A RARE gold medal, won by the great British golfer Sir Henry Cotton at the 1937 Open Golf Championship in Carnoustie, sold for £39,600 yesterday at Bonhams in Edinburgh.

A spokesperson for the auctioneers said, “Medals of this kind are rarely seen at auction, and it is particularly timely that this one should be sold as the Open returns to Carnoustie next week for the first time since 1999.”

Before the sale, the medal had been expected to fetch £25,000 to £30,000.

However, one determined collector ensured its price exceeded everyone’s expectations.

By 1934, when he won his first Open Championship, Henry Cotton was hailed as the best British professional golfer since “The Great Triumvirate” of J H Taylor, James Braid and Harry Vardon at the turn of the 20th century.

Cotton’s second win was in 1937 and the medals from these two victories were made into a bracelet worn by his wife Toots.