| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 3–5 July 1946 |
| Location | St Andrews, Scotland |
| Course | Old Course at St Andrews |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 73[1][2] |
| Length | 6,863 yards (6,276 m) |
| Field | 100, 38 after cut[3] |
| Cut | 156 (+10)[3] |
| Prize fund | £1,000[3] $4,000 |
| Winner's share | £150[3] $600 |
| Champion | |
 Sam Snead | |
| 290 (−2) | |
The1946 Open Championship was the 75thOpen Championship,[4] played 3–5 July at theOld Course atSt Andrews, Scotland. Due toWorld War II, it was the first Open since1939, also held at St Andrews.Sam Snead won his only Open title, four strokes ahead of runners-upJohnny Bulla andBobby Locke.[5][6][7] It was the first win by an American in thirteen years and the second of Snead's sevenmajor titles. Four Americans were in the field of 100;[8] the three that made the cut all finished in the top ten.[6]
Qualifying took place on 1–2 July, Monday and Tuesday, with 18 holes on the Old Course and 18 holes on the New Course.[9][10] The number of qualifiers was limited to a maximum of 100, ties for 100th place would not qualify.[11] The qualifying score was 159 and exactly 100 players qualified. The AustralianNorman Von Nida led the qualifiers at 145.[12][13] The maximum number of players making the cut after 36 holes was set at forty and ties for 40th place did not make the cut.[11]
In his second Open Championship appearance and first since1937, Snead did not endear himself to the St Andrews crowd on arrival. His first impression of the course was "It looks like an old abandoned kinda place," ensuring a cold reception at the start of the tournament. He opened with a round of 71, two behind the lead of Locke, who led by one fromHenry Cotton and Von Nida.[14][15] Cotton took the lead after 36-holes with consecutive rounds of 70, one ahead of Snead and two ahead ofDai Rees.[1][16]
Snead, Bulla, and Rees were tied for the lead at 215 (−4) going into the final round on Friday afternoon, with Cotton one behind.[2] Snead best navigated the strong winds of the final round; after dropping four shots on the front-nine, he was able to use his length and accuracy to record a 35 on the back for a round of 75 and a 290 total. Locke moved into second with a 76, while Bulla finished with a 79 to tie Locke for third place.[3][5][7] Rees tied for fourth with the help of a tournament record-tying round of 67 in the second round.
Snead's win here was his only Open Championship title and he played the tournament only three more times, not returning until1962. He was the first American to win the title sinceDenny Shute in1933. The next wasBen Hogan in1953 atCarnoustie in his only trip to Britain, then Arnold Palmer's consecutive wins in1961 and1962.
Dick Burton, the defending champion from1939, relinquished the trophy after seven years and finished in twelfth place.
Wednesday, 3 July 1946
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bobby Locke | 69 | −4 |
| T2 |  Henry Cotton | 70 | −3 |
 Norman Von Nida | |||
| T4 | Johnny Bulla | 71 | −2 |
| Bill Hancock | |||
| Joe Kirkwood Sr. | |||
| Sam Snead | |||
| Reg Whitcombe | |||
| 9 | Charlie Ward | 73 | E |
| T10 | Percy Alliss | 74 | +1 |
| Dick Burton |
Thursday, 4 July 1946
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henry Cotton | 70-70=140 | −6 |
| 2 | Sam Snead | 71-70=141 | −5 |
| 3 |  Dai Rees | 75-67=142 | −4 |
| T4 | Johnny Bulla | 71-72=143 | −3 |
| Bobby Locke | 69-74=143 | ||
| T6 | Percy Alliss | 74-72=146 | E |
| Joe Kirkwood Sr. | 71-75=146 | ||
| Norman Von Nida | 70-76=146 | ||
| Charlie Ward | 73-73=146 | ||
| 10 | Reg Whitcombe | 71-76=147 | +1 |
Friday, 5 July 1946 (morning)
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Johnny Bulla | 71-72-72=215 | −4 |
| Dai Rees | 75-67-73=215 | ||
| Sam Snead | 71-70-74=215 | ||
| 4 | Henry Cotton | 70-70-76=216 | −3 |
| 5 | Bobby Locke | 69-74-75=218 | −1 |
| 6 | Charlie Ward | 73-73-73=219 | E |
| 7 | Norman Von Nida | 70-76-74=220 | −1 |
| T8 |  Fred Daly | 77-71-76=224 | +5 |
| Joe Kirkwood Sr. | 71-75-78=224 | ||
| 10 | Lawson Little | 78-75-72=225 | +6 |
Friday, 5 July 1946 (afternoon)
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Snead | 71-70-74-75=290 | −2 | 150 |
| T2 | Johnny Bulla | 71-72-72-79=294 | +2 | 87 ½ |
| Bobby Locke | 69-74-75-76=294 | |||
| T4 | Henry Cotton | 70-70-76-79=295 | +3 | 26 ¼ |
| Dai Rees | 75-67-73-80=295 | |||
| Norman Von Nida | 70-76-74-75=295 | |||
| Charlie Ward | 73-73-73-76=295 | |||
| T8 | Fred Daly | 77-71-76-74=298 | +6 | 15 |
| Joe Kirkwood Sr. | 71-75-78-74=298 | |||
| 10 | Lawson Little | 78-75-72-74=299 | +7 |
Amateurs: Bell (+24), Wilson (+25), Dowie (+27), White (+28), Urry (+38).