1983 Open Championship: Tom Watson wins at Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Tom Watson won the 1983 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England with 275 (−9), by 1 stroke over Andy Bean and Hale Irwin.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1983 in The Open room, or every year on The Open winners list.
- Dates
- 14 July 1983 to 17 July 1983
- Course
- Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England
- Edition
- 112th Open Championship
- Format
- 72 holes of stroke play
- Par
- 71
- Field
- 151
- Made the cut
- 63 (cut at 146)
- Purse
- £310,000 · winner's share £40,000
- Trophy
- Claret Jug (replica to winner)
- Champion
- Tom Watson · age 33 · USA · born Kansas City, USA
- Champion's title
- 5th Open title
- Winning score
- 67-68-70-70 = 275 (−9) · won by 1 stroke
- Runners-up
- Andy Bean (276), Hale Irwin (276)
- 54-hole leader
- Tom Watson (205)
- Deciding hole
- No. 18, round 4
- Caddie
- Alfie Fyles
Top 11 as recorded
| Pos. | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Watson | 67 | 68 | 70 | 70 | 275 | −9 |
| T2 | Hale Irwin | 69 | 68 | 72 | 67 | 276 | −8 |
| T2 | Andy Bean | 70 | 69 | 70 | 67 | 276 | −8 |
| 4 | Graham Marsh | 69 | 70 | 74 | 64 | 277 | −7 |
| 5 | Lee Trevino | 69 | 66 | 73 | 70 | 278 | −6 |
| T6 | Seve Ballesteros | 71 | 71 | 69 | 68 | 279 | −5 |
| T6 | Harold Henning | 71 | 69 | 70 | 69 | 279 | −5 |
| T8 | Bill Rogers | 67 | 71 | 73 | 69 | 280 | −4 |
| T8 | Denis Durnian | 73 | 66 | 74 | 67 | 280 | −4 |
| T8 | Nick Faldo | 68 | 68 | 71 | 73 | 280 | −4 |
| T8 | Christy O'Connor Jr | 72 | 69 | 71 | 68 | 280 | −4 |
What happened at the 1983 Open Championship
On the 14th green in round 3, Hale Irwin whiffed a 2-inch tap-in completely, and he finished one stroke behind.
At the 72nd hole (18th, 473 yards), Watson hit a 2-iron from about 210-218 yards to within 15 feet and two-putted for par to win.
Needing a par at the last, Watson hit a 2-iron of about 210–218 yards to within 15 feet on Birkdale's 473-yard 18th and two-putted for a one-shot win.
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).