The Open golf (or the British Open if you’re American) is the greatest of the four majors. Dating back to 1860 it is the tournament the defines a career – if you win it you’ve made it, if not you’ll always have something missing. All of the great golfers have tested themselves on the links courses of Britain and most have risen to the challenge.
It’s difficult to select only five great moments from the history of this wonderful event, but that’s what I’ve tried to do in this blog. I may add more in time, but for now see whether you think I’ve included your favourite moments from the Open.
6. The rebuild – Nick Faldo records 18 straight pars to win, Muirfield 1987
“He hung in when others would have dropped out. Come hell or high water he was determined to get it right.” David Leadbetter on Nick Faldo
For a late starter (he started playing golf aged 14), Nick Faldo was an incredibly fast developer. With only three years of golf under his belt, he qualified for the English Amateur championship, and just one year later he had captured both that title and the British Youths Open Amateur. He turned pro as a 19-year-old, and starred in his first Ryder Cup in 1977 aged only 20. The then-youngest player ever to be selected won three points out of three, including a fourball win over Jack Nicklaus and a scarcely believable singles win over Open Champion Tom Watson. Within six years he had won 10 European Tour events, including three PGA Championships, and been crowned 1983 Order of Merit winner.
Most golfers would have considered that things were going pretty well, but not Faldo. He had set his sights on winning Majors and on becoming the best golfer in the world, and judged that his all-round game was not strong enough to achieve this. He had recorded five consecutive top 12 finishes in the Open without winning, plus he had made little impact in the US, so he embarked on a radical reconstruction of his swing.
Faldo chose a then little-known coach, David Leadbetter, to help him rebuild his game. Initial results were unpromising. In 1985 he failed to win any tournaments and finished outside the top 20 in each of the three Majors he contested. In 1986 he managed to finish fifth in the Open, but again went through the season without winning a title. Many thought he had gone too far with his swing changes, and killed the talent that had brought him his incredible early success.
We know now, of course, that he had not, and that instead he had painstakingly laid the foundations for becoming Britain’s most successful golfer of modern times. Things started to click into place in 1987. After a slow start to the season, he placed fourth in the Madrid Open then third in the Italian Open, before his big breakthrough, a win in May in the Spanish Open, his first title for three years. He continued to place reasonably well (without winning) in the run-up to the Open so must have felt he was competitive. The bookies gave him a chance, but as an outsider at 33-1.
Faldo showed at Muirfield that all the work he had put into his game was worth it. He kicked off with an impressive three-under 68 (which should perhaps have been better after he started with three birdies) then followed it up with a 69 and an even-par 71 in conditions that were very tough for scoring. He entered the final round tied for second, one behind American Paul Azinger, and alongside a strong leaderboard featuring Tom Watson, Ray Floyd and Payne Stewart amongst others.
Faldo’s final round was spectacular for its unspectacularness. He came to the turn in even par having recorded nine straight pars (albeit he did need sand saves on both seven and eight). This kept him in contention with Azinger who, playing in the group behind Faldo, had gone out in two under to stretch his lead to three. Both, though, still had to negotiate the back nine on a Majors Sunday, arguably the ultimate examination of mental strength and technique.
Faldo was up to the test. Unflappable and, demonstrating total confidence in his new swing, he rolled out par after par. Azinger, meanwhile, faltered, bogeys on 10 and 11 cutting his lead to just one shot. When he came to the 17th he still led by one, but he bogeyed here while Faldo, one hole ahead on the final green, was nervelessly rolling in a five-footer for par to complete a round of 18 straight pars. All square now with Faldo in the clubhouse and Azinger needing a par to make a play-off. The American cracked, pulling his approach into a bunker from which he failed to get up and down. Faldo was the 1987 Open Champion.
Faldo’s ability to deliver a round of 18 pars under intense pressure utterly vindicated his decision to rebuild his game, and was testament to his immense dedication and drive. He, of course, went on to even greater things with two more Opens and three Masters. Stephen Pye of The Guardian put it nicely when he wrote that at Muirfield Faldo “left the ranks of good to become truly great.”
5. The nearly fairy tale – Tom Watson almost wins the Open at 59 – Turnberry, 2009
“It would have been a hell of a story, wouldn’t it?” Tom Watson 2009
Over the last 125 years of golf, there have been precisely eight golfers who have won a PGA Tour event after the age of 50. Of these, the oldest was the legendary Sam Snead who won the Greater Greensboro in 1965 aged just under 53. In 2009, one man came close to smashing Snead’s record by winning the Open at the impossible age of 59! That man was Tom Watson.
Watson, of course, had some pedigree on the links courses of Great Britain. He had won five Open Championships, each at a different venue, plus four other top 10s. Add to this his three other majors and countless top 10 major finishes and you had one of the greatest golfers of the 20th century. By 2009, though, his best years were a long way behind him. His last major win had been 26 years previously and he had finished in the top 10 of the Open only once in two decades. His appearances were more like that of a tribute band than of the real thing.
All this changed in four magical days at Turnberry, the scene of Watson’s epic victory over Jack Nicklaus 32 years earlier. Good conditions on day one saw Watson record a bogey-free five-under 65 to lie joint second. The 1500-1 rank outsider was in the places but surely it could not last. It could. When the weather worsened on days two and three, Watson’s game remained rock steady and, to everybody’s surprise, he led the field by a stroke going into the final day.
Watson stuttered a little at the start of his fourth round with two bogeys in the first three holes, but then managed to steady the ship. Plotting his way intelligently around the course and doing his best to avoid trouble, he remained in serious contention. Other players climbed the leaderboard, but then fell away just as quickly. He stayed calm and near the top. Incredibly, a birdie on the penultimate hole meant that Watson teed off on the 18th needing only a par to win the tournament.
Nerveless, he hit a nice drive to find the right side of the fairway. From 187 yards and with the wind behind, he chose 8-iron for his second. He struck it beautifully and the ball pitched on the front of the green. It looked perfect, but it kept rolling and rolling, past the pin then off the back of the green to finish in a collar of rough. A par was still on, if Watson could get up and down, but he was a little too firm with his approach putt. He was faced with an 8-footer for the title. Putting had been his achilles heel in his later years, and this effort never gave the ball a chance. A bogey meant a play-off with Stewart Cink that a tired Watson was unable to get himself up for.
The whole golfing world, with the possible exception of the Cink family, had been willing Watson to win. Sadly, he did not manage, but for four days the greatest links player of the 20th century had reminded us of his brilliance.
4. The one and only – Ben Hogan wins on his only Open appearance – Carnoustie, 1953
The question this time is not “Who will win?” but “Can Hogan win?” – Glasgow Herald Jul 5 1953
In 1949 the best golfer of the era, Ben Hogan, was involved in a horrific car accident. A Greyhound bus driving towards him collided head-on with his vehicle, and he would have been killed had he not thrown himself across the car to protect his wife. As it was, the accident left the 36-year-old with terrible injuries that not only threatened to end his golf career, but also threatened his life.
Hogan did survive, though, and after 59 days in hospital was able to return home to dedicate himself to recovering his fitness. Always a hard worker – it was said that he had ‘invented practice’ – he also set about restoring his ability to compete at the sport he excelled at. It did not take long. In little more than a year he had placed fourth in the Masters and won the US Open despite having to play 36 holes on the final day.
Playing far fewer tournaments after his accident, and focusing almost exclusively on the majors, brought Hogan more success than he had had before. He won the duo of Masters and US Open in 1951, then repeated the act in 1953. At 40 he now had eight majors, but his cabinet still lacked one essential trophy, the Claret Jug. Coveted by golfers across the world, Hogan had never bothered to compete in the Open. He decided to break his duck in his annus mirabilis. There were two minor issues for him to overcome if he was to win – first, he had never previously played links golf in the UK and second, the ball used in Britain was smaller than that used in the US (1.62” diameter compared to 1.68”).
Not one to do things by halves, Hogan set about addressing these gaps in his experience. Flying to Scotland two weeks before the tournament, he set himself up at nearby Panmure Golf Club with only English caddie, Cecil Timms, for company. He was clearly a quick learner. He managed to qualify for the tournament (it was required even for the world’s best overseas players) then went to take on Carnoustie. Over the four days, Hogan simply got better and better. A 73 on the first day was followed by a 71, a 70, then finally a 68. His final score of 282 was good enough for a four-shot victory and his third major of the calendar year.
Although he came close to winning others, the 1953 Open was to be Hogan’s last major. And it was to be his only visit to the Open. British fans would have liked to have seen him more, but those who did saw a champion golfer in every sense of the word.
https://thejourney.theopen.com/1953
3. The final round to end all final rounds – Stenson scales unprecedented heights to beat Mickelson – Royal Troon, 2016
“Henrik, you’re one of the best long iron players in the history of the game. The best I’ve ever seen. You’re going to win your major,“ – Phil Mickelson to Henrik Stenson at the US Open 2016.
Phil Mickelson is by any measure one of the greatest golfers of all time. His 45 wins on the PGA tour include six major championships – three Masters, two PGA Championships and one Open, and his PGA win in 2021 made him the oldest major winner in history, at almost 51 years old. Despite his massive success, though, he can claim to have been a little unlucky in his career. Had he not been around in the era of a certain Tiger Woods, he may well have dominated the sport for years and won many more majors. It was not Woods, however, who denied him the 2016 Open, it was a 40-year-old Swede playing the most inspired golf of his life.
The Swede, Henrik Stenson, was an extremely good golfer. Winner of numerous events across the world, he seemed to find his best golf in his mid-late 30s. He won the Race to Dubai and the FedEx Cup in 2013 and reached his highest world ranking of number two the following year. He had contended strongly in majors but never quite got over the line. If he was to win one, it was perhaps the Open that presented his best opportunity – he had two third place finishes and a runners-up, to Mickelson, behind him when he came to Royal Troon in 2016.
The American got off to a flier, a round of 63 equalling the lowest ever at the Open. Stenson then countered with a 65 in the second, before the two pulled away from the field in the third. On a tough day for scoring, neither seemed especially flustered by the conditions and they ended the day five ahead of third-placed Bill Haas with Stenson one shot ahead of Mickelson.
The final day saw thrust and counter-thrust with both golfers at the peak of their powers and attacking the pin on almost every hole. The round started with a rare bogey for Stenson, and Mickelson snatched the lead with a birdie. If Stenson was shaken it did not show. Five birdies in seven holes took him to 16-under at the turn, but this was not enough to shake off Mickelson who had an eagle and another birdie of his own. The two were getting looks at birdie on almost every hole and converting most. A second bogey, though, for Stenson saw Mickelson draw level and they came to the 14th tee all square.
Unfortunately for the American, Stenson went on one of those spurts when the putter gets red hot. He sunk a 20-footer on the 14th, a 50-footer on the 15th and a tricky 5-footer on the 16th. To cap it all, he drained a 20-footer on the last. Despite playing a superb bogey-free final round of 65, Mickelson had come up three shots short of the Swede.
Stenson’s 63 was the lowest final round in an Open, his 20-under a record for the Open and his total score (264) a new record for any major. Was scoring especially easy? No so. In third place came JB Holmes, a distant 11 shots behind Mickelson. For four glorious days, the Swede and the American played a different game to everyone else. Mickelson was brilliant, but Stenson just a little more brilliant.
https://www.theopen.com/latest/stenson-mickelson-hole-by-hole-2016-royal-troon
2. The swashbuckling Spaniard – Seve arrives as a champion – Royal Lytham, 1979
“The Gods are smiling on this young man today … he’s been rather wayward and got away with it all so far” – Peter Alliss
There is some debate as to whether Severiano Ballesteros is the best European golfer of the last half century. Nick Faldo won six majors to Seve’s five, and Rory McIlroy now has the career Grand Slam. There can be little debate, however, as to who was the most popular and well-loved. The charismatic Spaniard played with passion and creativity, always attacked the course and consistently conjured up the unlikeliest of escapes. Seve was the golfer most of us dreamed we might be.
He had announced himself at the Open aged only 19 at Birkdale in 1976, when he led through each of the first three rounds and finished second, behind only an inspired Johnny Miller. When he arrived at Royal Lytham three years on, he was yet to win his first major but was certainly counted among the favourites.
His first round was unexceptional, but a round two best of 65 brought him right back into contention. In tough conditions for scoring, his third round 75 was not too damaging, so he entered the final day only two off the lead. The driver was rarely Seve’s friend and a more cautious player might have left it in the bag on the final day. Not Seve. He kept using it from the tee, despite missing the fairway almost every time he did so. From hole 12 onwards he was constantly in trouble. But Seve’s superpower was his ability to visualise seemingly impossible shots, then go on to execute them.
On 12 from well out to the right he made a superb up-and-down. On 13 he putted in from off the green. On 15 there was another unlikely rescue, this time from wide on the left. On 16, Seve entered golfing folklore. He drove miles right to finish in the car park underneath a car. Fortunately, he was entitled to a free drop, and after a tidy pitch he sank a 20-foot putt for the unlikeliest of birdies. There was still time for him to miss the green on 17 and drive into the crowd on 18, but in both cases he escaped with par. His roller-coaster 70 was enough to bring him a three-shot victory.
Seve would go on to claim two more Opens and two Masters, all in his customary swashbuckling style. He would, of course, lose others due to his unwillingness to compromise. But, like Arnold Palmer before him, he won the hearts of the golf-watching public for always going for it and never holding back. He will never be forgotten.
https://www.theopen.com/latest/seve-story-of-1979
1. The Duel in the Sun – Watson and Nicklaus battle it out down the straight – Turnberry, 1977
“This is what it’s all about, isn’t it?” – Tom Watson to Jack Nicklaus on the 16th tee, final round
In July 1977 Turnberry (now disappointingly ‘Trump Turnberry’) hosted the Open for the very first time. The 1977 Open pitted two of the greatest golfers of all time against each other. In the right corner, Jack Nicklaus, 37 years old, with 14 majors including a career grand slam already under his belt and still very much in his prime. In the left, 27-year-old Tom Watson, pretender to Nicklaus’s crown and already with two majors to his name. The two produced golf of the very highest quality, and delivered the most compelling drama seen before or since on a golf course.
The first two days were all about getting into position. Both Nicklaus and Watson scored 68 then 70 to lie one shot off the halfway lead. Day three saw them break free from the pack. On ‘moving day’ both recorded 5-under-par 65s to open up a three-stroke lead on the field.
The final day, Saturday, was visited by the same fine sunshine that had blessed Turnberry throughout the tournament, but with a slightly brisker wind. Nicklaus got off to the better start, two birdies in the first four against a Watson bogey, taking him into a three-shot lead. Watson though hit straight back with unanswered birdies on 5, 7 and 8. Nicklaus was stung, but a birdie on 12 and another Watson bogey saw him take back the lead. Watson though hit straight back with a birdie and was one shot behind as they arrived at the 15th.
The 209-yd par 3 is called ‘Ca Canny’ which means ‘Go Carefully’. Watson’s tee shot was perhaps a little too careful and finished some 60ft from the pin just off the green. Nicklaus’s tee shot was better and left him with a very makeable birdie opportunity. Against all the odds, Watson’s long putt slammed into the pin and dropped (it would have gone at least 10 feet past had it missed) and a rattled Nicklaus missed his. All square with three to play.
The 16th was uneventful but on 17 something most unusual happened. Nicklaus cracked, or least showed signs of being a mere mortal. A shortish par 5, the 17th offers a cast-iron birdie opportunity. While Watson claimed his birdie easily, Nicklaus scrambled. It took a superb recovery with his third shot to give himself a decent look at birdie, but to the surprise of all those watching he missed the putt. On the 18th he again faltered, a wild drive seeing his tee shot come to rest in thick rough. Watson, meanwhile, found the centre of the fairway, followed up with a stunning 7-iron to within three feet of the hole. Any other golfer would have shown the white flag, but not Nicklaus. From a seemingly unplayable lie, he took an almighty swish and managed not only got his ball out of the rough but also, incredibly, to find the green. He still had an unlikely 32-foot putt to put Watson under any sort of pressure, but like the true champion he was, he drained it. Watson, with the whole golfing world holding its collective breath, stood over his 30” putt and sank it. Tom had beaten Jack by a single shot.
The two had been competing in a different game to everyone else. Nicklaus finished 10 shots ahead of next-placed Hubert Green and his losing score of 269 would have won every other Open by at least seven shots. Both would go on to win more Opens and other majors, but none would be as dramatic as their tussle at Turnberry.
https://www.theopen.com/latest/duel-in-the-sun-nicklaus-vs-watson-at-the-106th-open