answer: Royal Lytham & St Annes

Royal Lytham & St Annes, which is located in Lancashire near the seaside resort of Blackpool, was the setting for Bobby Locke to win his third Open title. Fred Daly of Northern Ireland led after each of the first three rounds, but ended up in third place. None of the other options hosted a British Open in the 20th century.

4. In 1953, at Carnoustie, which American golfer added the British Open title to the Masters and US Open crowns that he had won earlier in the year?

Answer: Ben Hogan

In 1953, Hogan came to Carnoustie, near the city of Dundee, having already won the Masters and US Open. A final round of 68 saw him finish four shots clear of the field. It wasn't possible for him to complete a "grand slam" of all four majors in a year because the PGA Championship was actually held over the same dates as the British Open.

5. 1954 saw a first-ever Open championship for which English course?

Answer: Royal Birkdale

Royal Birkdale is located in Southport, Lancashire, a few miles from the city of Liverpool. The 1954 Open there saw the beginning of an era of domination by Australian golfer Peter Thomson, who won by a single stroke from Dai Rees, Bobby Locke and Syd Scott.
The other three options had all hosted the Open at least once prior to 1954.

6. The Open returned to the "home of golf", St Andrews, in 1955. Peter Thomson defended his title with a two stroke victory over which Scotsman?

Answer: John Fallon

At that time, the Open was concluded on the Friday with two rounds. Thomson went into the final day tied for the lead with Eric Brown and Dennis Smalldon. The morning round saw him take the outright lead by a single stroke from Frank Jowie, and a level par 72 in the afternoon round was enough for him to retain his claret jug by two strokes from John Fallon.
[ the 1954 Open championship was played at Royal Birkdale in South Liverpool ]

7. The 1956 Open at Royal Liverpool saw Peter Thomson make it a hat-trick of titles with a three-shot victory over which player from continental Europe?

Answer: Flory Van Donck

Thomson became the first player to win three successive British Opens since Robert Ferguson between 1880-82. He finished the tournament three strokes ahead of Belgium's Van Donck.

8. The 1957 British Open was scheduled for Muirfield, near Edinburgh, but ended up being played at St Andrews. What was the unusual reason for the switch of venue?

Answer: Petrol rationing because of the Suez Crisis

The Suez Crisis of 1956 saw petrol rationing in the UK which continued through to 1957. The R&A decided to move the tournament to St Andrews, which still had its own railway station at the time, in order to encourage larger crowds. The tournament itself saw Bobby Locke win his fourth claret jug with a three stroke victory over Peter Thomson.
Footnote: Muirfield did indeed have a male-only membership policy, which wasn't lifted until 2017, but that didn't stop it from being awarded numerous Open Championships in the intervening years.

9. In 1958, at Royal Lytham & St Annes, Peter Thomson won his fourth claret jug with a victory in a play-off over Dave Thomas of Wales. What format was used for the play-off back in '58?

Answer: 36-holes

The play-off at that time was a whopping 36 holes, played over the Saturday morning and afternoon. Thomson held a narrow one stroke lead after the morning session, and extended that to four by the end of the afternoon.

10. The final Open of the decade in 1959 saw a first claret jug for which legendary golfer?

Answer: Gary Player

St Andrews was the original host of the 1959 Open, but the event was moved to Muirfield to redress the events of 1957. Gary Player was four shots off the lead going into the final round, but a 68 on Friday afternoon saw the South African win by two strokes from Flory Van Donck and Fred Bullock.

Source: Author Dizart

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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Related Quizzes

This quiz is part of series British Open by Decade:

A set of quizzes on the (British) Open Championship, the oldest golf major in the world.

  1. The British Open : 1960s Average
  2. The British Open: 1970s Average
  3. The British Open: 1980s Average
  4. The British Open : 1990s Average
  5. The British Open: 2000s Easier
  6. The British Open : 1950s Average
  7. The British Open : 2010s Average