6 Roberto De Vicenzo
1967 Open, Royal Liverpool Golf Club
The Argentinean won over 230 titles around the world and had 16 top-10 finishes in Majors, but his only Major triumph came in the 1967 Open Championship at Hoylake when he was 44, making him the oldest winner of the 20th century. He held off a charging Jack Nicklaus to win by two, a margin he created with the shot of the tournament. On the 16th he hit a magnificent 3-wood 240 yards over the out of bounds to the green of the par-five to set up an easy two-putt birdie. He later called it the shot of his life.
De Vicenzo had beaten Nicklaus in two challenge matches leading up to the Open and put £50 on himself to win when he saw the bookies were offering odds of 66/1. His betting winnings were considerably higher than the cheque he received for winning the championship.
De Vicenzo became famous for the scoring error that handed the 1968 Masters to Bob Goalby and his “What a stupid I am” comment afterwards. However, I prefer to remember another comment he made, describing the perfect shot: “"It produces a mixture of pleasure, happiness, wisdom, self-esteem; as if one were being caressed by the clouds."
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