1998 Open Championship: Mark O'Meara wins at Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Mark O'Meara won the 1998 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England with 280 (E), beating Brian Watts in a playoff.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1998 in The Open room, or every year on The Open winners list.
- Dates
- 16 July 1998 to 19 July 1998
- Course
- Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England
- Edition
- 127th Open Championship
- Format
- 72 holes of stroke play
- Par
- 70
- Field
- 156
- Made the cut
- 81 (cut at 146)
- Purse
- £1,800,000 · winner's share £300,000
- Trophy
- Claret Jug (replica to winner)
- Champion
- Mark O'Meara · age 41 · USA · born Goldsboro, USA
- Champion's title
- 1st Open title
- Winning score
- 72-68-72-68 = 280 (E)
- Runner-up
- Brian Watts (280)
- 54-hole leader
- Brian Watts (210) · Mark O'Meara was 2 strokes back
- Playoff
- 4-hole aggregate; beat Brian Watts; O'Meara 17 (4-4-5-4); Watts 19 (5-4-5-5)
- Deciding hole
- No. 15, round playoff, playoff hole 1
- Final-day weather
- breezy: "On Sunday, in a wind that made the pin flags merely flap instead of stiffen"
- Low amateur
- Justin Rose (282)
Top 10 as recorded
| Pos. | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total | To par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark O'Meara | 72 | 68 | 72 | 68 | 280 | E |
| 2 | Brian Watts | 68 | 69 | 73 | 70 | 280 | E |
| 3 | Tiger Woods | 65 | 73 | 77 | 66 | 281 | +1 |
| T4 | Jim Furyk | 70 | 70 | 72 | 70 | 282 | +2 |
| T4 | Jesper Parnevik | 68 | 72 | 72 | 70 | 282 | +2 |
| T4 | Raymond Russell | 68 | 73 | 75 | 66 | 282 | +2 |
| T4 | Justin Rose (a) | 72 | 66 | 75 | 69 | 282 | +2 |
| 8 | Davis Love III | 67 | 73 | 77 | 68 | 285 | +5 |
| T9 | Thomas Bjørn | 68 | 71 | 76 | 71 | 286 | +6 |
| T9 | Costantino Rocca | 72 | 74 | 70 | 70 | 286 | +6 |
What happened at the 1998 Open Championship
O'Meara birdied the 15th, the first playoff hole, then made three pars to beat Watts by two in the four-hole playoff.
Watts saved par at the 72nd hole (18th) with a bunker shot from an awkward stance to force the playoff, while 17-year-old amateur Justin Rose tied 4th.
O'Meara birdied the 15th, the first hole of the four-hole playoff, then made three pars to beat Brian Watts by two.
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).