The last time the Open Championship was held at Muirfield, the eventual champion, Ernie Els, hit a spectacular shot from a cavernous greenside pot bunker on the 13th to help set up his victory. That splash from sand was so good that it ended up being named “Shot of the Year.”
The big South African used one of his Cleveland 588 wedges to pull off that remarkable up and down. Here are our five favourite memorable shots from the Open – and the clubs winners used to hit them.
Tom Watson
Golden Ram 7-iron / Adams Idea Pro 8-iron
1977 / 2009
At the 1977 Open at Turnberry, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson played some of the greatest head-to-head golf the game has ever seen. Known today as the “Duel in the Sun,” the epic battle took place over the final two rounds as both men matched each other shot for shot for nearly 36 holes.
Standing in the middle of the 18th fairway on the final day and holding a one-shot lead, Watson selected his Golden Ram 7-iron and struck the ball perfectly. It settled just a couple feet from the cup. To most observers it looked as though Watson was guaranteed victory. But Nicklaus wasn’t out of it yet. He hit his second shot from the right rough to 35 feet and, in keeping with his stellar play, drained the putt to put added pressure on the 27 year-old Kansan. But Watson wasn’t about to miss. He tapped in to win by one shot.
Thirty-two years later, a 59 year-old Watson found himself once again in the middle of the 18th fairway. This time, however, he needed only a par to triumph. If he won he'd be the oldest man to ever win a major – by 11 years. The pin was cut in the very same position as it was in 1977. Technological advances meant that Watson could hit his Adams Idea Pro 8-iron. He struck it beautifully. Too beautifully. It landed in the centre of the green and bounded over the back. It took Watson three shots to get down.
He tied for first with Stewart Cink who later beat him in a four-hole play-off. “In retrospect,” Watson said, “I probably would have hit a 9-iron.” If only he had.
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