The 78th Open | 1949 Royal St George's

Bradshaw's bad broken-bottle break

Harry Bradshaw was beaten by Bobby Locke in a play-off at The 78th Open, but the Irishman could well have won outright if not for an extraordinary incident in the second round.

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Most golfers will be very familiar with the phrase "play the ball as it lies", but Bradshaw took things to extremes after his ball ended up in the bottom of a broken beer bottle in the rough on Royal St George's fifth hole.

Not realising he was entitled to a free drop, Bradshaw made the remarkable decision to swing at the bottle, advancing his ball a short distance in the process. He ended up taking a six and was left to rue the impact of that hole when he finished the Championship tied with Locke.

Their 36-hole play-off proved one-sided, Locke shooting 135 to beat Bradshaw by 12 and become the first Champion Golfer from South Africa.