1. Old Tom hits the first shot (1860)
Allan Robertson was the champion golfer of his age, his status in the 1840s and 1850s unofficial but widely accepted. Top players from all across Scotland came to take a swing at the king, in challenge matches funded by wealthy lairds and businessmen, but nobody beat him in singles. When jaundice did for him in 1859, the champion-golfer void needed to be filled. Prestwick Golf Club invited the best players to play for a Challenge Belt (the Claret Jug wasn’t struck until 1872) and Robertson’s protege, Tom Morris, was favourite to win the inaugural 1860 Open Championship. He had the honour of taking the Open’s first shot, but Wille Park Sr pipped him by two over the 12 holes of Prestwick. No matter: Old Tom went on to win four times, the last in 1867 aged 46, and he remains the oldest Open winner to this day.
2. Fortnum & Hagen (1920)
During golf’s early years, professionals were treated with haughty disdain by bumptious officials. At Royal Cinque Ports in 1920, Walter Hagen decided enough was enough. Having been refused permission to change in the clubhouse before his Open debut, the two-time US Open champ returned in a chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce, parking it deliberately in front of the clubhouse and ostentatiously changing into his shoes in the back. After each round, he returned to the car, tucking into cucumber sandwiches and champagne from a Fortnum & Mason hamper. Hagen didn’t win that year, but he’d made his point. He went on to win four Opens; Royal Cinque Ports hasn’t hosted one since.
3. Bobby’s bunker breakdown (1921)
The most infamous sandy meltdown at the Open? A toss-up between Tommy Nakajima, who took four shots to extricate himself from the notorious Road Hole bunker, slipping out of contention in 1978, and Thomas Bjørn’s inability to splash out of a greenside trap at Sandwich in 2003, shipping the two-shot lead he had held with three to play. But it can happen to the best of them. In 1921, Bobby Jones took four to get out of a bunker on 11 at St Andrews, at which point he ripped his card into confetti and scattered it into the Fife breeze, storming off wearing a look described by members of the gallery as “puzzled dislike”. On his next visit, six years later, Jones won by six strokes.
4. Sam slams the Old Course (1946)
Sam Snead had to be persuaded to come over to play in the Open. He did so only at the behest of his sponsor Wilson Sporting Goods, which was interested in tapping into the British market, and the enthusiasm of his friend Johnny Bulla, who loved the Open. Snead’s length and accuracy ensured victory, but he had little time for the Old Course and didn’t compete in the Open again during his imperial phase. When asked whether he had enjoyed his win, he merely growled: “When you leave the USA, you’re just camping out.” Bulla, who had finished second, could be forgiven for questioning his old pal’s gratitude.
5. The Iceman cometh (1953)
Snead was far from the only American to snub the struggling Open during the immediate period after the second world war. The tournament often coincided with the US PGA and the purse wasn’t exactly bulging. But the canny Ben Hogan knew his major-championship legacy could only be secured with victory in Britain. He came to Carnoustie in 1953 as reigning Masters and US Open champion, and won comfortably, the “Wee Ice Mon” winning the local crowd over despite, or perhaps because of, his intense, unsmiling, no-nonsense demeanour. “I’ll be back,” he promised in his victory speech, but never returned. His played-one, won-one record piqued the interest of Arnold Palmer, who breathed new life into the old tournament by turning up for the centenary Open in 1960. Jack Nicklaus soon followed, and the Open was saved.
6. De Vicenzo: man of the peoples (1967)
Roberto De Vicenzo is mainly remembered these days for the scorecard snafu that cost him a playoff place at the 1968 Masters: “What a stupid I am!” So by way of balance, here’s his feelgood story. De Vicenzo had been contesting the Open since 1948, registering a series of near misses: he had been runner-up once, third five times, fourth once, sixth once, and worse than that only twice. By the time he teed it up at Hoylake in 1967, he was a 44-year-old, 33-1 outsider. But the crowds loved the big humble Argentinian, inspiring him to the form of his life. In the final round, he nearly sent his drive at the par-five 16th out of bounds, but then creamed a three-wood into the green, leading to the birdie that saw off Jack Nicklaus. “I had many peoples with me,” he said, smiling, afterwards. A much better quote to remember him by than that heartbreaking Masters one.
7. Doug’s hell hole (1970)
It’s fair to say Doug Sanders was jittery coming down the stretch at St Andrews in 1970. On the 17th tee, he looked down the fairway 13 times before pulling out of his drive. He finally let fly after another eight glances. Then he took 36 seconds to pull the trigger on his approach, taking 16 nervous peeks towards the green. So perhaps the most famous missed putt of all time had been coming. On 18, he stood over a downhill two-and-a-half-foot putt for the win … only to pull out of this, too, brushing away some imaginary sand, then failing to reset himself properly. To horrified gasps, he prodded weakly wide right. Jack Nicklaus won an 18-hole playoff the following day. “If you gave me one birdie, four pars and a bogey wherever I could put them, I’d have five majors,” sighed Sanders in his dotage. He never won a single one.
8. ‘God is a Mexican’ (1972)
Tony Jacklin already had an Open and a US Open on his CV when he walked up the par-five 17th at Muirfield on Sunday in 1972. Neck and neck with Lee Trevino, he was just short of the green in two, while his opponent had been on safari and was over the back in four. A second Claret Jug looked a shoo-in … but then Jacklin came up 15 feet short with his wedge. Trevino insouciantly chipped in for par, a flustered Jacklin three-putted for bogey, and it was Supermex who won his second Open instead. Jacklin, spooked by the smash and grab, never seriously contested a major again.
9. Duel in the sun (1977)
Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson matched each other shot for shot over the first three days at sun-drenched Turnberry: 68, 70, 65. They remained tied together during a birdie-strewn final round as well, until Nicklaus missed a short putt on 17 to hand Watson a one-shot lead. Jack’s jig looked up when his drive at 18 found gorse, then Watson creamed his approach to 18 inches. But Nicklaus, with a swing described as “animalistic” by the BBC’s Peter Alliss, somehow lashed his second on to the green, then drained the monster birdie putt. Watson’s 18-incher suddenly looked like 18 miles. But in it went anyway. Victor and vanquished left the arena arm in arm, both smiling broadly, one of the greatest sporting images despite Watson’s egregious green-and-yellow checked breeks.
10. Tom and Seve (1984)
Seven years later at St Andrews, Watson was aiming to become the first player since Peter Thomson to win three Opens in a row and to match Harry Vardon’s all-time haul of six. Coming down the Road Hole, he was tied with Severiano Ballesteros, a group ahead, history within reach. But he sent his long iron over the green and nestling near the stone wall running beside the titular track. He managed to chip up on to the green, but as he was lining up his putt, Seve’s 15-foot birdie effort on 18 toppled in. The roar across the links deflated Watson, who missed the par saver. Seve instinctively celebrated his clinching putt with his trademark beatific smile and that fist pump – ¡Yé-yé-yé-yé-yé! – one of the iconic celebrations. Watson would have another chance to experience the joy of six … but more of that anon.
11. No-quit McQuitty (1986)
Gales ripped across Turnberry on the opening day in 1986, sending scores rocketing. Defending champion Sandy Lyle slumped to a 78, the in-form Greg Norman shot a four-over 74 and Andrew Broadway took 40 on the way out, ran up eight on 10, then retired with a suspiciously well-timed back problem. His fellow qualifier Guy McQuitty wasn’t one for nominative determinism, though, and ploughed on. He ran up 95, the worst round at the Open proper in modern times, then – while Norman was carding 63 en route to his first major title – followed it up a day later with a scarcely better 87. And yet he left Turnberry with dignity intact: golf being golf, having been +42 after 32 holes, he parred his last four. Meanwhile, his fellow pros saluted his resilience in pun form with the locker-room mantra: “There’s no quit in McQuitty.”
12. The fall of Baker-Finch (1991-97)
… but you expect the odd big-number blowout from a journeyman pro. Not so much from a world-class talent who had won the championship a mere six years previously. Ian Baker-Finch was regal en route to victory at Birkdale in 1991, shooting 64 and 66 on the weekend, going out in a record 29 on Saturday, birdieing five of the first seven holes on Sunday. One of the great processions. But doubts quickly crept in, swing modifications were made, and at St Andrews in 1995, he snap-hooked his opening drive out of bounds, 180 yards to the left. What’s worse, he did it in front of Arnold Palmer. Two years later at Troon, he carded a 22-over-par 92, the worst round by an erstwhile champion in the modern era, and walked away from the sport. Golf is hard.
13. Jean van d’Artagnan (1999)
We all remember what happened to the poor man on the 72nd at Carnoustie. There’s no need to revisit his grandstand-bothering, trouser-rolling pain shot by injudicious shot. But let’s get it straight. He might have ballsed things up royally, but the one thing Jean van de Velde did not do was bottle it. Consider: three clear with one to play, he could have nursed his 7-iron up the hole and played safe. But instead, he desired to secure victory “like d’Artagnan”. Pragmatists may demur, but this is brave, heroic behaviour. Additionally, upon finding himself in a greenside bunker having taken five already, he got up and down to at least secure his ultimately futile place in the playoff, in the full knowledge of everything he had just thrown away. That took some nerve, non? Chapeaux off!
14. Tiger slammed (2002)
Tiger Woods had already won the 2002 editions of the Masters and US Open, so was halfway to a calendar slam that would appease the pedants for whom the Tiger Slam of 2000-01 somehow wasn’t enough. After 36 holes at Muirfield, he was two off the lead and set fair for Moving Day. With the wind howling and rain horizontal, he moved all right, but only backwards. Often found tail-deep in unmanageable rough, Tiger took 81 hacks, a career nadir, his grand-slam hopes gone. Regardless, he came back the next day and shot 65. Of course he did.
15. The ballad of Ben and Todd (2003-04)
Ben Curtis won at Sandwich in 2003 having bogeyed 14, 15 and 17, Thomas Bjørn, Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods somehow all failing to best or at least match his modest clubhouse lead. A win on debut, yet it was hardly carpe diem stuff. A year later, the equally unknown Todd Hamilton won at Troon while using a 3-wood as a putter from off the green. Another one-hit wonder, and a low-energy phase for the Open. At the risk of belabouring the point, we ask again: Curtis, Hamilton, Van de Velde. Who’s the real winner here?
16. The greatest story nearly told (2009)
At Turnberry, the scene of his greatest triumph, five-time winner Tom Watson shot an improbable opening round of 65. Improbable because, at the age of 59, he was 11 years the senior of the oldest man then to ever win a major, the 1968 PGA champ, Julius Boros. Watson followed it up with a 70 and by Saturday evening he was the sole leader. The fairytale looked on as he came up 18 requiring just a par but, despite flushing an 8-iron into the heart of the green, his ball took a hard bounce and trundled off the back, from where he took three to get down. Stewart Cink is by all accounts a gent, so it would be hard to begrudge him his victory over Old Tom II in the subsequent playoff. And yet, let’s be honest with ourselves …
17. Tussle o’Troon (2016)
A stunning mano a mano battle at Troon, fought by two players a country mile clear of the field. Phil Mickelson made four birdies and an eagle on the way to a final round of 65, and yet it was no good. Henrik Stenson made 10 birdies as the pair traded blows, only pulling clear after draining a 50ft monster on 15. Emotionally drained, the pair embraced on 18 upon Stenson’s putt dropping for a then record-equalling 63, shades of Watson and Nicklaus all those years ago.
18. The driving-range champion (2017)
With his drive slicing hysterically towards the driving range to the right of the 13th at Birkdale, and his head in his hands, Jordan Spieth’s hopes of winning the Open looked kaput. He had started the final round three clear of Matt Kuchar, but now they were tied, and it took a paying punter to find Spieth’s ball. Forced to take an unplayable, and dropping behind some sponsored trucks on the range, he creamed an iron on to the apron, scrambled bogey, then embarked on the mother of all restoration jobs: inches from an ace on 14; birdie at 15; eagle from 35 feet at 16; another birdie at 17; and a fuss-free par to end three clear. Seve-esque and where the Open’s concerned, there’s no greater compliment.
• This article was amended on 13 July 2022 to refer correctly to the “Fife breeze” at St Andrews rather than the “Ayrshire breeze”.
