The Open Championship: The best 5 final rounds, ranked

Based in 1860, the Open Championship is the oldest main championship in skilled golf. The R&A, golf’s governing physique exterior of the USA, hosts the match yearly in the UK.

With the PGA Championship transferring to mid-Could in 2019, the Open Championship is now the fourth and remaining main of the 12 months, as it’s at all times contested in mid-July.

This 12 months’s version will happen at Royal Liverpool, the place Rory McIlroy gained the Claret Jug in 2014.

Cameron Smith will head to Liverpool because the defending champion, as he turned the “Champion Golfer of the 12 months” at St. Andrews in 2022.

With that, let’s check out the highest 5 most exhilarating Open Championships thus far:

5. 2009 – Stewart Cink – Turnberry

The 2009 Open Championship is usually remembered as what may have been, not about what was.

5-time champion golfer of the 12 months Tom Watson was on fireplace at Turnberry because the 59-year-old turned again the clock.

Watson opened the 2009 Open with a 5-under 65 and continued to play beautifully all through the match.

He shot an even-par 70 on Friday, battled harsh circumstances on Saturday, and carded a 1-over 71 for his third spherical. Solely 5 gamers have been under-par throughout the penultimate spherical.

Watson then entered the ultimate day with a one-shot lead over Ross Fisher of England and Matthew Goggin of Australia.

The eight-time main champion started his remaining spherical with a few hiccups, bogeying two of his first three holes. Watson then steadied himself as he took benefit of the par-5 seventh with a birdie.

He then birdied the seventeenth gap and walked to the 18th with a one-shot lead over Stewart Cink, who rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on the final to carry the clubhouse lead at 2-under par.

A par would make Watson the oldest main champion of all time.

He blistered his tee shot at Turnberry’s closing gap after which confronted a down-wind mid-iron shot into the inexperienced.

Watson hit his second shot completely, however it bounced on a downslope on the inexperienced, raced previous the flagstick, and settled past the placing floor. He did not rise up and down from there and settled for bogey, forcing a playoff with Cink.

Cink then dominated the four-hole mixture playoff to say his solely main championship victory, leaving the golf world questioning what may have been.

Photograph by R&A through Getty Photos

4. 1970 – Jack Nicklaus – St. Andrews

One of many largest heartbreaks in Open Championship historical past occurred on the 18th inexperienced at St. Andrews in 1970.

After getting up and down from the treacherous highway gap bunker on the seventeenth, Doug Sanders walked over to the brief par-4 18th, holding a one-shot lead.

If he makes par, he wins The Open.

Sanders, who gained 20 occasions on the PGA Tour, hit his tee shot proper down the center of the golf green on maybe probably the most well-known closing gap in all of golf.

His drive landed 74 yards in need of the inexperienced, and to keep away from the dreaded ‘Valley of Sin,’ Sanders launched his second shot 30 ft previous the flag stick.

He then confronted a treacherous downhill putt.

Two putts and Sanders is the Champion Golfer of the 12 months.

For his birdie putt, Sanders lagged it to about three ft in need of the opening.

Now he confronted each golfer’s worst nightmare: a downhill three-footer that he needed to make.

In some of the well-known gestures in {golfing} historical past, Sanders approached his ball and took his placing stance.

Photograph by A. Jones/Categorical/Getty Photos

As he was about to hit his stoke, Sanders bent down along with his left hand and picked one thing that disturbed him from the bottom.

As a substitute of regaining his composure, Sanders stored in his stance.

He proceeded to putt and missed on the low aspect, thus tying Nicklaus after 72 holes.

At the moment, playoffs at The Open have been 18 holes and came about the next day.

Nicklaus shot an excellent par-72 within the playoff, whereas Sanders completed one shot worse.

The Golden Bear captured his second of three Open Championships, whereas Sanders would by no means win a single main championship.

3. 1984 – Seve Ballesteros – St. Andrews

Every time the house of golf hosts the Open Championship, one thing particular normally transpires.

1984 was no totally different.

Tom Watson and Seve Ballesteros, the perfect golfers on this planet then, battled one another down the stretch on Sunday.

Watson gained the 1982 and 1983 Open Championships and, in 1984, vied for a 3rd straight Claret Jug and sixth general. His excellent play in the UK earned him the title of the perfect hyperlinks golfer on this planet.

He fired a 6-under 66 on Saturday to place him at 11-under for the championship heading into the ultimate spherical. Watson shared the lead with Ian Baker-Finch of Australia.

Baker-Finch light on Sunday, however Ballesteros, who began the spherical two photographs again of Watson, introduced his ‘A-game’ that day.

The Spaniard, who gained the 1979 Open, was within the penultimate group alongside Bernhard Langer of Germany.

Watson and Baker-Finch comprised the ultimate pairing.

After battling the Previous Course all day, Watson arrived on the well-known seventeenth gap at 11-under for the championship.

Up on the inexperienced, Ballesteros was additionally 11-under, figuring out that Watson shared the identical rating 461 yards behind him.

The Spaniard escaped the troublesome highway gap with a par and headed to the final.

Watson, in the meantime, rifled his tee shot over the Landmark Lodge and into the seventeenth fairway.

However his second shot was considered one of his worst swings all week. With a 2-iron, Watson’s method sailed proper of the inexperienced, caromed over the highway, and sat immediately subsequent to the wall behind the inexperienced.

Photograph by R&A through Getty Photos

Watson had nothing. He proceeded to make bogey.

On the similar time, Ballesteros confronted a birdie putt on the 18th gap.

The ten-foot birdie putt had nearly a foot of break, however Ballesteros drained it, giving him the victory.

The Spaniard celebrated emphatically, and his emotion on the 18th inexperienced is without doubt one of the most well-known photographs in golf historical past. This later turned a rallying cry for the European Ryder Cup crew, particularly in 2012—a 12 months after Ballesteros died of mind most cancers at 54.

His victory at St. Andrews marked his second Open title and fourth main general. Ballesteros would go on to win the 1988 Open as properly.

Photograph by David Cannon/Allsport/Getty Photos

2. 1977 – Tom Watson – Turnberry

Every time a sporting occasion earns a nickname, it’s normally one thing of historic significance.

Consider ‘The Immaculate Reception’ in soccer or ‘The Shot’ hit by Michael Jordan in 1989 and 1998.

Possibly the ‘Kick-Six’ involves thoughts for school soccer followers.

However, The 1977 Open Championship earned the excellence of ‘The Duel within the Solar,’ as Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson battled it out over 36 holes on Saturday and Sunday at Turnberry.

At this level, each Nicklaus and Watson have been on the peak of their powers.

Nicklaus had 14 majors to his identify in 1977, and Watson had simply gained The Masters in April.

Getting into the third spherical, Nicklaus and Watson every sat at 2-under par, one stroke behind 36-hole chief Roger Maltbie.

Photograph by Don Morley/Allsport/Getty Photos

Throughout the third spherical, the 2 Individuals separated themselves from the sector as each males shot 5-under 65s to get to 7-under for the championship.

The subsequent day, Nicklaus and Watson every turned in performances for the ages.

Watson bogeyed the second, whereas Nicklaus made a birdie, thus giving the Golden Bear a two-shot benefit by way of two holes.

When the ultimate pairing reached the fifth tee field, Nicklaus held a three-shot lead and appeared destined to run away with it.

However Watson chipped away as he birdied the fifth, sixth, and eighth. He and Nicklaus then stood on the ninth tee tied at 9-under.

The subsequent closest pursuant, Hubert Inexperienced, stood at 1-under at that juncture—the one different man below par for the championship.

The ultimate pairing continued to duel on the again 9.

Nicklaus held a one-shot benefit over Watson when the 2 arrived on the lengthy par-3 fifteenth.

Measuring 209 yards, Watson pulled his tee shot into the sunshine tough adjoining to the inexperienced. Nicklaus, in the meantime, knocked it onto the placing floor and confronted an uphill putt for birdie.

Since he was away, Watson performed first. Utilizing his putter from off the inexperienced, Watson holed the 20-yard shot, sending the Turnberry crowd right into a frenzy.

Nicklaus may solely watch as he proceeded to overlook his birdie try.

So with three holes to play, the 2 high golfers on this planet have been tied with the Claret Jug on the road.

Each pared the par-4 sixteenth and headed to the par-5 seventeenth.

At 17, Nicklaus and Watson every discovered the golf green.

Watson performed first and instantly put strain on Nicklaus by discovering the inexperienced. He now had a makable eagle putt.

Nicklaus then felt the strain as he hit his second shot fats. It ended up brief and proper of the inexperienced, which left him a tricky chip.

No downside for Nicklaus, nonetheless, as he scuttled his chip shot to 4 ft previous the opening, giving himself an incredible have a look at birdie.

Watson missed his eagle try however tapped in for a birdie-four to get to 11-under for the championship.

Nicklaus, who hardly ever makes a mistake, missed his brief birdie at 17, thus giving Watson the solo lead for the primary time within the championship as the 2 headed to the 72nd gap.

Watson hammered his tee shot proper down the center of the golf green, however Nicklaus nonetheless rattled after his mishap at 17, pushed his tee shot proper.

Fortunately for the Golden Bear, his ball missed the gorse bush and had a midway first rate lie within the thick tough.

Earlier than Nicklaus may play, nonetheless, Watson hit his second shot at 18 to about two ft, thus producing one other considered one of golf’s most enduring photographs.

Photograph by S&G/PA Photos through Getty Photos

At that time, The Open was all however over, however Nicklaus gave himself a glimpse of hope by smashing his shot onto the inexperienced.

It was some of the spectacular photographs the Golden Bear ever hit.

“That was some of the highly effective, animalistic golf photographs I’ve seen,” muttered Peter Alliss on the ABC telecast.

Nicklaus proceeded to empty the 50-foot putt for birdie, briefly tying Watson. It additionally ramped up the strain on the little two-foot putt.

However Watson didn’t endure the identical destiny Nicklaus did at 17 as he made the putt, which gave him his second Claret Jug.

Nicklaus and Watson walked off the 18th inexperienced with arms round each other, every figuring out that they had simply produced a championship for the ages.

“I gave it my greatest shot, and it was not ok,” Nicklaus stated after the spherical. “You have been higher. Effectively performed.”

1. 1999 – Paul Lawrie – Carnoustie

The 1999 Open Championship produced the craziest end in main championship historical past.

Jean van de Velde of France had by no means gained a significant championship earlier than, nor did he ever rank larger than seventieth within the Official World Golf Rankings.

He was a journeyman golfer by commerce, though he didn’t play like one over the primary 71 holes on the 1999 Open.

Carnoustie, colloquially generally known as ‘Automotive-nasty’ for its brutality, confirmed its enamel throughout the 1999 Open.

Solely Van de Velde stood at even par or higher by way of three rounds. After rounds of 75, 68, and 70, the Frenchman sat at even par for the championship by way of 54 holes.

The subsequent closest pursuers, Justin Leonard and Craig Perry of Australia, have been 5-over par after three rounds.

On Sunday, Van de Velde battled the tough circumstances and arrived on the 18th tee 3-over for the championship. He held a three-shot lead over Paul Lawrie and Justin Leonard when he pulled out a driver.

At this level, the trophy engraver may have begun to etch Van de Velde’s identify into the Claret Jug, however fortunately he didn’t achieve this.

Van de Velde’s drive went proper of the Burn and landed safely within the seventeenth fairway. He had escaped bother and regarded properly on his solution to profitable.

All he wanted was a double-bogey six to win the championship.

However his second shot was when all the pieces started to crumble.

Van de Velde pushed his lengthy iron up to now proper that it bounced off the grandstands and sailed into deep, gnarly fescue in need of the Barry Burn.

He had a brutal lie, and Van de Velde then chunked his third shot proper into the Burn, which then produced some of the iconic moments within the historical past of the game.

R&A

Van de Velde then took off his footwear and socks to see if he may play his shot from the Burn.

Nevertheless, the tide was not low sufficient, so the Frenchman determined to not make an additional mess of issues and take a drop.

His fifth shot then went into the sand entice brief and proper of the inexperienced and nestled proper subsequent to Perry, his taking part in associate.

Now Van de Velde wanted to gap his shot from the bunker to win The Open. An up-and-down would power a playoff with Lawrie and Leonard.

Figuring out that Van de Velde simply went to hell and again on the 18th at Automotive-nasty, Perry gave the Frenchman a minute to gather himself and proceeded to play his third from the bunker.

The Australian holed his shot, an incredible feat contemplating that’s what Van de Velde wanted to win The Open.

Van de Velde didn’t have the identical destiny; his sixth shot stopped about eight ft left of the flagstick.

He then confronted a fragile putt for a triple-bogey seven, which might power a playoff.

Van de Velde made it and celebrated emphatically as he had simply gained The Open. It’s the most well-known triple-bogey within the historical past of golf.

Sadly for Van de Velde, he couldn’t compose himself within the playoff. Paul Lawrie gained the Claret Jug within the four-hole mixture playoff, and Van de Velde was left to marvel what may have been.

Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By. You may observe him on Twitter and Instagram @jack_milko for extra golf protection. You should definitely try @_PlayingThrough too.