Who did Jock Hutchison beat in a playoff to win The Open Championship in 1921?

Jock Hutchison beat Roger Wethered in a playoff to win The Open Championship in 1921. Their deciding contest followed a tie at 296 after four rounds at the Old Course in St Andrews.

The playoff lasted 36 holes on 25 June. Hutchison shot 74 in the morning and 76 in the afternoon for 150, while Wethered recorded 77 and 82 for 159. Hutchison therefore won by nine strokes and claimed his only Open Championship.

Wethered was an amateur and had been scheduled to play cricket, so he reportedly had to be persuaded to remain at St Andrews for the playoff. Hutchison, a St Andrews native who had moved to the United States and become a citizen there, was widely described as the first American champion of The Open, although he was Scottish-born.

Abe Mitchell, George Duncan and Ted Ray were all notable golfers of the period, but none was Hutchison’s playoff opponent in 1921. The victory was Hutchison’s second major title, following his 1920 PGA Championship win.