1972 Open Championship: Lee Trevino wins at Muirfield
Lee Trevino won the 1972 Open Championship at Muirfield, Gullane, Scotland with 278 (−6), by 1 stroke over Jack Nicklaus.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1972 in The Open room, or every year on The Open winners list.
- Dates
- 12 July 1972 to 15 July 1972
- Course
- Muirfield, Gullane, Scotland
- Edition
- 101st Open Championship
- Format
- 72 holes of stroke play
- Par
- 71
- Field
- 153
- Made the cut
- 64 (cut at 152)
- Purse
- £50,000 · winner's share £5,500
- Trophy
- Claret Jug (replica to winner)
- Champion
- Lee Trevino · age 32 · USA · born Dallas, USA
- Champion's title
- 2nd Open title
- Winning score
- 71-70-66-71 = 278 (−6) · won by 1 stroke
- Runner-up
- Jack Nicklaus (279)
- 54-hole leader
- Lee Trevino (207)
- Deciding hole
- No. 17, round 4
- Caddie
- Willie Aitchison
Top 10 as recorded
| Pos. | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee Trevino | 71 | 70 | 66 | 71 | 278 | −6 |
| 2 | Jack Nicklaus | 70 | 72 | 71 | 66 | 279 | −5 |
| 3 | Tony Jacklin | 69 | 72 | 67 | 72 | 280 | −4 |
| 4 | Doug Sanders | 71 | 71 | 69 | 70 | 281 | −3 |
| 5 | Brian Barnes | 71 | 72 | 69 | 71 | 283 | −1 |
| 6 | Gary Player | 71 | 71 | 76 | 67 | 285 | +1 |
| T7 | David Vaughan | 74 | 73 | 70 | 69 | 286 | +2 |
| T7 | Tom Weiskopf | 73 | 74 | 70 | 69 | 286 | +2 |
| T7 | Arnold Palmer | 73 | 73 | 69 | 71 | 286 | +2 |
| T7 | Guy Hunt | 75 | 72 | 67 | 72 | 286 | +2 |
What happened at the 1972 Open Championship
At the par-5 17th in the final round, Trevino was off the green in four and chipped in for a par. Jacklin then three-putted for bogey and lost the lead.
Nicklaus, chasing a third straight major of 1972, closed with a 66 to post 279 and finished one short.
Tied with Jacklin at the par-5 17th, Trevino chipped in from off the green for a par 5 after being off the green in four, while Jacklin three-putted for bogey ("a cruel blow to Jacklin").
How this was built
Every value is shown as recorded in GNN's The Open data. A value no source confirmed is left out; nothing is estimated. Where sources disagree, the organizer's own record is used.
Data: the-open.json (The Open room's data), with GNN's Open Championship addendum tables L (top ten by round), H (deciding hole), W (final-day weather).