The Open Championship year by year: how every champion won, 1860 to 2026
The Open Championship has been played 154 times from 1860 to 2026 (not in 1871, 1915–1919, 1940–1945 and 2020); 21 were decided in a playoff, and Harry Vardon won it the most times, 6.
Updated October 19, 2026
Full winners list →
2026 Open Championship: Ryan Fox wins at Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Ryan Fox won the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England, with 270 (-10), one stroke ahead of Cameron Young.
Rounds: 72-68-62-68.
After 54 holes Sam Burns led on 200; Ryan Fox: 2 behind.
Fox shot 62 on Saturday, equalling the men's major-championship record, to jump from 52nd after 36 holes into the final group, two behind Sam Burns.
Fox birdied four of his last six holes, including a 12-foot birdie at the 18th, to beat Cameron Young, whose closing 64 had set the target, by one.
The deciding hole: Fox birdied the 72nd hole from about 12 feet to finish one ahead of Cameron Young, whose closing 64 had set the target.
Ryan Fox: player page
2025 Open Championship: Scottie Scheffler wins at Royal Portrush Golf Club (Dunluce Links)
Scottie Scheffler won the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club (Dunluce Links), Portrush, Northern Ireland, with 267 (-17), 4 strokes ahead of Harris English.
Rounds: 68-64-67-68.
After 54 holes Scottie Scheffler led on 199; Scottie Scheffler: led by 4.
Scheffler made double bogey at the 8th on Sunday, then birdied the 9th and 12th to restore his cushion.
John Parry made a hole-in-one at the 13th in the third round.
The deciding hole: After a double bogey at the 8th, Scheffler birdied the 9th and 12th, which the R&A says "effectively put an end to the hopes of his challengers".
Scottie Scheffler: player page
2024 Open Championship: Xander Schauffele wins at Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course)
Xander Schauffele won the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course), Troon, Scotland, with 275 (-9), 2 strokes ahead of Billy Horschel and Justin Rose.
Rounds: 69-72-69-65.
After 54 holes Billy Horschel led on 209; Xander Schauffele: 1 behind (T2).
Schauffele closed with a bogey-free 65, with birdies at the 11th, 13th, 14th and 16th (four birdies in six back-nine holes), then two closing pars.
Kim Si-woo made a hole-in-one at the 238-yard 17th on Saturday, the longest in Open history.
The deciding hole: Schauffele's birdie at the 16th, his fourth of the back nine, moved him into "a commanding position", per the R&A.
Xander Schauffele: player page
2023 Open Championship: Brian Harman wins at Royal Liverpool Golf Club
Brian Harman won the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, England, with 271 (-13), 6 strokes ahead of Jason Day, Tom Kim, Jon Rahm and Sepp Straka.
Rounds: 67-65-69-70.
After 54 holes Brian Harman led on 201; Brian Harman: led by 5.
Harman's second-round 65 gave him a five-shot lead after 36 holes, and he led after every round from then on.
Jon Rahm's third-round 63 was the lowest score in an Open at Hoylake.
How it was won: Harman led by five after 36 holes and won by six.
Brian Harman: player page
2022 Open Championship: Cameron Smith wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Cameron Smith won the 2022 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 268 (-20), one stroke ahead of Cameron Young.
Rounds: 67-64-73-64.
After 54 holes Viktor Hovland and Rory McIlroy led on 200; Cameron Smith: 4 behind (T3).
Starting at the 10th, Smith made five straight birdies and came home in 30 for a closing 64.
Cameron Young eagled the 18th to finish one back, and McIlroy, the co-leader after 54 holes, missed his chip-in eagle try at the 18th and finished third.
The deciding hole: After five straight birdies from the 10th and a par save at the 17th, Smith two-putted the 18th for what Golf.com calls "a tournament-clinching birdie", finishing one ahead of Cameron Young.
Cameron Smith: player page
2021 Open Championship: Collin Morikawa wins at Royal St George's Golf Club
Collin Morikawa won the 2021 Open Championship at Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, England, with 265 (-15), 2 strokes ahead of Jordan Spieth.
Rounds: 67-64-68-66.
After 54 holes Louis Oosthuizen led on 198; Collin Morikawa: 1 behind (2nd).
Morikawa went out in 32 on Sunday to take control and closed with 66 for a 265 total.
Louis Oosthuizen set the Open 36-hole record of 129 but shot 71 on Sunday and tied for third.
The deciding hole: Per the R&A, "a crucial gain on the 14th gave the 23-year-old a two-shot cushion that he would not relinquish".
Collin Morikawa: player page
2020 Open Championship: not played
There was no Open Championship in 2020: cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic).
2019 Open Championship: Shane Lowry wins at Royal Portrush Golf Club (Dunluce Links)
Shane Lowry won the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club (Dunluce Links), Portrush, Northern Ireland, with 269 (-15), 6 strokes ahead of Tommy Fleetwood.
Rounds: 67-67-63-72.
After 54 holes Shane Lowry led on 197; Shane Lowry: led by 4.
Lowry shot 63 on Saturday, a course record since the 2016 remodel, to lead by four.
Rory McIlroy opened with 79 at home in Portrush and missed the cut by one despite a Friday 65.
The deciding hole: Tommy Fleetwood made double bogey at the 14th while Lowry bogeyed, leaving Lowry five ahead; Fleetwood called it "a bit of a killer blow".
Shane Lowry: player page
2018 Open Championship: Francesco Molinari wins at Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course)
Francesco Molinari won the 2018 Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course), Carnoustie, Scotland, with 276 (-8), 2 strokes ahead of Kevin Kisner, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Xander Schauffele.
Rounds: 70-72-65-69.
After 54 holes Kevin Kisner, Xander Schauffele and Jordan Spieth led on 204; Francesco Molinari: 3 behind.
Paired with Tiger Woods on Sunday, Molinari played the weekend without a bogey and birdied the 18th to set the target at -8.
Justin Rose shot 64 in round three and climbed into a four-way tie for second.
The deciding hole: Molinari made a two-putt birdie at the par-5 14th, which Golf.com calls "his tidal-change moment"; he added a birdie at the 18th.
Francesco Molinari: player page
2017 Open Championship: Jordan Spieth wins at Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Jordan Spieth won the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England, with 268 (-12), 3 strokes ahead of Matt Kuchar.
Rounds: 65-69-65-69.
After 54 holes Jordan Spieth led on 199; Jordan Spieth: led by 3.
At the 13th Spieth's wild tee shot led to an unplayable lie, and he played from the practice area to save bogey while Kuchar took the lead.
Spieth nearly aced the 14th for birdie, then holed a 48-foot eagle putt at the par-5 15th to regain the lead.
The deciding hole: Having saved bogey from an unplayable lie at the 13th, Spieth holed a long eagle putt at the par-5 15th; the PGA Tour says "the decisive blow came at the par-5 15th".
Jordan Spieth: player page
2016 Open Championship: Henrik Stenson wins at Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course)
Henrik Stenson won the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course), Troon, Scotland, with 264 (-20), 3 strokes ahead of Phil Mickelson.
Rounds: 68-65-68-63.
After 54 holes Henrik Stenson led on 201; Henrik Stenson: led by 1.
Stenson birdied the 14th, 15th, 16th and 18th in a closing 63 for a major-record 264.
Mickelson opened with 63 and shot 65 on Sunday, eagling the 4th, yet still finished three behind.
The deciding hole: Stenson holed a birdie putt of more than 51 feet at the 15th, the putt the R&A says "would come to define his lifting of the Claret Jug".
Henrik Stenson: player page
2015 Open Championship: Zach Johnson wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Zach Johnson won the 2015 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland in a playoff with Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman, after finishing on 273 (-15).
Rounds: 66-71-70-66.
After 54 holes Jason Day, Paul Dunne (a) and Louis Oosthuizen led on 204; Zach Johnson: 3 behind (T6).
Playoff: 4-hole aggregate (Monday); Johnson 15; Oosthuizen 16; Leishman 18.
The final round was played on a Monday, only the second Monday finish in Open history, after rain and wind delays.
Oosthuizen holed a birdie putt at the 72nd hole to join Johnson (who birdied the 18th for 66) and Leishman in the playoff.
The deciding hole: Louis Oosthuizen's 12-foot birdie putt at the 18th to force sudden death caught the left edge and stayed out, giving Zach Johnson a one-shot aggregate win.
Zach Johnson: player page
2014 Open Championship: Rory McIlroy wins at Royal Liverpool Golf Club
Rory McIlroy won the 2014 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, England, with 271 (-17), 2 strokes ahead of Rickie Fowler and Sergio García.
Rounds: 66-66-68-71.
After 54 holes Rory McIlroy led on 200; Rory McIlroy: led by 6.
McIlroy added a birdie and two eagles over the last five holes of round three to stretch his lead to six.
On Sunday Sergio García cut the gap to two, but he failed to escape a greenside bunker at the 15th and bogeyed.
The deciding hole: Sergio García, who had closed within two of McIlroy, left his ball in a greenside bunker at the 15th and bogeyed; Golf Compendium says "his momentum ended" there.
Rory McIlroy: player page
2013 Open Championship: Phil Mickelson wins at Muirfield
Phil Mickelson won the 2013 Open Championship at Muirfield, Gullane, Scotland, with 281 (-3), 3 strokes ahead of Henrik Stenson.
Rounds: 69-74-72-66.
After 54 holes Lee Westwood led on 210; Phil Mickelson: 5 behind (T9).
Mickelson reached the par-5 17th in two with consecutive 3-woods and two-putted for birdie.
Mickelson birdied the 18th to close with 66, coming from five strokes back at the start of the round.
The deciding hole: Tied for the lead, Mickelson reached the par-5 17th with two 3-woods and two-putted for birdie; Jack Nicklaus said "the two great shots at 17 ended the tournament".
Phil Mickelson: player page
2012 Open Championship: Ernie Els wins at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
Ernie Els won the 2012 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, Lytham St Annes, England, with 273 (-7), one stroke ahead of Adam Scott.
Rounds: 67-70-68-68.
After 54 holes Adam Scott led on 199; Ernie Els: 6 behind.
Adam Scott led by four with four to play, then bogeyed the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th, missing a par putt at the 18th that would have forced a playoff.
Els birdied the 72nd hole to finish 273, coming from six behind at the start of the round.
The deciding hole: Adam Scott, level with Els after bogeys at 15, 16 and 17, drove into a bunker at the 18th and missed from eight feet for par and a playoff.
Adam Scott: led by 4 with 4 to play; bogeyed the last four holes.
Ernie Els: player page
2011 Open Championship: Darren Clarke wins at Royal St George's Golf Club
Darren Clarke won the 2011 Open Championship at Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, England, with 275 (-5), 3 strokes ahead of Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson.
Rounds: 68-68-69-70.
After 54 holes Darren Clarke led on 205; Darren Clarke: led by 1.
Two strokes back with five to play, Dustin Johnson hit his second shot out of bounds at the par-5 14th and made double bogey.
Mickelson went out in 30 on Sunday to tie Clarke for the lead, then faded on the back nine.
The deciding hole: After Mickelson briefly caught him, Clarke's eagle at the 7th "followed by nine rock-solid pars clinched victory", per the R&A.
Darren Clarke: player page
2010 Open Championship: Louis Oosthuizen wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Louis Oosthuizen won the 2010 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 272 (-16), 7 strokes ahead of Lee Westwood.
Rounds: 65-67-69-71.
After 54 holes Louis Oosthuizen led on 201; Louis Oosthuizen: led by 4.
At the 12th in the final round Paul Casey made triple bogey while Oosthuizen birdied, which effectively settled the Championship.
Rory McIlroy opened with a record-tying 63, then shot 80 in Friday's gale-force winds.
The deciding hole: Paul Casey, Oosthuizen's closest challenger, drove into gorse at the 12th and made a double bogey (R&A figure; AP and Golf Compendium say triple), which AP says "effectively ended" the Open.
Louis Oosthuizen: player page
2009 Open Championship: Stewart Cink wins at Turnberry (Ailsa Course)
Stewart Cink won the 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry (Ailsa Course), Turnberry, Scotland in a playoff with Tom Watson, after finishing on 278 (-2).
Rounds: 66-72-71-69.
After 54 holes Tom Watson led on 206; Stewart Cink: 3 behind.
Playoff: 4-hole aggregate; Cink 14; Watson 20.
Watson, 59, led by one on the 72nd tee, but his approach ran over the green and he missed an eight-foot par putt to fall into a playoff.
Cink birdied the 72nd hole to post -2, then won the playoff by six strokes.
The deciding hole: Tom Watson, leading on the 72nd tee, ran his approach over the green and bogeyed ("fell at the very last hurdle"), falling into a playoff that Cink won by six.
Tom Watson: aged 59 and one ahead on the 72nd tee; missed an 8-foot par putt; lost the play-off 20–14.
Stewart Cink: player page
2008 Open Championship: Pádraig Harrington wins at Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Pádraig Harrington won the 2008 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England, with 283 (+3), 4 strokes ahead of Ian Poulter.
Rounds: 74-68-72-69.
After 54 holes Greg Norman led on 212; Pádraig Harrington: 2 behind (T2).
Greg Norman, the 54-hole leader at 53, shot a final-round 77 and tied for third.
Harrington, nursing a wrist injury, pulled clear down the stretch to become the first European to defend the Open since James Braid (1905-06).
The deciding hole: Harrington hit a 5-wood from 249 yards to three feet at the par-5 17th and holed for eagle to pull clear of Ian Poulter.
Greg Norman: 54-hole leader at 53; closed with 77.
Pádraig Harrington: player page
2007 Open Championship: Pádraig Harrington wins at Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course)
Pádraig Harrington won the 2007 Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course), Carnoustie, Scotland in a playoff with Sergio García, after finishing on 277 (-7).
Rounds: 69-73-68-67.
After 54 holes Sergio García led on 204; Pádraig Harrington: 6 behind (T3).
Playoff: 4-hole aggregate; Harrington 15; García 16.
Harrington twice found the Barry Burn at the 72nd hole and made double bogey, then García's 10-foot par putt to win lipped out.
Harrington eagled the 14th in his closing 67, and in the playoff he birdied the 1st while García bogeyed it.
How it was won: Harrington double-bogeyed the 72nd hole, García lipped out a 10-foot par putt to win at the 18th, and in the playoff Harrington birdied the first hole while García bogeyed it.
Pádraig Harrington: player page
2006 Open Championship: Tiger Woods wins at Royal Liverpool Golf Club
Tiger Woods won the 2006 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, England, with 270 (-18), 2 strokes ahead of Chris DiMarco.
Rounds: 67-65-71-67.
After 54 holes Tiger Woods led on 203; Tiger Woods: led by 1.
On the baked, fast-running Hoylake links Woods hit driver only once all week and played irons off nearly every tee.
Woods holed out with a 4-iron from 212 yards for an eagle at the 14th in his second-round 65.
The deciding hole: Woods made three birdies in a row from the 14th, which the R&A says it took "to finally shake off" Chris DiMarco.
Tiger Woods: player page
2005 Open Championship: Tiger Woods wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Tiger Woods won the 2005 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 274 (-14), 5 strokes ahead of Colin Montgomerie.
Rounds: 66-67-71-70.
After 54 holes Tiger Woods led on 204; Tiger Woods: led by 2.
Jack Nicklaus, playing his final Open, birdied the 18th on Friday after a long ovation and then missed the cut.
Woods led wire to wire to win by five, completing his second career Grand Slam at 29.
How it was won: Woods led after every round and won by five.
Tiger Woods: player page
2004 Open Championship: Todd Hamilton wins at Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course)
Todd Hamilton won the 2004 Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course), Troon, Scotland in a playoff with Ernie Els, after finishing on 274 (-10).
Rounds: 71-67-67-69.
After 54 holes Todd Hamilton led on 205; Todd Hamilton: led by 1.
Playoff: 4-hole aggregate; Hamilton 15; Els 16.
At the 72nd hole Els's 10-foot birdie putt to win broke sharply left and missed, so Hamilton's bogey at the 18th still earned a playoff.
On the last playoff hole (18) Hamilton chipped and ran a hybrid to two feet from about 30 yards short and holed out after Els missed from 12 feet.
The deciding hole: On the last playoff hole Hamilton ran a hybrid chip to about two feet and holed it, while Els "missed again", giving Hamilton a one-shot aggregate win.
Todd Hamilton: player page
2003 Open Championship: Ben Curtis wins at Royal St George's Golf Club
Ben Curtis won the 2003 Open Championship at Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, England, with 283 (-1), one stroke ahead of Thomas Bjørn and Vijay Singh.
Rounds: 72-72-70-69.
After 54 holes Thomas Bjørn led on 212; Ben Curtis: 2 behind (T3).
Bjørn led by two with three to play, then needed three attempts to escape the greenside bunker at the 16th and made double bogey.
Curtis, playing his first major, holed an eight-foot par putt at the 18th to post 283, the only under-par total.
The deciding hole: Bjørn, three ahead after birdieing the 14th, took three shots to get out of a greenside bunker at the 16th for a double bogey, dropping four shots in three holes as Curtis's 283 held up.
Thomas Bjørn: led by 2 with 3 to play; three attempts to escape a bunker at the 16th.
Ben Curtis: player page
2002 Open Championship: Ernie Els wins at Muirfield
Ernie Els won the 2002 Open Championship at Muirfield, Gullane, Scotland in a playoff with Thomas Levet (sudden death), Stuart Appleby and Steve Elkington, after finishing on 278 (-6).
Rounds: 70-66-72-70.
After 54 holes Ernie Els led on 208; Ernie Els: led by 2.
Playoff: 4-hole aggregate, then sudden death; Els 16 then 4; Levet 16 then 5; Appleby 17; Elkington 17.
Tiger Woods shot 81 in the cold, wet third round, which ended his bid for a calendar-year Grand Slam.
In sudden death at the 18th, Levet found a fairway bunker and bogeyed, and Els got up and down from a greenside bunker for par.
The deciding hole: After the four-hole aggregate left Els and Levet tied, they played the 18th again, where Levet bogeyed and Els played a delicate bunker shot to make his four.
Ernie Els: player page
2001 Open Championship: David Duval wins at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
David Duval won the 2001 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, Lytham St Annes, England, with 274 (-10), 3 strokes ahead of Niclas Fasth.
Rounds: 69-73-65-67.
After 54 holes Alex Čejka, David Duval, Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam led on 207; David Duval: co-led.
Co-leader Ian Woosnam took a two-stroke penalty in the final round for carrying too many clubs in his bag, and he tied for third.
Duval shot 65 in the third round to join a four-way tie at 207, then closed with 67 to win his only major.
How it was won: Co-leader Woosnam took a two-stroke penalty for a 15th club.
David Duval: player page
2000 Open Championship: Tiger Woods wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Tiger Woods won the 2000 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 269 (-19), 8 strokes ahead of Thomas Bjørn and Ernie Els.
Rounds: 67-66-67-69.
After 54 holes Tiger Woods led on 200; Tiger Woods: led by 6.
Woods did not hit into a single bunker in 72 holes at the Old Course.
Woods won by eight, which tied the largest Open winning margin since 1900, and at 24 completed the career Grand Slam.
How it was won: Woods led from the second round and won by eight.
Tiger Woods: player page
1999 Open Championship: Paul Lawrie wins at Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course)
Paul Lawrie won the 1999 Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course), Carnoustie, Scotland in a playoff with Justin Leonard and Jean van de Velde, after finishing on 290 (+6).
Rounds: 73-74-76-67.
After 54 holes Jean van de Velde led on 213; Paul Lawrie: 10 behind.
Playoff: 4-hole aggregate; Lawrie 15; Leonard 18; Van de Velde 18.
Van de Velde stood on the 18th tee three strokes clear. His approach hit the grandstand, he went into the Barry Burn and made a triple-bogey 7 to fall into the playoff.
Lawrie started the final round 10 strokes behind, a major-championship comeback record, closed with 67, then birdied the 17th and 18th in the playoff.
The deciding hole: Van de Velde led by three on the 72nd tee, but his approach bounced off a grandstand railing, he went into the Barry Burn and made a triple-bogey 7 to fall into the playoff Lawrie won.
Jean van de Velde: three clear on the 72nd tee; triple bogey; lost the play-off.
Paul Lawrie: player page
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 in a playoff with Brian Watts, after finishing on 280 (even par).
Rounds: 72-68-72-68.
After 54 holes Brian Watts led on 210; Mark O'Meara: 2 behind (T2).
Playoff: 4-hole aggregate; O'Meara 17 (4-4-5-4); Watts 19 (5-4-5-5).
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.
The deciding hole: O'Meara birdied the 15th, the first hole of the four-hole playoff, then made three pars to beat Brian Watts by two.
Mark O'Meara: player page
1997 Open Championship: Justin Leonard wins at Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course)
Justin Leonard won the 1997 Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course), Troon, Scotland, with 272 (-12), 3 strokes ahead of Darren Clarke and Jesper Parnevik.
Rounds: 69-66-72-65.
After 54 holes Jesper Parnevik led on 202; Justin Leonard: 5 behind.
Darren Clarke drove out of bounds onto the beach at the 2nd in the final round and made a double bogey.
Leonard holed a 15-foot birdie putt at the 16th and a 30-foot birdie putt at the 17th to close with 65, while leader Parnevik bogeyed the 17th and 18th.
The deciding hole: Leonard holed a 30-foot birdie putt for a 2 at the par-3 17th, a "monster putt" the R&A says "moved him one clear at the perfect time", while Parnevik bogeyed the 17th and 18th.
Justin Leonard: player page
1996 Open Championship: Tom Lehman wins at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
Tom Lehman won the 1996 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, Lytham St Annes, England, with 271 (-13), 2 strokes ahead of Ernie Els and Mark McCumber.
Rounds: 67-67-64-73.
After 54 holes Tom Lehman led on 198; Tom Lehman: led by 6.
Lehman's third-round 64 set a 54-hole course record of 198 and gave him a six-shot lead over Faldo.
Ernie Els made four back-nine birdies in the final round but bogeyed two of the last three holes. Amateur Tiger Woods shot 66 in round 2, equalling the amateur record.
How it was won: Lehman's third-round 64 gave him a six-shot lead and a closing 73 was enough to win by two.
Tom Lehman: player page
1995 Open Championship: John Daly wins at Old Course, St Andrews
John Daly won the 1995 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland in a playoff with Costantino Rocca, after finishing on 282 (-6).
Rounds: 67-71-73-71.
After 54 holes Michael Campbell led on 207; John Daly: 4 behind.
Playoff: 4-hole aggregate; Daly 15 (4-3-4-4); Rocca 19 (5-4-7-3).
Needing a birdie at the 72nd hole, Rocca fluffed his pitch into the Valley of Sin and then holed a putt of about 65 feet to force the playoff.
In the playoff Rocca took three shots to escape the Road Hole Bunker at the 17th and made 7. Daly won by four over the four holes.
The deciding hole: On the third playoff hole (the Road Hole 17th), Rocca took three shots to get out of the Road Hole Bunker and made 7, leaving Daly the winner by four (15 to 19).
John Daly: player page
1994 Open Championship: Nick Price wins at Turnberry (Ailsa Course)
Nick Price won the 1994 Open Championship at Turnberry (Ailsa Course), Turnberry, Scotland, with 268 (-12), one stroke ahead of Jesper Parnevik.
Rounds: 69-66-67-66.
After 54 holes Brad Faxon and Fuzzy Zoeller led on 201; Nick Price: 1 behind (T3).
Price birdied the 16th and then holed a 50-foot eagle putt at the 17th (71st hole).
Parnevik, not checking the scoreboard, went for the flag at the 18th, finished in the rough and bogeyed, when a par would have been enough.
The deciding hole: After birdieing the 16th, Price holed a 50-foot eagle putt at the 17th (71st hole) while Parnevik, ahead of him, bogeyed the 18th, and Price then parred the last to win by one.
Nick Price: player page
1993 Open Championship: Greg Norman wins at Royal St George's Golf Club
Greg Norman won the 1993 Open Championship at Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, England, with 267 (-13), 2 strokes ahead of Nick Faldo.
Rounds: 66-68-69-64.
After 54 holes Nick Faldo and Corey Pavin led on 202; Greg Norman: 1 behind (T3).
Norman's closing 64 (out in 31, a 9-iron to 6 inches at the 9th) set the record for the lowest winning final round and a record 267 total. He missed from 14 inches at the 17th.
Bernhard Langer drove out of bounds onto Prince's Golf Club at the 14th. Faldo had shot the first 63 at Royal St George's in round 2.
How it was won: Norman closed with a record 64 to win by two; the R&A says his miss from 14 inches at the 17th "did not matter."
Greg Norman: player page
1992 Open Championship: Nick Faldo wins at Muirfield
Nick Faldo won the 1992 Open Championship at Muirfield, Gullane, Scotland, with 272 (-12), one stroke ahead of John Cook.
Rounds: 66-64-69-73.
After 54 holes Nick Faldo led on 199; Nick Faldo: led by 4.
Two behind John Cook with four holes to play, Faldo hit a "half 5-iron" to 3 feet at the 15th for a birdie.
Cook missed a birdie putt of under 3 feet at the par-5 17th and bogeyed the 18th, and Faldo two-putted from 25 feet at the last to win.
The deciding hole: After Faldo's birdies at the 15th and 17th, John Cook (playing ahead) saw his approach at the 18th finish under a police barricade right of the green and bogeyed, which SI calls "the final swing," leaving Faldo a par to win.
Nick Faldo: player page
1991 Open Championship: Ian Baker-Finch wins at Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Ian Baker-Finch won the 1991 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England, with 272 (-8), 2 strokes ahead of Mike Harwood.
Rounds: 71-71-64-66.
After 54 holes Ian Baker-Finch and Mark O'Meara led on 206; Ian Baker-Finch: co-led.
Baker-Finch birdied five of the first seven holes in the final round and went out in 29.
Baker-Finch's third-round 64 set a Royal Birkdale course record, which Jodie Mudd broke with a 63 in round 4. His closing 66 equalled Watson's 1977 record of 130 for the last 36 holes.
How it was won: No single hole is named: Baker-Finch's win is credited to his front nine of 29 (five birdies in the first seven holes) in the final round.
Ian Baker-Finch: player page
1990 Open Championship: Nick Faldo wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Nick Faldo won the 1990 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 270 (-18), 5 strokes ahead of Mark McNulty and Payne Stewart.
Rounds: 67-65-67-71.
After 54 holes Nick Faldo led on 199; Nick Faldo: led by 5.
In round 1, Faldo holed a pitch-and-run from the Valley of Sin for an eagle 2 at the 18th. His 199 after 54 holes was a record.
Payne Stewart got within two of Faldo in the final round before driving into the Coffin bunkers at the 13th (Golf Compendium says the 12th; the R&A figure is used).
The deciding hole: The Scotsman's archive report says Faldo's birdie at the 15th was the moment "at which point he virtually secured the championship," while Payne Stewart faded with bogeys at the 17th and 18th.
Nick Faldo: player page
1989 Open Championship: Mark Calcavecchia wins at Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course)
Mark Calcavecchia won the 1989 Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course), Troon, Scotland in a playoff with Wayne Grady and Greg Norman, after finishing on 275 (-13).
Rounds: 71-68-68-68.
After 54 holes Wayne Grady led on 204; Mark Calcavecchia: 3 behind.
Playoff: 4-hole aggregate (first); Calcavecchia 13 (4-3-3-3); Grady 16 (4-4-4-4); Norman did not hole out.
Norman opened the final round with six straight birdies and shot 64 to set the target, while Calcavecchia chipped in from about 60 feet at the 12th.
At the fourth playoff hole (18th), Norman drove into a fairway bunker, hit the bunker face and then went out of bounds, while Calcavecchia's 5-iron to 6 feet set up a winning birdie.
The deciding hole: On the fourth playoff hole (the 18th), Norman drove into a fairway bunker, hit the face and went out of bounds ("his great length was his undoing at the last"), while Calcavecchia hit a 5-iron to six feet for birdie.
Mark Calcavecchia: player page
1988 Open Championship: Seve Ballesteros wins at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
Seve Ballesteros won the 1988 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, Lytham St Annes, England, with 273 (-11), 2 strokes ahead of Nick Price.
Rounds: 67-71-70-65.
After 54 holes Nick Price led on 206; Seve Ballesteros: 2 behind (T2).
Saturday's play was washed out by heavy rain, so the final round was played on Monday 18 July, the first Monday finish in Open history.
At the 16th Ballesteros hit a 9-iron to 3 inches for the birdie that took the lead. At the 18th he chipped to 6 inches, and Price three-putted to close with a 69.
The deciding hole: Level with Price, Ballesteros hit a 9-iron to three inches at the 16th "to go ahead by one," then chipped to six inches at the 18th while Price three-putted.
Seve Ballesteros: player page
1987 Open Championship: Nick Faldo wins at Muirfield
Nick Faldo won the 1987 Open Championship at Muirfield, Gullane, Scotland, with 279 (-5), one stroke ahead of Paul Azinger and Rodger Davis.
Rounds: 68-69-71-71.
After 54 holes Paul Azinger led on 207; Nick Faldo: 1 behind (T2).
Faldo made 18 straight pars in the final round, including a 30-yard bunker shot to 4 feet at the 8th, and holed a 4-footer at the 18th.
Azinger, leading on the back nine, drove into a fairway bunker at the par-5 17th and made 6, then bunkered his approach at the 18th and bogeyed again.
The deciding hole: One ahead with two to play, Paul Azinger bogeyed the par-5 17th from a fairway bunker and then bogeyed the 18th, so Faldo's 18th straight par of the day won it ("Faldo only became the Champion Golfer when Azinger followed his bogey at the 17th with another at the last").
Paul Azinger: bogeyed the 17th and 18th from the lead.
Nick Faldo: player page
1986 Open Championship: Greg Norman wins at Turnberry (Ailsa Course)
Greg Norman won the 1986 Open Championship at Turnberry (Ailsa Course), Turnberry, Scotland, with 280 (even par), 5 strokes ahead of Gordon J. Brand.
Rounds: 74-63-74-69.
After 54 holes Greg Norman led on 211; Greg Norman: led by 1.
Norman's second-round 63 tied the major championship record. He three-putted the 18th from his birdie try, which would have given him a 61 or 62.
Tommy Nakajima, one shot back at the start of the final round, opened with a double bogey at the 1st and shot 77.
How it was won: Norman led after 54 holes and won by five.
Greg Norman: player page
1985 Open Championship: Sandy Lyle wins at Royal St George's Golf Club
Sandy Lyle won the 1985 Open Championship at Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, England, with 282 (+2), one stroke ahead of Payne Stewart.
Rounds: 68-71-73-70.
After 54 holes David Graham and Bernhard Langer led on 209; Sandy Lyle: 3 behind (T3).
Christy O'Connor Jr opened with a 64, including seven birdies in a row from the 4th, which broke Henry Cotton's 1935 course record.
At the 72nd hole, Lyle's approach ran into Duncan's Hollow and his first chip rolled back to his feet. He got up and down for a bogey 5 and still won: the first British winner since 1969 and the first over-par winning total since 1968.
How it was won: No single hole is named: the R&A calls Lyle's birdies at the 14th and 15th "crucial," and he then bogeyed the 18th from Duncan's Hollow and still won by one.
Sandy Lyle: player page
1984 Open Championship: Seve Ballesteros wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Seve Ballesteros won the 1984 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 276 (-12), 2 strokes ahead of Bernhard Langer and Tom Watson.
Rounds: 69-68-70-69.
After 54 holes Ian Baker-Finch and Tom Watson led on 205; Seve Ballesteros: 2 behind (T3).
At the 17th (Road Hole), Watson's 2-iron approach went over the green, close to the road and wall, and he bogeyed, while Ballesteros parred with a 6-iron and two putts.
At the 18th Ballesteros holed a 12-15-foot birdie putt that hung on the lip before dropping, and celebrated with his signature fist pump.
The deciding hole: Ballesteros holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th green (it hung on the lip before dropping) at the same moment Watson was bogeying the Road Hole 17th behind him.
Seve Ballesteros: player page
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), one stroke ahead of Andy Bean and Hale Irwin.
Rounds: 67-68-70-70.
After 54 holes Tom Watson led on 205; Tom Watson: led by 1.
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.
The deciding hole: 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.
Hale Irwin: whiffed a 2-inch tap-in; lost by one.
Tom Watson: player page
1982 Open Championship: Tom Watson wins at Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course)
Tom Watson won the 1982 Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course), Troon, Scotland, with 284 (-4), one stroke ahead of Nick Price and Peter Oosterhuis.
Rounds: 69-71-74-70.
After 54 holes Bobby Clampett led on 211; Tom Watson: 3 behind.
In round 3 at the 577-yard par-5 6th, Bobby Clampett (who had been seven clear) found three bunkers and made 8.
In the final round, Nick Price birdied the 10th, 11th and 12th to lead by three, then double-bogeyed the 15th from a bunker and dropped a shot at the 17th. Watson's eagle at the 11th, holing out with a 3-iron to 3 feet, carried him through.
The deciding hole: Leading by three with six holes to play, Nick Price hit his second into a bunker at the 15th and made a "horrendous double bogey" that SI says "catapulted Watson into a tie for the lead."
Bobby Clampett; Nick Price: Clampett made 8 at the 6th after being seven clear; Price led by 3 with 6 to play, then doubled the 15th.
Tom Watson: player page
1981 Open Championship: Bill Rogers wins at Royal St George's Golf Club
Bill Rogers won the 1981 Open Championship at Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, England, with 276 (-4), 4 strokes ahead of Bernhard Langer.
Rounds: 72-66-67-71.
After 54 holes Bill Rogers led on 205; Bill Rogers: led by 5.
A double bogey by Rogers at the 7th in the final round let Langer close to within one, but Rogers birdied the 9th, 10th and 12th to pull clear.
Rogers nearly missed his first-round tee time after misreading the start sheet. Nicklaus opened with an 83 and followed it with a 66 to make the cut.
How it was won: No single hole is named: after a double bogey at the 7th let Langer close to one, SI says Rogers' birdies at the 9th, 10th and 12th "shut the door."
Bill Rogers: player page
1980 Open Championship: Tom Watson wins at Muirfield
Tom Watson won the 1980 Open Championship at Muirfield, Gullane, Scotland, with 271 (-13), 4 strokes ahead of Lee Trevino.
Rounds: 68-70-64-69.
After 54 holes Tom Watson led on 202; Tom Watson: led by 4.
Isao Aoki shot 63 in round 3, the second 63 in Open history and the first at Muirfield, on the day Watson's 64 (out 34, home 30) gave him a four-shot lead.
Watson sealed the title with five birdies in six holes from the 7th in the final round. This was the first Open to finish on a Sunday.
How it was won: No single hole is named: the R&A credits "Watson's burst of five birdies in six holes from the seventh" with sealing a win that began the day four ahead.
Tom Watson: player page
1979 Open Championship: Seve Ballesteros wins at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
Seve Ballesteros won the 1979 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, Lytham St Annes, England, with 283 (-1), 3 strokes ahead of Ben Crenshaw and Jack Nicklaus.
Rounds: 73-65-75-70.
After 54 holes Hale Irwin led on 211; Seve Ballesteros: 2 behind (2nd).
At the 16th in the final round, Ballesteros drove into an overflow car park, took a free drop, pitched onto the green and holed a 20-foot birdie putt (the "car park champion").
Crenshaw double-bogeyed the 17th, and Ballesteros won by three despite hitting only one of nine fairways with his driver in the final round.
The deciding hole: Ballesteros drove into an overflow car park at the 16th, took a free drop, pitched on and holed for the "car park birdie" that golf.com says "iced the Open."
Seve Ballesteros: player page
1978 Open Championship: Jack Nicklaus wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Jack Nicklaus won the 1978 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 281 (-7), 2 strokes ahead of Ben Crenshaw, Raymond Floyd, Tom Kite and Simon Owen.
Rounds: 71-72-69-69.
After 54 holes Peter Oosterhuis and Tom Watson led on 211; Jack Nicklaus: 1 behind.
In round 3, Tommy Nakajima putted into the Road Hole Bunker at the 17th and took a 9, which gave rise to the name "Sands of Nakajima".
In the final round Simon Owen chipped in at the 15th to lead, then a birdie by Nicklaus and a three-putt bogey by Owen at the 16th made a two-shot swing that decided it.
The deciding hole: At the 16th, Nicklaus birdied while leader Simon Owen three-putted for bogey, a two-shot swing that put Nicklaus back in front before he gained another stroke at the 17th to seal it.
Jack Nicklaus: player page
1977 Open Championship: Tom Watson wins at Turnberry (Ailsa Course)
Tom Watson won the 1977 Open Championship at Turnberry (Ailsa Course), Turnberry, Scotland, with 268 (-12), one stroke ahead of Jack Nicklaus.
Rounds: 68-70-65-65.
After 54 holes Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson led on 203; Tom Watson: co-led.
In the "Duel in the Sun" final round, Watson holed a 60-foot putt at the 15th to draw level, then birdied the 17th (where Nicklaus missed a 4-footer) to lead for the first time.
At the 18th Watson hit a 7-iron to 2 feet. Nicklaus, from the rough, holed a 35-40-foot birdie putt, and Watson tapped in for 65-65 and a record 268. Mark Hayes had shot the Open's first 63 in round 2.
The deciding hole: After Watson's 60-foot putt at the 15th drew him level, his birdie at the par-5 17th (where Nicklaus missed a short birdie putt) "put Watson in front for the first time."
Tom Watson: player page
1976 Open Championship: Johnny Miller wins at Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Johnny Miller won the 1976 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England, with 279 (-9), 6 strokes ahead of Seve Ballesteros and Jack Nicklaus.
Rounds: 72-68-73-66.
After 54 holes Seve Ballesteros led on 211; Johnny Miller: 2 behind (2nd).
In the final round, 19-year-old 54-hole leader Ballesteros double-bogeyed the 6th and triple-bogeyed the 11th, while Miller eagled the 13th on his way to a closing 66.
Ballesteros eagled the 17th, then played a chip-and-run between two bunkers at the 18th to tie Nicklaus for second.
How it was won: Miller won by six; the R&A says he "could relax" after Ballesteros double-bogeyed the 6th and triple-bogeyed the 11th.
Seve Ballesteros: 19-year-old 54-hole leader; double at the 6th, triple at the 11th.
Johnny Miller: player page
1975 Open Championship: Tom Watson wins at Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course)
Tom Watson won the 1975 Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course), Carnoustie, Scotland in a playoff with Jack Newton, after finishing on 279 (-9).
Rounds: 71-67-69-72.
After 54 holes Bobby Cole led on 204; Tom Watson: 3 behind.
Playoff: 18-hole stroke play (last 18-hole play-off); Watson 71; Newton 72.
Jack Newton set a Carnoustie course record of 65 in the third round, and Bobby Cole led after 54 holes.
In the playoff Watson eagled the 14th to take the lead. At the 18th Newton bunkered his approach and missed a par putt from about 18-20 feet, and Watson's par won 71-72.
The deciding hole: Tied playing the last hole of the 18-hole playoff, Jack Newton bunkered his approach and missed an 18-foot par putt, so Watson's par won 71–72.
Tom Watson: player page
1974 Open Championship: Gary Player wins at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
Gary Player won the 1974 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, Lytham St Annes, England, with 282 (-2), 4 strokes ahead of Peter Oosterhuis.
Rounds: 69-68-75-70.
After 54 holes Gary Player led on 212; Gary Player: led by 3.
As Oosterhuis threatened, Player chipped in from the back of the 13th green for a birdie.
Player lost his ball for a while in the rough at the 17th, and at the 18th he putted left-handed with his ball inches from the clubhouse wall. This was the first Open in which the larger 1.68-inch ball was compulsory.
The deciding hole: Player hit a 2-iron onto the par-5 6th green to seven feet for an eagle 3, which SI called "checkout time, folks"; Oosterhuis never got within three.
Gary Player: player page
1973 Open Championship: Tom Weiskopf wins at Troon Golf Club (Old Course)
Tom Weiskopf won the 1973 Open Championship at Troon Golf Club (Old Course), Troon, Scotland, with 276 (-12), 3 strokes ahead of Johnny Miller and Neil Coles.
Rounds: 68-67-71-70.
After 54 holes Tom Weiskopf led on 206; Tom Weiskopf: led by 1.
Gene Sarazen, aged 71, holed in one with a 5-iron at the 8th (the Postage Stamp) in his farewell Open, and the next day holed from a bunker there for a 2.
Weiskopf led wire-to-wire, making three birdies in the first 11 holes of his closing round, and his 276 equalled Arnold Palmer's Open record set at Troon.
How it was won: Weiskopf led wire to wire and won by three.
Tom Weiskopf: player page
1972 Open Championship: Lee Trevino wins at Muirfield
Lee Trevino won the 1972 Open Championship at Muirfield, Gullane, Scotland, with 278 (-6), one stroke ahead of Jack Nicklaus.
Rounds: 71-70-66-71.
After 54 holes Lee Trevino led on 207; Lee Trevino: led by 1.
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.
The deciding hole: 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").
Lee Trevino: player page
1971 Open Championship: Lee Trevino wins at Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Lee Trevino won the 1971 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England, with 278 (-14), one stroke ahead of Lu Liang-Huan.
Rounds: 69-70-69-70.
After 54 holes Lee Trevino led on 208; Lee Trevino: led by 1.
Trevino went out in 31 to lead by six at the turn, then made a double-bogey 7 at the 17th (71st hole), which cut his lead to one.
At the 18th Lu's second shot hit a woman spectator on the head. Both Lu and Trevino birdied the last, and Lu finished second.
How it was won: Trevino's double-bogey 7 at the 71st cut his lead to one, but both he and Lu birdied the 72nd, and SI says Trevino's "first few holes that last day won the tournament for him."
Lee Trevino: player page
1970 Open Championship: Jack Nicklaus wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Jack Nicklaus won the 1970 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland in a playoff with Doug Sanders, after finishing on 283 (-5).
Rounds: 68-69-73-73.
After 54 holes Lee Trevino led on 208; Jack Nicklaus: 2 behind (T2).
Playoff: 18-hole stroke play; Nicklaus 72; Sanders 73.
Needing a par at the 72nd hole (18th) to win, Doug Sanders missed a par putt of about 2½-3 feet after stopping to pick something off his line.
In the Sunday playoff Nicklaus took off his sweater, drove through the 18th green (about 360 yards), chipped to 8 feet and holed for a birdie 3, winning 72-73.
The deciding hole: Needing a par at the 72nd hole to win outright, Doug Sanders missed a putt of about three feet after a poor pitch, and lost the next day's 18-hole playoff to Nicklaus 72–73.
Doug Sanders: missed a 2½–3-foot putt to win at the 72nd; lost the 18-hole play-off 73–72.
Jack Nicklaus: player page
1969 Open Championship: Tony Jacklin wins at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
Tony Jacklin won the 1969 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, Lytham St Annes, England, with 280 (-4), 2 strokes ahead of Bob Charles.
Rounds: 68-70-70-72.
After 54 holes Tony Jacklin led on 208; Tony Jacklin: led (margin unknown).
Jacklin's four-shot lead shrank on the back nine with bogeys at the 15th and 17th, leaving him two ahead on the 18th tee.
On the 18th he hit what Henry Longhurst called on TV 'What a corker' down the middle, was mobbed by the crowd (losing a shoe) and two-putted to become the first British champion since 1951.
The deciding hole: Two ahead on the final tee, Jacklin hit his famous drive down the 18th and two-putted, a moment Golf Compendium's 1985 page describes as watching "Jacklin clinched the win" around the 18th hole.
Tony Jacklin: player page
1968 Open Championship: Gary Player wins at Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course)
Gary Player won the 1968 Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course), Carnoustie, Scotland, with 289 (+1), 2 strokes ahead of Bob Charles and Jack Nicklaus.
Rounds: 74-71-71-73.
After 54 holes Billy Casper led on 214; Gary Player: 2 behind (3rd).
Into the teeth of a gale at the par-5 14th 'Spectacles' in the final round, Player hit a 3-wood to two feet for an eagle - his second straight eagle there.
Third-round leader Billy Casper shot 78, including a 6 at the 14th, in the first Open to use a second cut after 54 holes, on the longest Open course to date (7,252 yards).
The deciding hole: Into a gale, Player hit a 3-wood to two feet at the par-5 14th "Spectacles" for an eagle (his second in two rounds there), and Golf Compendium says "you might say Player won it on the par-5 14th."
Billy Casper: 54-hole leader; closed with 78.
Gary Player: player page
1967 Open Championship: Roberto De Vicenzo wins at Royal Liverpool Golf Club
Roberto De Vicenzo won the 1967 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, England, with 278, 2 strokes ahead of Jack Nicklaus.
Rounds: 70-71-67-70.
After 54 holes Roberto De Vicenzo led on 208; Roberto De Vicenzo: led (margin unknown).
At the par-5 16th, guarded by internal out of bounds, De Vicenzo hit a 3-wood over the corner of the practice ground to the heart of the green and two-putted for birdie - 'It was my greatest shot.'.
His third-round 67 matched the course record Gary Player had set moments earlier, and at 44 he became the second-oldest Open champion.
The deciding hole: De Vicenzo hit a 3-wood over the out-of-bounds practice-ground corner of the par-5 16th and two-putted for the birdie that "would seal the deal" against Nicklaus.
Roberto De Vicenzo: player page
1966 Open Championship: Jack Nicklaus wins at Muirfield
Jack Nicklaus won the 1966 Open Championship at Muirfield, Gullane, Scotland, with 282, one stroke ahead of Doug Sanders and Dave Thomas.
Rounds: 70-67-75-70.
After 54 holes Phil Rodgers led on 210; Jack Nicklaus: 2 behind (2nd).
Level with Sanders and Thomas with two to play, Nicklaus birdied the par-5 17th and parred the 18th to win by one and complete the career Grand Slam.
In the first Open played over four days, Doug Sanders holed a 60-yard chip for eagle at the 9th and Arnold Palmer took a 7 at the 10th.
The deciding hole: With Nicklaus, Sanders and Thomas all tied going to the 17th, Nicklaus birdied the par-5 17th and parred the last to win by one.
Jack Nicklaus: player page
1965 Open Championship: Peter Thomson wins at Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Peter Thomson won the 1965 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England, with 285, 2 strokes ahead of Brian Huggett and Christy O'Connor Snr.
Rounds: 74-68-72-71.
After 54 holes Peter Thomson led on 214; Peter Thomson: led (margin unknown).
Defending champion Tony Lema came within one and just missed a birdie putt on the 16th green to tie, then found a bunker with his approach to the 18th and took 6.
In the bad weather of the final day Thomson's 71 won his fifth Claret Jug, matching James Braid and J.H. Taylor.
How it was won: The R&A describes a three-shot swing over the last two holes as Thomson birdied both and Lema took 6 at the 18th.
Peter Thomson: player page
1964 Open Championship: Tony Lema wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Tony Lema won the 1964 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 279 (-9), 5 strokes ahead of Jack Nicklaus.
Rounds: 73-68-68-70.
After 54 holes Tony Lema led on 209; Tony Lema: led by 7.
In 65-mph gusts in round one Lema, on caddie Tip Anderson's advice, left out his wedge and played low pitch-and-runs; in round two he drove the 12th green and holed a 30-foot putt for eagle.
Nicklaus tied the Old Course record with a third-round 66 and closed 68, but Lema - who had played only nine practice holes - finished with a chip-and-run through the Valley of Sin to set up a closing birdie and won by five.
How it was won: Lema won by five from Nicklaus.
Tony Lema: player page
1963 Open Championship: Bob Charles wins at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
Bob Charles won the 1963 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, Lytham St Annes, England in a playoff with Phil Rodgers, after finishing on 277.
Rounds: 68-72-66-71.
After 54 holes Bob Charles led on 206; Bob Charles: led (margin unknown).
Playoff: 36-hole stroke play (last 36-hole play-off); Charles 140 (69-71); Rodgers 148 (72-76).
Jack Nicklaus bogeyed the 72nd hole and missed the playoff by a single stroke on 278.
Left-hander Charles one-putted 11 greens in the first playoff round and used 56 putts to Rodgers' 65 over 36 holes, winning by eight.
The deciding hole: On the 8th hole of the afternoon playoff round, Charles "broke Rodgers' last challenge" on his way to a 140 to 148 win.
Bob Charles: player page
1962 Open Championship: Arnold Palmer wins at Troon Golf Club (Old Course)
Arnold Palmer won the 1962 Open Championship at Troon Golf Club (Old Course), Troon, Scotland, with 276, 6 strokes ahead of Kel Nagle.
Rounds: 71-69-67-69.
After 54 holes Arnold Palmer led on 207; Arnold Palmer: led (margin unknown).
On sun-baked, fast-running fairways Palmer kept attacking the dangerous par-5 11th beside the railway line and posted three sub-70 rounds (69-67-69) for a record 276, six clear.
Jack Nicklaus, on his Open debut, took a 10 at the 11th and finished 34th (Golf Compendium: T32) on 305.
How it was won: Palmer won by six with a record 276.
Arnold Palmer: player page
1961 Open Championship: Arnold Palmer wins at Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Arnold Palmer won the 1961 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England, with 284, one stroke ahead of Dai Rees.
Rounds: 70-73-69-72.
After 54 holes Arnold Palmer led on 212; Arnold Palmer: led (margin unknown).
At the 15th (now the 16th) Palmer gouged a 6-iron from thick rough at the base of a bush 140 yards onto the green, sending a huge divot flying.
Gale-force wind hit round two and overnight storms swept away marquees, washing out Friday's 36 holes; the last two rounds were played Saturday, when Rees closed from four down with four to play to lose by one.
The deciding hole: Palmer's 6-iron from thick rough at the base of a bush at the 15th (now the 16th), marked today by a plaque, is the shot Golf Monthly says "ultimately proved the difference" in his one-stroke win.
Arnold Palmer: player page
1960 Open Championship: Kel Nagle wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Kel Nagle won the 1960 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 278, one stroke ahead of Arnold Palmer.
Rounds: 69-67-71-71.
After 54 holes Kel Nagle led on 207; Kel Nagle: led (margin unknown).
A torrential Friday-afternoon storm flooded the Old Course - 'water cascading down the steps of The R&A clubhouse' - and the final round was held over to Saturday.
Standing over a crucial putt on the 17th Road Hole, Nagle heard the roar for Palmer's birdie at the 18th, holed it for a 4 and parred the last to win by one.
The deciding hole: In Nagle's own account he came to "the last hole, where I needed a four to win," hit a 9-iron to about four feet and two-putted for a one-shot win over Palmer.
Kel Nagle: player page
1959 Open Championship: Gary Player wins at Muirfield
Gary Player won the 1959 Open Championship at Muirfield, Gullane, Scotland, with 284, 2 strokes ahead of Fred Bullock and Flory Van Donck.
Rounds: 75-71-70-68.
After 54 holes Fred Bullock and Sam King led on 212; Gary Player: 4 behind (T10).
Player, far back at halfway (Golf Compendium: 10 shots; R&A Journey: eight), shot 70-68 on the 36-hole final day to come through the field.
Needing a par 4 at the 72nd for a 66, Player found a bunker and made a double-bogey 6, then waited convinced he had lost - but no one caught 284.
How it was won: Player double-bogeyed the 72nd for 68 and then waited as no one caught 284.
Gary Player: player page
1958 Open Championship: Peter Thomson wins at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
Peter Thomson won the 1958 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, Lytham St Annes, England in a playoff with Dave Thomas, after finishing on 278.
Rounds: 66-72-67-73.
After 54 holes Peter Thomson led on 205; Peter Thomson: led (margin unknown).
Playoff: 36-hole stroke play; Thomson 139 (68-71); Thomas 143 (69-74).
On the 72nd green Thomson had a putt of about 10-12 feet to win outright and missed it, setting up a tie with Thomas at a record-low 278.
Eric Brown and Christy O'Connor both drove into the bunker off the 18th tee, costing a 6 and a 5 and missing the playoff by one, while Leopoldo Ruiz took 7 there.
How it was won: Thomson beat Dave Thomas 139 to 143 over 36 holes, pulling away over holes 8 to 11 of the afternoon round.
Peter Thomson: player page
1957 Open Championship: Bobby Locke wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Bobby Locke won the 1957 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 279, 3 strokes ahead of Peter Thomson.
Rounds: 69-72-68-70.
After 54 holes Bobby Locke led on 209; Bobby Locke: led (margin unknown).
On the 72nd green Locke moved his marker a putter-head to clear Bruce Crampton's line, forgot to move it back and holed a four-footer from the wrong spot; the committee ruled no advantage was gained.
Switched from Muirfield to St Andrews because of Suez Crisis petrol rationing, it was the first Open with the leaders paired last and the final stages shown live on the BBC.
How it was won: Locke won by three, then a marker error on the 18th green was ruled to have given no advantage.
Bobby Locke: player page
1956 Open Championship: Peter Thomson wins at Royal Liverpool Golf Club
Peter Thomson won the 1956 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, England, with 286, 3 strokes ahead of Flory Van Donck.
Rounds: 70-70-72-74.
After 54 holes Peter Thomson led on 212; Peter Thomson: led (margin unknown).
Dennis Smalldon opened with a 68 to lead, then shot 79 in the second-round morning when, per the R&A, 'the conditions were at their worst'.
Thomson and Van Donck both closed with 74s as Thomson became the first player to win three Opens in a row since the event went to 72 holes; Gary Player was fourth on his debut.
How it was won: Thomson won by three for a third straight title.
Peter Thomson: player page
1955 Open Championship: Peter Thomson wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Peter Thomson won the 1955 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 281, 2 strokes ahead of John Fallon.
Rounds: 71-68-70-72.
After 54 holes Peter Thomson led on 209; Peter Thomson: led (margin unknown).
Thomson found the Beardies bunkers at the 14th and took a double-bogey 7, then birdied the next hole and went on to win.
Thomson's £1,000 was the first four-figure cheque paid to an Open champion, and the BBC televised parts of the final round for the first time.
How it was won: Thomson took a double-bogey 7 in the Beardies at the 14th, birdied the next hole and won by two.
Peter Thomson: player page
1954 Open Championship: Peter Thomson wins at Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Peter Thomson won the 1954 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport, England, with 283, one stroke ahead of Bobby Locke, Dai Rees and Syd Scott.
Rounds: 72-71-69-71.
After 54 holes Peter Thomson, Dai Rees and Syd Scott led on 212; Peter Thomson: co-led.
At the 16th Thomson played from a steep bunker 25 yards from the flag with feet together and eyes closed and left it inches away - 'That won it for me, no doubt.'.
Thomson bogeyed the 72nd from a greenside bunker, but Locke needed a birdie at the last to force a playoff and made par, while Rees also missed on the 72nd.
The deciding hole: From the steep slope of a bunker 25 yards from the flag at the 16th, Thomson splashed out close and said "That won it for me, no doubt"; he won by one.
Peter Thomson: player page
1953 Open Championship: Ben Hogan wins at Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course)
Ben Hogan won the 1953 Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course), Carnoustie, Scotland, with 282, 4 strokes ahead of Antonio Cerda, Dai Rees, Frank Stranahan (amateur) and Peter Thomson.
Rounds: 73-71-70-68.
After 54 holes Ben Hogan and Roberto De Vicenzo led on 214; Ben Hogan: co-led.
On the par-5 6th Hogan drove down the narrow left strip between bunkers and out of bounds in all four rounds - the line now called 'Hogan's Alley'.
In the final round Hogan chipped in from 30 feet for birdie at the 5th, saved par at 17 and birdied 18 for a course-record 68.
How it was won: Hogan's final-round birdie at the 5th "changed the trajectory" of a course-record 68 that won by four.
Ben Hogan: player page
1952 Open Championship: Bobby Locke wins at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
Bobby Locke won the 1952 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, Lytham St Annes, England, with 287, one stroke ahead of Peter Thomson.
Rounds: 69-71-74-73.
After 54 holes Fred Daly led on 213; Bobby Locke: 1 behind (2nd).
On the final morning Locke found the garage holding his clubs locked; a passing milkman drove him to fetch the key and he reached the 1st tee with just enough time to change his shoes.
Fred Daly's six at the 15th ended his chance, and Thomson, six behind at the turn, birdied the 18th for 70 to finish one short.
The deciding hole: Fred Daly, the 54-hole leader, took a six at the 15th that "proved terminal" to his chances, and Locke won by one from Thomson.
Bobby Locke: player page
1951 Open Championship: Max Faulkner wins at Royal Portrush Golf Club
Max Faulkner won the 1951 Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club, Portrush, Northern Ireland, with 285, 2 strokes ahead of Antonio Cerda.
Rounds: 71-70-70-74.
After 54 holes Max Faulkner led on 211; Max Faulkner: led by 6.
Faulkner, six strokes clear after 54 holes, famously signed an autograph 'Open Champion 1951' before the final round (the R&A says a boy's father asked him to add the words).
Faulkner closed with a 74 and had to wait for Cerda to finish two shots back; he flew home that night and played in a fathers-v-sons cricket match at his son's school the next day.
How it was won: Faulkner led by six after 54 holes and won by two.
Max Faulkner: player page
1950 Open Championship: Bobby Locke wins at Troon Golf Club (Old Course)
Bobby Locke won the 1950 Open Championship at Troon Golf Club (Old Course), Troon, Scotland, with 279, 2 strokes ahead of Roberto De Vicenzo.
Rounds: 69-72-70-68.
After 54 holes Bobby Locke, Roberto De Vicenzo and Dai Rees led on 211; Bobby Locke: co-led.
German amateur Herman Tissies took 15 at the 123-yard 8th, the 'Postage Stamp', ricocheting between bunkers.
With hardly any wind all week, Locke missed only two fairways in four rounds and set an Open record 279, the first successful title defence since Walter Hagen in 1929.
How it was won: Locke won by two with a record 279.
Bobby Locke: player page
1949 Open Championship: Bobby Locke wins at Royal St George's Golf Club
Bobby Locke won the 1949 Open Championship at Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, England in a playoff with Harry Bradshaw, after finishing on 283.
Rounds: 69-76-68-70.
After 54 holes Bobby Locke, Harry Bradshaw and Max Faulkner led on 213; Bobby Locke: co-led.
Playoff: 36-hole stroke play; Locke 135 (67-68); Bradshaw 147 (74-73).
In round two Bradshaw's drive at the 5th came to rest inside a broken beer bottle; unsure of the rule, he played it as it lay, moved it about 25 yards and took a 6.
In the playoff Locke hit a 4-iron from about 200 yards to a couple of feet at the 14th for an eagle 3 while Bradshaw took 6, and Locke won by 12 strokes.
The deciding hole: At the 14th in the morning playoff round Locke hit a 4-iron from 200 yards to a couple of feet for an eagle 3 while Bradshaw took 6, and "the gap only grew" to a 12-stroke win.
Bobby Locke: player page
1948 Open Championship: Henry Cotton wins at Muirfield
Henry Cotton won the 1948 Open Championship at Muirfield, Gullane, Scotland, with 284, 5 strokes ahead of Fred Daly.
Rounds: 71-66-75-72.
After 54 holes Henry Cotton led on 212; Henry Cotton: led by 2.
Cotton's second-round 66 (out 33, home 33), a Muirfield record, was watched all the way round by King George VI.
In poor weather on the final day no one broke 70; Cotton's 75-72 kept him clear and he won by five, 11 years after his previous Open title.
How it was won: Cotton's second-round 66 "put him in front for good" and he won by five.
Henry Cotton: player page
1947 Open Championship: Fred Daly wins at Royal Liverpool Golf Club
Fred Daly won the 1947 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, England, with 293, one stroke ahead of Reg Horne and Frank Stranahan (amateur).
Rounds: 73-70-78-72.
After 54 holes Henry Cotton, Fred Daly, Arthur Lees and Norman Von Nida led on 221; Fred Daly: co-led.
Daly holed a birdie putt from 12 yards on the 18th to post 293 as the wind strengthened.
Amateur Frank Stranahan, needing an eagle 2 at the par-4 72nd to tie, hit a 9-iron approach that stopped about a foot from the cup; Reg Horne's birdie putt at the last lipped out.
The deciding hole: Daly's 12-yard birdie putt on the 18th dropped to post 293; Reg Horne's birdie putt at the last lipped out and amateur Frank Stranahan's approach to the last stopped a foot short of the eagle he needed to tie.
Fred Daly: player page
1946 Open Championship: Sam Snead wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Sam Snead won the 1946 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 290, 4 strokes ahead of Johnny Bulla and Bobby Locke.
Rounds: 71-70-74-75.
After 54 holes Sam Snead, Johnny Bulla and Dai Rees led on 215; Sam Snead: co-led.
Arriving by train, Snead looked out at the Old Course and said it looked like 'an old abandoned kinda place' - days later he won on it.
On a windy final day Dai Rees and Henry Cotton both found the Swilcan Burn at the 1st; Rees shot 80, and Snead's closing 75 is, per the R&A, the highest final round by any champion since.
How it was won: Snead won by four with a closing 75 in wind.
Sam Snead: player page
1945 Open Championship: not played
There was no Open Championship in 1945: World War II.
1944 Open Championship: not played
There was no Open Championship in 1944: World War II.
1943 Open Championship: not played
There was no Open Championship in 1943: World War II.
1942 Open Championship: not played
There was no Open Championship in 1942: World War II.
1941 Open Championship: not played
There was no Open Championship in 1941: World War II.
1940 Open Championship: not played
There was no Open Championship in 1940: World War II.
1939 Open Championship: Dick Burton wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Dick Burton won the 1939 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 290, 2 strokes ahead of Johnny Bulla.
Rounds: 70-72-77-71.
After 54 holes John Fallon led on 215; Dick Burton: 4 behind (T4).
Burton holed a 15-foot birdie putt on the 72nd green to win by two.
Martin Pose took 8 at the Road Hole after a two-stroke penalty for grounding his club in a hazard.
The deciding hole: Burton came to the last needing a four to win, hit a huge drive, pitched to 15 feet and holed the birdie putt to win by two.
Dick Burton: player page
1938 Open Championship: Reg Whitcombe wins at Royal St George's Golf Club
Reg Whitcombe won the 1938 Open Championship at Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, England, with 295, 2 strokes ahead of Jimmy Adams.
Rounds: 71-71-75-78.
After 54 holes Reg Whitcombe led on 217; Reg Whitcombe: led by 1.
The final-day gale ripped apart the huge Exhibition Tent, the largest ever seen at The Open.
Alf Padgham drove the 384-yard 11th green and holed the putt for a 2.
How it was won: Reg Whitcombe won by two in a final-day gale despite four-putts at the 9th (R3) and 1st (R4).
Reg Whitcombe: player page
1937 Open Championship: Henry Cotton wins at Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course)
Henry Cotton won the 1937 Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course), Carnoustie, Scotland, with 290, 2 strokes ahead of Reg Whitcombe.
Rounds: 74-72-73-71.
After 54 holes Reg Whitcombe led on 216; Henry Cotton: 3 behind (3rd).
The entire US Ryder Cup team played, having just beaten the hosts at Southport.
Cotton came from three behind with a closing 71 as 54-hole leader Reg Whitcombe shot 76.
How it was won: 54-hole leader Reg Whitcombe topped his drive and took 6 at the 7th in the final round (R&A) and Cotton won by two with a closing 71.
Henry Cotton: player page
1936 Open Championship: Alf Padgham wins at Royal Liverpool Golf Club
Alf Padgham won the 1936 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, England, with 287, one stroke ahead of Jimmy Adams.
Rounds: 73-72-71-71.
After 54 holes Jimmy Adams and Henry Cotton led on 215; Alf Padgham: 1 behind (T3).
Padgham birdied the last from 12 feet to win by one.
Adams needed a birdie at the 18th to tie, but his putt circled the rim and popped out.
The deciding hole: Padgham birdied the last from 12 feet to post 287; Jimmy Adams, needing a 3 at the 18th to tie, saw his putt circle the hole and pop out.
Alf Padgham: player page
1935 Open Championship: Alf Perry wins at Muirfield
Alf Perry won the 1935 Open Championship at Muirfield, Gullane, Scotland, with 283, 4 strokes ahead of Alf Padgham.
Rounds: 69-75-67-72.
After 54 holes Alf Perry led on 211; Alf Perry: led by 1.
Perry's third-round 67 equalled Hagen's Muirfield course record and gave him the lead.
His 283 equalled the Open record and stood at Muirfield until Jack Nicklaus in 1966.
How it was won: Perry's third-round 67 put him ahead and his closing 72 held off Padgham by four.
Alf Perry: player page
1934 Open Championship: Henry Cotton wins at Royal St George's Golf Club
Henry Cotton won the 1934 Open Championship at Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, England, with 283, 5 strokes ahead of Sid Brews.
Rounds: 67-65-72-79.
After 54 holes Henry Cotton led on 204; Henry Cotton: led by 10.
Cotton's second-round 65 set a new Open record, and Dunlop named its "65" ball after it.
That night Cotton put the Claret Jug in Harry Vardon's hands at his Sandwich hotel, and both men shed a tear.
The deciding hole: Collapsing with stomach cramps, Cotton plugged in a bunker at the 13th in what SI calls "the make-or-break point", got up and down with a chip and putt (R&A: "to settle his nerves") and won by five.
Henry Cotton: player page
1933 Open Championship: Denny Shute wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Denny Shute won the 1933 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland in a playoff with Craig Wood, after finishing on 292 (even par).
Rounds: 73-73-73-73.
After 54 holes Henry Cotton, Leo Diegel, Syd Easterbrook, Joe Kirkwood Sr and Abe Mitchell led on 216; Denny Shute: 3 behind.
Playoff: 36-hole stroke play; Shute 149 (75-74); Wood 154 (78-76).
Needing to two-putt the 72nd to join the playoff, Leo Diegel missed the ball entirely with his second putt and finished one short.
Shute won with four straight 73s, then won the playoff by five strokes.
How it was won: Shute beat Craig Wood 149 to 154 over 36 holes; Leo Diegel missed the playoff by one after missing a tap-in on the 72nd green.
Leo Diegel: missed the ball entirely on his second putt at the 72nd; missed the play-off by one.
Denny Shute: player page
1932 Open Championship: Gene Sarazen wins at Prince's Golf Club
Gene Sarazen won the 1932 Open Championship at Prince's Golf Club, Sandwich, England, with 283, 5 strokes ahead of Macdonald Smith.
Rounds: 70-69-70-74.
After 54 holes Gene Sarazen led on 209; Gene Sarazen: led by 4.
Sarazen used his newly invented sand wedge in competition for the first time.
His 283 broke Jones's 1927 record by two, and he led outright after every round.
How it was won: Sarazen led after every round and won by five.
Gene Sarazen: player page
1931 Open Championship: Tommy Armour wins at Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course)
Tommy Armour won the 1931 Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course), Carnoustie, Scotland, with 296, one stroke ahead of José Jurado.
Rounds: 73-75-77-71.
After 54 holes José Jurado led on 220; Tommy Armour: 5 behind (T6).
Armour's closing 71 equalled the course record in the first Open at Carnoustie.
Jurado drove into the burn at the 17th for a 6, then missed a nine-foot putt at the 18th to tie.
The deciding hole: José Jurado drove into the Barry Burn at the 17th and took a 6, then missed a nine-foot putt at the last, finishing one behind Armour.
Tommy Armour: player page
1930 Open Championship: Bobby Jones wins at Royal Liverpool Golf Club
Bobby Jones won the 1930 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, England, with 291, 2 strokes ahead of Leo Diegel and Macdonald Smith.
Rounds: 70-72-74-75.
After 54 holes Archie Compston led on 215; Bobby Jones: 1 behind.
Jones took a 7 at the 8th in the final round, calling it the "most inexcusable hole I have ever played".
His bunker shot to inches at the 16th saved a 4, and the win was the second leg of his 1930 Grand Slam.
The deciding hole: After a 7 at the 8th, Jones played a delicate bunker shot to inches at the 16th "to claim a vital four" and won by two.
Bobby Jones: player page
1929 Open Championship: Walter Hagen wins at Muirfield
Walter Hagen won the 1929 Open Championship at Muirfield, Gullane, Scotland, with 292, 6 strokes ahead of Johnny Farrell.
Rounds: 75-67-75-75.
After 54 holes Walter Hagen led on 217; Walter Hagen: led by 4.
Hagen's second-round 67 was the first 67 in Open history.
The top three (Hagen, Farrell, Diegel) were the reigning holders of the other majors, an unprecedented 1-2-3.
How it was won: Hagen won by six after his record second-round 67.
Walter Hagen: player page
1928 Open Championship: Walter Hagen wins at Royal St George's Golf Club
Walter Hagen won the 1928 Open Championship at Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, England, with 292, 2 strokes ahead of Gene Sarazen.
Rounds: 75-73-72-72.
After 54 holes Walter Hagen led on 220; Walter Hagen: led by 1.
Hagen holed from seven feet after a bunker shot at the 15th to protect his lead.
The Prince of Wales, the future Edward VIII, presented the Claret Jug as club captain.
The deciding hole: Hagen played a bunker shot to seven feet at the 15th and holed the putt for a 4 "to make sure he kept ahead" of Sarazen.
Walter Hagen: player page
1927 Open Championship: Bobby Jones wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Bobby Jones won the 1927 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 285, 6 strokes ahead of Aubrey Boomer and Fred Robson.
Rounds: 68-72-73-72.
After 54 holes Bobby Jones (a) led on 213; Bobby Jones: led by 4.
Jones opened with a record 68 that included a putt of about 40 yards at the 5th, and led from start to finish.
After his record 285 the crowd carried him shoulder-high from the 18th as he held up his "Calamity Jane" putter.
How it was won: Jones led from start to finish and won by six with a record 285.
Bobby Jones: player page
1926 Open Championship: Bobby Jones wins at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
Bobby Jones won the 1926 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, Lytham St Annes, England, with 291, 2 strokes ahead of Al Watrous.
Rounds: 72-72-73-74.
After 54 holes Al Watrous led on 215; Bobby Jones: 2 behind.
At the 71st, Jones hit a 175-yard mashie-niblick from sandy scrub onto the green inside Watrous, who then three-putted.
This was the first three-day Open and the first with a spectator admission fee.
The deciding hole: Level with Al Watrous, Jones played a 175-yard mashie-niblick from a sandy scrub area blind behind a dune onto the 17th green inside Watrous, who was shaken and three-putted.
Bobby Jones: player page
1925 Open Championship: Jim Barnes wins at Prestwick Golf Club
Jim Barnes won the 1925 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club, Prestwick, Scotland, with 300, one stroke ahead of Archie Compston and Ted Ray.
Rounds: 70-77-79-74.
After 54 holes Macdonald Smith led on 221; Jim Barnes: 5 behind (T2).
Macdonald Smith led by five after 54 holes but needed only 78 and shot 82, including sixes at the 7th and 8th, to finish fourth.
This was the last Open played at Prestwick, its 24th.
How it was won: 54-hole leader Macdonald Smith shot 82 (with sixes at the 7th and 8th) and Barnes won by one.
Macdonald Smith: led by 5 after 54; needed 78, shot 82.
Jim Barnes: player page
1924 Open Championship: Walter Hagen wins at Royal Liverpool Golf Club
Walter Hagen won the 1924 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, England, with 301, one stroke ahead of Ernest Whitcombe.
Rounds: 77-73-74-77.
After 54 holes Walter Hagen and Ernest Whitcombe led on 224; Walter Hagen: co-led.
Told Whitcombe's total on the 12th tee, Hagen played in at level fours and holed a downhill six-footer at the last to win by one.
J.H. Taylor finished fifth at age 53, thirty years after his first title.
The deciding hole: Hagen reached the 18th green needing to hole a six-foot downhill putt to beat Ernest Whitcombe's 302, and holed it to win by one.
Walter Hagen: player page
1923 Open Championship: Arthur Havers wins at Troon Golf Club (Old Course)
Arthur Havers won the 1923 Open Championship at Troon Golf Club (Old Course), Troon, Scotland, with 295, one stroke ahead of Walter Hagen.
Rounds: 73-73-73-76.
After 54 holes Arthur Havers led on 219; Arthur Havers: led by 1.
Havers holed his bunker shot at the 72nd hole; Hagen found the same bunker and narrowly missed holing out to tie.
Several Americans' deep-punched iron faces were ruled illegal and filed down overnight with files from the Glasgow shipyards; Sarazen then failed to qualify.
The deciding hole: Havers bunkered his second at the 18th and holed the bunker shot for 295; Hagen found the same bunker and narrowly failed to hole out to tie.
Arthur Havers: player page
1922 Open Championship: Walter Hagen wins at Royal St George's Golf Club
Walter Hagen won the 1922 Open Championship at Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, England, with 300, one stroke ahead of Jim Barnes and George Duncan.
Rounds: 76-73-79-72.
After 54 holes Jock Hutchison led on 226; Walter Hagen: 2 behind (T4).
Hagen became the first US-born champion.
Duncan's approach to the 18th ran into a dip left of the green, now called Duncan's Hollow; he took 5 and lost by one.
The deciding hole: Needing a 4 at the last to tie Hagen, George Duncan's approach finished in the dip left of the green (now "Duncan's Hollow"), he chipped weakly and took 5 to lose by one.
Walter Hagen: player page
1921 Open Championship: Jock Hutchison wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Jock Hutchison won the 1921 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland in a playoff with Roger Wethered (a), after finishing on 296.
Rounds: 72-75-79-70.
After 54 holes Jim Barnes and Sandy Herd led on 222; Jock Hutchison: 4 behind.
Playoff: 36-hole stroke play; Hutchison 150 (74-76); Wethered 159 (77-82).
Hutchison made a hole-in-one at the 8th in round one, then drove the 9th green to within three inches.
Bobby Jones, on his Open debut, tore up his card after four shots in Hill bunker at the 11th in round three.
How it was won: Hutchison beat amateur Roger Wethered 150 to 159 over 36 holes.
Jock Hutchison: player page
1920 Open Championship: George Duncan wins at Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club
George Duncan won the 1920 Open Championship at Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club, Deal, England, with 303, 2 strokes ahead of Sandy Herd.
Rounds: 80-80-71-72.
After 54 holes Len Holland led on 229; George Duncan: 2 behind (4th; 13 behind after 36).
Thirteen behind at halfway after two 80s, Duncan bought a new driver in the Exhibition Tent and shot 71 and 72 to win.
Barred from the clubhouse as a professional, Walter Hagen parked a Daimler outside and changed his shoes in it.
How it was won: Duncan came from 13 behind at halfway with 71-72 while halfway leader Abe Mitchell shot 84 in round three.
George Duncan: player page
1919 Open Championship: not played
There was no Open Championship in 1919: World War I.
1918 Open Championship: not played
There was no Open Championship in 1918: World War I.
1917 Open Championship: not played
There was no Open Championship in 1917: World War I.
1916 Open Championship: not played
There was no Open Championship in 1916: World War I.
1915 Open Championship: not played
There was no Open Championship in 1915: World War I.
1914 Open Championship: Harry Vardon wins at Prestwick Golf Club
Harry Vardon won the 1914 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club, Prestwick, Scotland, with 306, 3 strokes ahead of J.H. Taylor.
Rounds: 73-77-78-78.
After 54 holes J.H. Taylor led on 226; Harry Vardon: 2 behind.
A photographer broke Taylor's concentration at the 3rd hole of the final round, and he dropped a stroke.
At the 4th Taylor found the water and took 7 to Vardon's 4, and Vardon went on to a record sixth title.
The deciding hole: Leading by two, Taylor drove into a bunker by the burn at the 4th in the final round, then found the water and took 7 to Vardon's 4, and Vardon went on to win by three.
Harry Vardon: player page
1913 Open Championship: J.H. Taylor wins at Royal Liverpool Golf Club
J.H. Taylor won the 1913 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, England, with 304, 8 strokes ahead of Ted Ray.
Rounds: 73-75-77-79.
After 54 holes J.H. Taylor led on 225; J.H. Taylor: led by 3.
In the final round Taylor holed a 50-yard pitch for a 3 at the long 14th.
Ray took an 8 at the third hole of the final round in gale-force wind, and Taylor won by eight.
How it was won: The narrative mentions Taylor's 50-yard pitch-in for 3 at the 14th and Ray's 8 at the 3rd in the final round, but does not say where the title was decided (Taylor won by eight).
J.H. Taylor: player page
1912 Open Championship: Ted Ray wins at Muirfield
Ted Ray won the 1912 Open Championship at Muirfield, Gullane, Scotland, with 295, 4 strokes ahead of Harry Vardon.
Rounds: 71-73-76-75.
After 54 holes Ted Ray led on 220; Ted Ray: led by 5.
Ray became the first champion in the 72-hole era to lead outright after every round.
Supporters lifted Ray onto their shoulders and carried him off in celebration.
How it was won: No hole is named; Ray led after every round and won by four.
Ted Ray: player page
1911 Open Championship: Harry Vardon wins at Royal St George's Golf Club
Harry Vardon won the 1911 Open Championship at Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, England in a playoff with Arnaud Massy, after finishing on 303.
Rounds: 74-74-75-80.
After 54 holes Harry Vardon led on 223; Harry Vardon: led by 3.
Playoff: 36-hole stroke play (conceded); Vardon 138 (74-64 through 34 holes); Massy 148 (79-69 through 34 holes).
Massy reached the 72nd green in two and two-putted to force a playoff with Vardon.
Ten strokes down after 34 playoff holes, Massy conceded on the 35th, saying "I cannot play this damn game."
The deciding hole: Vardon "powered two long shots against the wind onto the 17th green" of the afternoon play-off round and Massy, ten behind after 34 holes, conceded.
Harry Vardon: player page
1910 Open Championship: James Braid wins at Old Course, St Andrews
James Braid won the 1910 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 299, 4 strokes ahead of Sandy Herd.
Rounds: 76-73-74-76.
After 54 holes George Duncan led on 221; James Braid: 2 behind.
A thunderstorm flooded the course on the first day and voided all scores; Braid kept playing after being told at the 13th, in case the news was wrong.
Third-round leader George Duncan shot 83 and fell to third as Braid won his fifth title.
How it was won: The only hole named is the 13th, where Braid was told the storm-hit first day's round was being cancelled.
George Duncan: third-round leader; closed with 83.
James Braid: player page
1909 Open Championship: J.H. Taylor wins at Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club
J.H. Taylor won the 1909 Open Championship at Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club, Deal, England, with 295, 6 strokes ahead of Tom Ball and James Braid.
Rounds: 74-73-74-74.
After 54 holes J.H. Taylor led on 221; J.H. Taylor: led by 4.
At the 16th, after a poor drive into rough, Taylor hit a bold brassie onto the green for a 4.
Taylor won by six for his fourth title, in the first Open held at Royal Cinque Ports, Deal.
How it was won: Taylor won by six; his bold brassie to the 16th green is described but not as decisive.
J.H. Taylor: player page
1908 Open Championship: James Braid wins at Prestwick Golf Club
James Braid won the 1908 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club, Prestwick, Scotland, with 291, 8 strokes ahead of Tom Ball.
Rounds: 70-72-77-72.
After 54 holes James Braid led on 219; James Braid: led by 6.
Braid took an 8 at the 3rd in round three after going out of bounds from the Cardinal bunker.
He still won by eight, and his 291 set a new Championship record.
How it was won: Braid took 8 at the 3rd in round three but still won by eight, and no hole is called decisive.
James Braid: player page
1907 Open Championship: Arnaud Massy wins at Royal Liverpool Golf Club
Arnaud Massy won the 1907 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, England, with 312, 2 strokes ahead of J.H. Taylor.
Rounds: 76-81-78-77.
After 54 holes J.H. Taylor led on 234; Arnaud Massy: 1 behind.
Massy became the first overseas champion, and the first Open requiring every competitor to qualify.
Massy's wife had given birth that week; he named the baby Margot Hoylake after the win.
The deciding hole: "The turning point came when Taylor sliced his second shot into long rough at the third and took a 7", just after Massy drew level with a 3 at the 2nd of the final round.
Arnaud Massy: player page
1906 Open Championship: James Braid wins at Muirfield
James Braid won the 1906 Open Championship at Muirfield, Gullane, Scotland, with 300, 4 strokes ahead of J.H. Taylor.
Rounds: 77-76-74-73.
After 54 holes J.H. Taylor led on 224; James Braid: 3 behind (T3).
Amateur John Graham Jr. led after the first round with a 71 and finished fourth.
Braid's closing 73 was one of only two final rounds under 77, overturning Taylor's three-stroke lead.
James Braid: player page
1905 Open Championship: James Braid wins at Old Course, St Andrews
James Braid won the 1905 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 318, 5 strokes ahead of Rowland Jones and J.H. Taylor.
Rounds: 81-78-78-81.
After 54 holes James Braid led on 237; James Braid: led by 6.
Braid went onto the railway line at the 15th and 16th in the final round and took 6 on each.
Players disliked the Old Course's new pot bunkers and called them "spittoons".
How it was won: Braid took 6 at both the 15th and 16th in the final round after going onto the railway line, but still won by five.
James Braid: player page
1904 Open Championship: Jack White wins at Royal St George's Golf Club
Jack White won the 1904 Open Championship at Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, England, with 296, one stroke ahead of James Braid and J.H. Taylor.
Rounds: 80-75-72-69.
After 54 holes James Braid led on 226; Jack White: 1 behind.
Braid became the first player to break 70 in The Open, a third-round 69 that went out in 31.
Taylor closed with a record 68 but finished one behind White, whose 296 was the first winning total under 300.
The deciding hole: J.H. Taylor "needed a 3 at the last to tie but his 30-footer just slipped by", and Braid also came to the last with a chance to tie and finished one behind White.
Jack White: player page
1903 Open Championship: Harry Vardon wins at Prestwick Golf Club
Harry Vardon won the 1903 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club, Prestwick, Scotland, with 300, 6 strokes ahead of Tom Vardon.
Rounds: 73-77-72-78.
After 54 holes Harry Vardon led on 222; Harry Vardon: led by 7.
Harry and Tom Vardon finished first and second, the third pair of brothers to do so.
Harry Vardon's 300 broke the Championship record by five strokes.
How it was won: Vardon won by six; the narrative names his 7 at the 17th and 6 at the 12th but not a deciding hole.
Harry Vardon: player page
1902 Open Championship: Sandy Herd wins at Royal Liverpool Golf Club
Sandy Herd won the 1902 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, England, with 307, one stroke ahead of James Braid and Harry Vardon.
Rounds: 77-76-73-81.
After 54 holes Sandy Herd led on 226; Sandy Herd: led by 3.
Herd won with the new rubber-cored Haskell ball, which he first tried in a practice round with John Ball; after his win everyone began using it.
Needing a 4 at the last to tie, Vardon saw his putt stop on the lip of the hole.
The deciding hole: Vardon needed to hole from five feet for a 4 at the last to tie Herd but the ball stopped on the edge of the hole, and Braid also missed a putt on the final green to tie.
Sandy Herd: player page
1901 Open Championship: James Braid wins at Muirfield
James Braid won the 1901 Open Championship at Muirfield, Gullane, Scotland, with 309, 3 strokes ahead of Harry Vardon.
Rounds: 79-76-74-80.
After 54 holes James Braid led on 229; James Braid: led by 5.
Braid hooked his opening drive of the Championship over a wall and out of bounds.
On his approach to the 72nd hole his club shaft snapped, yet the ball still reached the green about 200 yards away and he made 4.
The deciding hole: "A 6 at the 16th of his final round ruined any hopes Vardon still had of catching the new Champion", Braid, who won by three.
James Braid: player page
1900 Open Championship: J.H. Taylor wins at Old Course, St Andrews
J.H. Taylor won the 1900 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 309, 8 strokes ahead of Harry Vardon.
Rounds: 79-77-78-75.
After 54 holes J.H. Taylor led on 234; J.H. Taylor: led by 6.
Taylor won by eight strokes, and the Great Triumvirate finished 1-2-3 (Taylor, Vardon, Braid).
Taylor's closing 75 was the best score yet in an Open on the Old Course, played before what RA calls the largest gallery ever seen at The Open.
How it was won: No hole is named; Taylor won by eight.
J.H. Taylor: player page
1899 Open Championship: Harry Vardon wins at Royal St George's Golf Club
Harry Vardon won the 1899 Open Championship at Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, England, with 310, 5 strokes ahead of Jack White.
Rounds: 76-76-81-77.
After 54 holes Harry Vardon led on 233; Harry Vardon: led by 3.
Vardon became the first three-time champion since Bob Ferguson in 1882.
He was the first player in the 72-hole era to lead or share the lead after every round.
How it was won: No hole is named; Vardon led after every round and won by five.
Harry Vardon: player page
1898 Open Championship: Harry Vardon wins at Prestwick Golf Club
Harry Vardon won the 1898 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club, Prestwick, Scotland, with 307, one stroke ahead of Willie Park Jr.
Rounds: 79-75-77-76.
After 54 holes Willie Park Jr led on 229; Harry Vardon: 2 behind.
This Championship saw the first 36-hole cut in Open history.
Park missed a putt of about four feet on the 72nd green to tie; he later said spectators gave him wrong information about Vardon's score.
The deciding hole: Willie Park Jr left himself a putt of about four feet at the last to tie Vardon and missed it, later saying he had been given wrong information about Vardon's score.
Harry Vardon: player page
1897 Open Championship: Harold Hilton wins at Royal Liverpool Golf Club
Harold Hilton won the 1897 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, England, with 314, one stroke ahead of James Braid.
Rounds: 80-75-84-75.
After 54 holes James Braid led on 236; Harold Hilton: 3 behind.
Braid needed a 3 at the 18th to tie, but his approach ran 20 feet past and he missed the return putt.
While Braid finished, the amateur Hilton calmed his nerves by playing billiards in the clubhouse.
The deciding hole: Braid came to the last needing a 3 to tie, but his approach came within a foot and ran on 20 feet past, and he missed the putt back to lose by one to Hilton.
Harold Hilton: player page
1896 Open Championship: Harry Vardon wins at Muirfield
Harry Vardon won the 1896 Open Championship at Muirfield, Gullane, Scotland in a playoff with J.H. Taylor, after finishing on 316.
Rounds: 83-78-78-77.
After 54 holes Sandy Herd led on 235; Harry Vardon: 4 behind (T5).
Playoff: 36-hole stroke play; Vardon 157 (78-79); Taylor 161 (80-81).
The 36-hole playoff was delayed a day because both Vardon and Taylor had entered a tournament at nearby North Berwick.
Old Tom Morris played his 34th and final Open and withdrew after failing to break 100 in any of his first three rounds.
How it was won: Vardon "needed a 4 at the last to win but played safely" for a 5 to tie, and in the play-off Taylor, already two behind, took 6 at the last, so no hole is identified as deciding the title.
Harry Vardon: player page
1895 Open Championship: J.H. Taylor wins at Old Course, St Andrews
J.H. Taylor won the 1895 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 322, 4 strokes ahead of Sandy Herd.
Rounds: 86-78-80-78.
After 54 holes Sandy Herd led on 241; J.H. Taylor: 3 behind.
Taylor became the first Englishman to win at St Andrews, in its first 72-hole Open.
His closing 78 in wind and rain was the best round of the day; no one else broke 82.
How it was won: The narrative names Taylor's 6s at the 13th and 14th and Herd's 7 at the 5th, but none as decisive.
J.H. Taylor: player page
1894 Open Championship: J.H. Taylor wins at Royal St George's Golf Club
J.H. Taylor won the 1894 Open Championship at Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich, England, with 326, 5 strokes ahead of Douglas Rolland.
Rounds: 84-80-81-81.
After 54 holes J.H. Taylor led on 245; J.H. Taylor: led by 3.
Taylor became the first English professional to win, at the first Open held outside Scotland.
Old Tom Morris entered and withdrew after scoring 100 in the third round.
How it was won: No hole is named in the R&A narrative.
J.H. Taylor: player page
1893 Open Championship: Willie Auchterlonie wins at Prestwick Golf Club
Willie Auchterlonie won the 1893 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club, Prestwick, Scotland, with 322, 2 strokes ahead of Johnny Laidlay (amateur).
Rounds: 78-81-81-82.
After 54 holes Willie Auchterlonie led on 240; Willie Auchterlonie: led by 1.
Auchterlonie went onto the railway line in the second round and took an 8, yet still won at age 21.
The first day at Prestwick was played in rain that The Field said fell "in the most pitiless fashion from morn to eve".
The deciding hole: Amateur John Laidlay took 7 at the 3rd, which "effectively halted his hopes of winning", and finished two behind Auchterlonie.
Willie Auchterlonie: player page
1892 Open Championship: Harold Hilton wins at Muirfield
Harold Hilton won the 1892 Open Championship at Muirfield, Gullane, Scotland, with 305, 3 strokes ahead of John Ball (amateur), Sandy Herd and Hugh Kirkaldy.
Rounds: 78-81-72-74.
After 54 holes John Ball (a) led on 229; Harold Hilton: 2 behind.
This was the first Open played over 72 holes and the first held at Muirfield, which the Honourable Company had opened only nine months earlier.
Hilton was seven shots behind the halfway leader, amateur Horace Hutchinson, then shot a third-round 72, the best of the day, to get within two.
How it was won: The Open notes Hilton "could afford a 6 at the final hole and still win by three", so no hole decided it.
Harold Hilton: player page
1891 Open Championship: Hugh Kirkaldy wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Hugh Kirkaldy won the 1891 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 166, 2 strokes ahead of Andrew Kirkaldy and Willie Fernie.
Rounds: 83-83.
After 54 holes Hugh Kirkaldy led on 83; Hugh Kirkaldy: led by 1.
Played in cold wind and driving rain, this was the last 36-hole Open, and the brothers Hugh and Andrew Kirkaldy finished first and joint second.
Hugh's 166 set the record for an Open at St Andrews, and one of his rounds had no 6s, a first at St Andrews.
How it was won: No hole is named in the R&A narrative.
Hugh Kirkaldy: player page
1890 Open Championship: John Ball wins at Prestwick Golf Club
John Ball won the 1890 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club, Prestwick, Scotland, with 164, 3 strokes ahead of Archie Simpson and Willie Fernie.
Rounds: 82-82.
After 54 holes Andrew Kirkaldy led on 81; John Ball: 1 behind.
Ball became the first amateur and the first Englishman to win the Open.
Needing to play the last four holes in 20 to beat Fernie's 167, Ball took 18 (5-4-5-4).
How it was won: Ball needed the last four holes in 20 and took 18, but no single hole is named.
John Ball: player page
1889 Open Championship: Willie Park Jr wins at Musselburgh Links (9-hole)
Willie Park Jr won the 1889 Open Championship at Musselburgh Links (9-hole), Musselburgh, Scotland in a playoff with Andrew Kirkaldy, after finishing on 155.
Rounds: 78-77.
After 54 holes Andrew Kirkaldy led on 77; Willie Park Jr: 1 behind.
Playoff: 36-hole stroke play (following Monday); Park 158 (82-76); Kirkaldy 163 (85-78).
In the November gloom, players not finished after three loops were paid five shillings to withdraw, and late finishers played by street light.
Park's putt for a 2 at the last stopped on the lip, which forced the 36-hole play-off in the last Open at Musselburgh.
How it was won: Park's putt for a 2 at the last of regulation stopped on the lip, forcing the play-off, which he won by five without the article naming a deciding hole.
Willie Park Jr: player page
1888 Open Championship: Jack Burns wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Jack Burns won the 1888 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 171, one stroke ahead of David Anderson Jr and Ben Sayers.
Rounds: 86-85.
After 54 holes Willie Campbell led on 84; Jack Burns: 2 behind.
An R&A member checking the cards found that Burns's morning outward half was 46, not the 47 written down, which turned an apparent tie into a one-stroke win.
David Anderson Jr was the first player to break 40 on the inward half.
How it was won: The title turned on a card recount (Burns's outward half was 46, not 47), not on a hole.
Jack Burns: player page
1887 Open Championship: Willie Park Jr wins at Prestwick Golf Club
Willie Park Jr won the 1887 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club, Prestwick, Scotland, with 161, one stroke ahead of Bob Martin.
Rounds: 82-79.
After 54 holes Willie Campbell led on 77; Willie Park Jr: 5 behind.
Leader Willie Campbell topped his drive at the 16th into a fairway bunker and took four to escape; the bunker became "Willie Campbell's Grave".
Park Jr never found a bunker in 36 holes, and the Parks joined the Morrises as father-and-son champions.
The deciding hole: Leader Willie Campbell topped his drive at the 16th into a fairway bunker and took four to escape ("Willie Campbell's Grave"), while Park Jr played the hole "serenely for a 3" and won by one.
Willie Campbell: led by 4; took four to escape "Willie Campbell's Grave" at the 16th.
Willie Park Jr: player page
1886 Open Championship: David Brown wins at Musselburgh Links (9-hole)
David Brown won the 1886 Open Championship at Musselburgh Links (9-hole), Musselburgh, Scotland, with 157, 2 strokes ahead of Willie Campbell.
Rounds: 79-78.
After 54 holes Willie Campbell and John Lambert led on 78; David Brown: 1 behind.
The champion was a little-known Musselburgh slater by trade.
Brown later emigrated to America and lost the 1903 US Open play-off to Willie Anderson.
How it was won: The Open's narrative refers to stretches of holes only, not to a specific one.
David Brown: player page
1885 Open Championship: Bob Martin wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Bob Martin won the 1885 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 171, one stroke ahead of Archie Simpson.
Rounds: 84-87.
After 54 holes Archie Simpson led on 83; Bob Martin: 1 behind.
David Ayton took 11 at the 17th after twice playing from the road behind the green, and finished two behind.
Martin became the first player to win two Opens at St Andrews.
The deciding hole: David Ayton "was left ruing an 11 at the 17th" after twice playing from the road behind the green, and finished two behind Bob Martin.
Bob Martin: player page
1884 Open Championship: Jack Simpson wins at Prestwick Golf Club
Jack Simpson won the 1884 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club, Prestwick, Scotland, with 160, 4 strokes ahead of Douglas Rolland and Willie Fernie.
Rounds: 78-82.
After 54 holes Jack Simpson led on 78; Jack Simpson: led by 2.
This was the first Open on Prestwick's extended 18-hole course, which dropped the old 578-yard 1st.
Simpson's afternoon 82 in gales was the low score of that round.
How it was won: Simpson won by four; the narrative names holes (a 7 at the 13th, a 3 at the 18th) but none as decisive.
Jack Simpson: player page
1883 Open Championship: Willie Fernie wins at Musselburgh Links (9-hole)
Willie Fernie won the 1883 Open Championship at Musselburgh Links (9-hole), Musselburgh, Scotland in a playoff with Bob Ferguson, after finishing on 158.
Rounds: 75-83.
After 54 holes Willie Fernie led on 75; Willie Fernie: led by 2.
Playoff: 36-hole stroke play (next day); Fernie 158 (81-77); Ferguson 159 (82-77).
Fernie took 10 at the 2nd in his final loop (long grass, a sand hole, a bunker and a whin bush) and still won.
In the first play-off actually contested, Fernie made 2 at the last hole to Ferguson's 4 and won by one, ending Ferguson's bid for four in a row.
The deciding hole: One behind coming to the 9th for the last time, Fernie found the green and "rolled in a long putt for a 2" while Ferguson missed the green and took 4, so Fernie won the play-off 158–159.
Willie Fernie: player page
1882 Open Championship: Bob Ferguson wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Bob Ferguson won the 1882 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 171, 3 strokes ahead of Willie Fernie.
Rounds: 83-88.
After 54 holes Bob Ferguson led on 83; Bob Ferguson: led by 3.
Ferguson's opening 83 was three strokes better than anyone else managed in either round.
The win completed Ferguson's hat-trick (1880-82).
How it was won: The narrative names only Ferguson's single 5 at the 12th in the second round, not a deciding hole.
Bob Ferguson: player page
1881 Open Championship: Bob Ferguson wins at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links)
Bob Ferguson won the 1881 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Prestwick, Scotland, with 170, 3 strokes ahead of Jamie Anderson.
Rounds: 53-60-57.
After 54 holes Bob Ferguson led on 113; Bob Ferguson: led by 3.
An October storm of gale-force wind, rain, sleet and snow struck that day, when almost 200 fishermen were lost at sea.
Play started 90 minutes late while markers were found, and only eight of the 22 starters finished.
How it was won: The storm-hit Open's narrative names no hole.
Bob Ferguson: player page
1880 Open Championship: Bob Ferguson wins at Musselburgh Links (9-hole)
Bob Ferguson won the 1880 Open Championship at Musselburgh Links (9-hole), Musselburgh, Scotland, with 162, 5 strokes ahead of Peter Paxton.
Rounds: 81-81.
After 54 holes Bob Ferguson led on 81; Bob Ferguson: led by 1.
Ferguson took 8 at the 2nd after his ball came off the road and rebounded off a telegraph pole.
The date was announced at short notice and three-time defending champion Jamie Anderson did not play.
How it was won: Ferguson's 8 at the 2nd (ball off the road and a telegraph pole) is recorded, but he won by five and no hole is called decisive.
Bob Ferguson: player page
1879 Open Championship: Jamie Anderson wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Jamie Anderson won the 1879 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 169, 3 strokes ahead of Andrew Kirkaldy and Jamie Allan.
Rounds: 84-85.
After 54 holes Jamie Anderson led on 84; Jamie Anderson: led by 2.
Anderson completed three straight Opens, a feat since matched only by Bob Ferguson and Peter Thomson.
His 169 was seven better than the 176 that Martin and Strath had tied on at St Andrews in 1876.
How it was won: No hole is named; Anderson led after the first round and won by three.
Jamie Anderson: player page
1878 Open Championship: Jamie Anderson wins at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links)
Jamie Anderson won the 1878 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Prestwick, Scotland, with 157, 2 strokes ahead of Bob Kirk.
Rounds: 53-53-51.
After 54 holes Jamie Anderson and J.O.F. Morris led on 106; Jamie Anderson: co-led.
Anderson holed in one at the 11th (the Short Hole) in the final round, reportedly after re-teeing when a spectator said he was outside the tee markers.
Kirk's long putt on the last to tie lipped out; 16-year-old English amateur John Ball finished tied 4th.
The deciding hole: Anderson holed in one at the 11th (the Short Hole, the penultimate hole) in the final round, a shot Kingdom says "helped the Scot to a two-stroke win over Bob Kirk", whose long putt to tie at the last lipped out.
Jamie Anderson: player page
1877 Open Championship: Jamie Anderson wins at Musselburgh Links (9-hole)
Jamie Anderson won the 1877 Open Championship at Musselburgh Links (9-hole), Musselburgh, Scotland, with 160, 2 strokes ahead of Bob Pringle.
Rounds: 82-78.
After 54 holes Bob Ferguson, William Cosgrove and William Brown led on 80; Jamie Anderson: 2 behind.
Anderson was two behind at halfway and turned it round with a 37 on the third loop.
The win began Anderson's run of three straight titles (1877-79).
How it was won: The Open's narrative refers only to nines and rounds, not holes.
Jamie Anderson: player page
1876 Open Championship: Bob Martin wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Bob Martin won the 1876 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland in a playoff with Davie Strath, after finishing on 176.
Rounds: 86-90.
After 54 holes Bob Martin and Davie Strath led on 86; Bob Martin: co-led.
Playoff: walkover (play-off ordered for Monday; Strath refused to play); walkover: Martin walked the course alone.
At the 14th, Strath's shot struck an upholsterer named Hutton on the head, and at the 17th his approach hit a player putting on the green.
Martin was declared champion after walking the course alone, because Strath would not play until the protest was decided.
The deciding hole: Walkover: Martin and Strath tied on 176 after Strath's approach at the 17th hit a player putting out and drew a disqualification protest, and Strath refused the Monday play-off, so Martin walked the course alone to take the title.
Bob Martin: player page
1875 Open Championship: Willie Park Sr wins at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links)
Willie Park Sr won the 1875 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Prestwick, Scotland, with 166, 2 strokes ahead of Bob Martin.
Rounds: 56-59-51.
After 54 holes Bob Ferguson and Bob Martin led on 114; Willie Park Sr: 1 behind.
The Morrises stayed away: Young Tom's wife and baby had died in childbirth six days earlier.
Fifteen years after his first win, Park closed with 51 for a fourth title, equal to the record of both Morrises.
How it was won: No hole is named as decisive; Park's wayward tee shot at the last cost him two but he still won by two.
Willie Park Sr: player page
1874 Open Championship: Mungo Park wins at Musselburgh Links (9-hole)
Mungo Park won the 1874 Open Championship at Musselburgh Links (9-hole), Musselburgh, Scotland, with 159, 2 strokes ahead of Tom Morris Jr.
Rounds: 75-84.
After 54 holes Mungo Park led on 75; Mungo Park: led by 4.
Mungo Park, Willie Park Sr's brother who had spent much of his early life at sea, won the first Open at Musselburgh.
In his last Open, Young Tom Morris missed a short putt at the penultimate hole and drove through the last green to lose by two.
The deciding hole: Young Tom Morris missed a short putt at the penultimate hole and dropped two shots at the last (the 9th, on the final loop of Musselburgh's 9-hole course) when he drove through the green, losing to Mungo Park by two.
Mungo Park: player page
1873 Open Championship: Tom Kidd wins at Old Course, St Andrews
Tom Kidd won the 1873 Open Championship at Old Course, St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, with 179, one stroke ahead of Jamie Anderson.
Rounds: 91-88.
After 54 holes Tom Kidd, Jamie Anderson and Bob Kirk led on 91; Tom Kidd: co-led.
Torrential rain left standing water, and a new rule let a submerged ball be moved, no nearer the hole, for a one-stroke penalty.
Kidd, a St Andrews caddie, was the first champion presented with the Claret Jug.
The deciding hole: "Kidd had a putt on the last to win and holed it", beating Jamie Anderson's 180 by one.
Tom Kidd: player page
1872 Open Championship: Tom Morris Jr wins at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links)
Tom Morris Jr won the 1872 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Prestwick, Scotland, with 166, 3 strokes ahead of Davie Strath.
Rounds: 57-56-53.
After 54 holes Davie Strath led on 108; Tom Morris Jr: 5 behind.
Strath led by five after 24 holes, but his drive at the last went into the Goosedubs swamp and he closed with 61.
No new trophy was ready, so Young Tom received a medal; his name was later the first engraved on the Claret Jug.
The deciding hole: Davie Strath, five ahead after 24 holes, drove into the Goosedubs swamp at the last (the 12th of the 12-hole course) "and any hope had gone", losing to Young Tom by three.
Davie Strath: led by 5 after 24 holes; drove into the Goosedubs at the last and closed with 61.
Tom Morris Jr: player page
1871 Open Championship: not played
There was no Open Championship in 1871: no trophy (Young Tom Morris won the Challenge Belt outright in 1870); new trophy and joint organisation not agreed until Sept 1872.
1870 Open Championship: Tom Morris Jr wins at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links)
Tom Morris Jr won the 1870 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Prestwick, Scotland, with 149, 12 strokes ahead of Bob Kirk and Davie Strath.
Rounds: 47-51-51.
After 54 holes Tom Morris Jr led on 98; Tom Morris Jr: led by 5.
Young Tom made 3 at the 578-yard 1st when his blind 200-yard third shot hit the flagstick and dropped in.
His third straight win gave him permanent ownership of the Belt, which left the Championship without a trophy.
The deciding hole: Young Tom made 3 at the 578-yard 1st when his blind 200-yard third hit the flagstick and dropped, and The Open says the roar told his rivals "they may well be playing for second place".
Tom Morris Jr: player page
1869 Open Championship: Tom Morris Jr wins at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links)
Tom Morris Jr won the 1869 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Prestwick, Scotland, with 157, 11 strokes ahead of Bob Kirk.
Rounds: 50-55-52.
After 54 holes Tom Morris Jr led on 105; Tom Morris Jr: led by 4.
Young Tom made the Championship's first hole-in-one, at the 166-yard 8th (Station) hole.
He won by 11 strokes on a day of strong wind.
How it was won: Young Tom's ace at the 8th (Station) hole is famous, but he won by 11.
Tom Morris Jr: player page
1868 Open Championship: Tom Morris Jr wins at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links)
Tom Morris Jr won the 1868 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Prestwick, Scotland, with 154, 3 strokes ahead of Tom Morris Sr.
Rounds: 51-54-49.
After 54 holes Tom Morris Sr led on 104; Tom Morris Jr: 1 behind.
At 17 years 156 days, Young Tom became the youngest champion, beating his father by three.
His closing 49 was an Open record, and his 154 broke the 36-hole record by eight strokes.
How it was won: The Open describes Young Tom's four 3s in five holes from the 7th in the final round, but it does not call that run decisive.
Tom Morris Jr: player page
1867 Open Championship: Tom Morris Sr wins at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links)
Tom Morris Sr won the 1867 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Prestwick, Scotland, with 170, 2 strokes ahead of Willie Park Sr.
Rounds: 58-54-58.
After 54 holes Tom Morris Sr led on 112; Tom Morris Sr: led by 2.
Aged 46 years 102 days, Old Tom became the oldest Open champion, a record that still stands.
Morris kept the ball low in the wind with a flat-faced driver-putter borrowed from Colonel Fairlie.
How it was won: The Open says Park "missed a crucial putt at the end" but does not name the hole.
Tom Morris Sr: player page
1866 Open Championship: Willie Park Sr wins at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links)
Willie Park Sr won the 1866 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Prestwick, Scotland, with 169, 2 strokes ahead of David Park.
Rounds: 54-56-59.
After 54 holes Willie Park Sr led on 110; Willie Park Sr: led by 5.
Willie and David Park became the first brothers to finish first and second in the Open.
Park's third title drew him level with Old Tom Morris on three wins each.
How it was won: No hole is named by the R&A or Prestwick GC's timeline.
Willie Park Sr: player page
1865 Open Championship: Andrew Strath wins at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links)
Andrew Strath won the 1865 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Prestwick, Scotland, with 162, 2 strokes ahead of Willie Park Sr.
Rounds: 55-54-53.
After 54 holes Willie Park Sr led on 108; Andrew Strath: 1 behind.
Young Tom Morris, aged 14 years 147 days, played his first Open and withdrew after rounds of 60 and 57.
This was the first Open with official printed scorecards.
How it was won: The Open notes only that "a 5 at the last gave Strath victory with two shots to spare", which is not described as decisive.
Andrew Strath: player page
1864 Open Championship: Tom Morris Sr wins at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links)
Tom Morris Sr won the 1864 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Prestwick, Scotland, with 167, 2 strokes ahead of Andrew Strath.
Rounds: 54-58-55.
After 54 holes Tom Morris Sr led on 112; Tom Morris Sr: led by 1.
Morris received £6, the first cash prize paid to an Open champion, as well as a year's custody of the Belt.
Andrew Strath was the first player other than Park or Morris to finish in the top two.
How it was won: No hole is named in the R&A narrative.
Tom Morris Sr: player page
1863 Open Championship: Willie Park Sr wins at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links)
Willie Park Sr won the 1863 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Prestwick, Scotland, with 168, 2 strokes ahead of Tom Morris Sr.
Rounds: 56-54-58.
After 54 holes Willie Park Sr led on 110; Willie Park Sr: led by 4.
Prize money was paid for the first time: a £10 purse for the professionals.
Park's win stopped Morris taking the Belt outright with a third straight title.
How it was won: No hole is named; Park led by four after 24 holes and won by two.
Willie Park Sr: player page
1862 Open Championship: Tom Morris Sr wins at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links)
Tom Morris Sr won the 1862 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Prestwick, Scotland, with 163, 13 strokes ahead of Willie Park Sr.
Rounds: 52-55-56.
After 54 holes Tom Morris Sr led on 107; Tom Morris Sr: led by 11.
Morris's 13-stroke margin is still the largest winning margin in Open history.
Stung by the margin, Park challenged Morris to an eight-round head-to-head match, which Morris won by 17 holes.
How it was won: Morris won by 13 strokes.
Tom Morris Sr: player page
1861 Open Championship: Tom Morris Sr wins at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links)
Tom Morris Sr won the 1861 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Prestwick, Scotland, with 163, 4 strokes ahead of Willie Park Sr.
Rounds: 54-56-53.
After 54 holes Willie Park Sr led on 108; Tom Morris Sr: 2 behind.
At the last, Morris played his ball from long grass beside a rain pool instead of taking a penalty drop, and closed with 53.
Park's attempt to carry the Alps in two at the 2nd in the final round found a hazard and cost him three strokes.
The deciding hole: At the 2nd in the final round, Park's attempt to carry the Alps in two landed in a hazard while Morris, playing the hole conservatively, "forged ahead by a stroke" and went on to win by four.
Tom Morris Sr: player page
1860 Open Championship: Willie Park Sr wins at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links)
Willie Park Sr won the 1860 Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club (12-hole links), Prestwick, Scotland, with 174, 2 strokes ahead of Tom Morris Sr.
Rounds: 55-59-60.
After 54 holes Willie Park Sr led on 114; Willie Park Sr: led by 3.
On the final green Park faced a 30-foot putt on a bumpy green, and three putts would still have tied Morris.
The prize was the Challenge Belt of red Moroccan leather with silver panels; the silver cost £25.
How it was won: The Open says only that Park came to "the last hole" facing a 30-foot putt on a bumpy green with three putts still enough to tie, so no hole decided it.
Willie Park Sr: player page
How this was built
What is included: every Open from 1860 to 2026, newest first: the champion, the course, the score, the margin and the runners-up, the rounds, the picture after 54 holes, any playoff, the room's own moments, the deciding hole where a source names it, and the collapses the room records.
Where it comes from: the GNN Open Championship data set, 1860–2026, the source this room names. Its year notes cite theopen.com (216), vault.si.com (14), golfcompendium.com (10), thejourney.theopen.com (7), golf.com (3), golfbusinessnews.com (3), golfdigest.com (2), golflongmont.com (1), si.com (1), golfaustralia.com.au (1), golfmonthly.com (1), worldgolfhalloffame.org (1), scotsman.com (1), dailypost.co.uk (1), nbcbayarea.com (1), wtop.com (1), cbsnews.com (1), pgatour.com (1), local12.com (1), skysports.com (1), topendsports.com (1) and golfchannel.com (1).
What is not claimed: the data set's own research notes (which sources agree, what is unconfirmed) are not repeated here. Where the data has no score to par, none is given.