It is nearly a century since an amateur won The Open Championship, with Bobby Jones winning the Claret Jug for a third time when he triumphed at Royal Liverpool in 1930.
There have been some remarkable performances from amateurs at The Open Championship in the years since. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are among those who won the Silver Medal, while Jordan Niebrugge broke the record for the lowest score by an amateur in 2015.
That week at St Andrews was, as it turns out, a very good week for the amateurs.
Five made the cut at the Old Course, with Niebrugge ending up in a tie for sixth. Ashley Chesters and Ollie Schniederjans finished tied for 12th.
Funnily enough, however, it had been another amateur that week who became the first to lead The Open after three rounds since 1927.
The amateur golfer who led The Open Championship after three rounds at St Andrews
Paul Dunne earned his spot in the field through qualifying at Woburn. Two-time US Open champion Retief Goosen earned his ticket at the same venue.
Dunne had missed the cut the previous year at Hoylake – the site of Jones’ win 84 years earlier. But he started well on the east coast of Scotland, posting two rounds of 69 to make the cut.
A 66 on Saturday meant that he was tied for the lead with Louis Oosthuizen and Jason Day. He had played the third round alongside Oosthuizen, with the South African lauding his performance.
“He’s played unbelievable. That second shot on 17 was one of the best I’ve seen. I think he made me so nervous on my second shot because I was going the complete different route, low, running up there, and I tugged it a little bit to the left. But it was an amazing shot. He deserved to birdie that,” he said.
Unfortunately for Dunne, he shot a 78 in the final round to end up in a tie for 30th. He made six bogeys and a double bogey as Zach Johnson went on to win his second major title.
Dunne would turn professional later in the year, with the high point of his career coming in 2017 as he won the British Masters by three shots over Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy was full of praise for Dunne after his final round of 61 at Close House.
“Incredible, to shoot 61 to win his first Tour event, it’s incredibly impressive. I’m happy for him, as well. He works hard on his game. Every time I’m out practicing or on the putting green, the chipping green, he’s always there and he’s always working hard. So it’s very well deserved,” he said.
That remains Dunne’s most recent victory, while he is yet to secure a better finish in a major than his performance at The Open in 2015.
The major champion Paul Dunne now caddies for
Dunne last played on the DP World Tour in 2022, while he has since played a number of events on the HotelPlanner Tour – the second tier of European golf.
More recently however, Dunne has been caddying for Georgia Hall, including this week at the Women’s Scottish Open at Dundonald Links.
And ahead of the event, the pair announced their engagement on social media.
Of course, Hall is a major champion, having won the Women’s British Open in 2018 at Lytham St Annes. The pair will be hoping that she will be able to double her tally of major victories in the coming days, with The Open heading to Porthcawl next week.
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