Who was the first golfer to win The Open in back-to-back years after 1900?

James Braid was the first golfer after 1900 to win The Open in back-to-back years, taking the title in 1905 and 1906.

Braid won the 1905 championship at the Old Course in St Andrews, defeating Rowland Jones and John Henry Taylor by five strokes. The following year he successfully defended the title at Muirfield, finishing four strokes ahead of Taylor. Those victories made him the first post-1900 repeat champion in consecutive editions.

Braid's achievement belongs to a long tradition of Open champions winning in successive years. John Henry Taylor had done so in 1894 and 1895, while Harry Vardon won in 1898 and 1899. Because both streaks ended before the 20th century, neither golfer fits the wording of this question.

Braid ultimately won The Open five times: 1901, 1905, 1906, 1908 and 1910. His five victories placed him among the championship's most successful early-era players and tied him with Taylor and Peter Thomson for the total at that time.