In July of 1977, under azure Scottish skies, Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus fought one of the most memorable battles in golfing history. Finishing 11 and 10 shots ahead of the field, Watson came out on top at Turnberry in the famous “Duel in the Sun.”
But it wasn’t the first Major confrontation the American pair had fought, nor was it the first time that Watson had tamed the Golden Bear. In the 1977 US Masters Watson and Nicklaus duked it out right to the wire with the younger man finally prevailing. That thrilling competition has been somewhat forgotten, overshadowed by the monumental encounter between the two men in South Ayrshire just three months later. But it’s a contest well worth recounting. This is the story of the stirring overture to the Duel in the Sun.
