1974 - Player Prevails
Gary Player was cruising to his third Open victory until the penultimate hole when the South African missed the green and his ball fell deep into knee-high rough. It was only with the assistance of the galleries that he located it, and it was only narrowly within the five-minute time frame. Then, his approach to the 18th hole ran through the green and up against the clubhouse wall. With a healthy lead, he could have elected to take a penalty drop, but instead elected to play the shot left-handed. Successfully accomplished, Player calmly two-putted for his eighth of nine major championships.
1979- King of the Car Park
Seve Ballesteros was only 22 when he won the first of his Open Championships – and he did it in the style that made him a fan favourite all over Europe and beyond. Despite finding only one fairway with his driver in the final round, Ballesteros rescued the situation time after time thanks to magnificent shot-making and a brilliant short game. The highlight of his performance came at the 16th when his tee shot came to rest under a car. He was awarded a free drop before pitching to the green and holing the birdie putt from around 25 feet. Ballesteros won by three from Ben Crenshaw and Jack Nicklaus.
1988 - Ballesteros' Double
Seve Ballesteros and Nick Price contested arguably the finest major shootout since Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus' famous 'Duel in the Sun' at Turnberry 11 years earlier with a gripping final day battle. Trading birdies and eagles around the turn, Ballesteros broke the deadlock with a brilliant 9-iron to within inches of the cup on the 16th before getting up and down at the 18th with a wonderfully deft chip that he nearly holed. Ballesteros' winning 65 was at the time the lowest final round score ever posted by an Open champion.
1996 - Lehman Hangs On
A young amateur named Tiger Woods won the Silver Medal for low amateur, but it was his fellow countryman Tom Lehman who took home the Claret Jug thanks to a two-shot win over Ernie Els and Mark McCumber. A flawless 64 in the third round gave the Minnesotan a six-shot lead with only 18 to play, and despite not being at his best on day four, Lehman was able to hang on for his first and only major championship win.
2001 - Duval Shows His Class
A near flawless 67 from World No 1 David Duval gave the American a deserved first major but it was Ian Woosnam's two-shot penalty after his caddie discovered an extra club in his bag on the 2nd tee that garnered almost as much attention. To his credit, Woosnam, who had birdied the 1st after a splendid tee shot to take the championship lead, didn't collapse, but the quality of Duval's play on that final day was too much for the Welshman and the rest of the field. Sadly for Duval, his victory at Lytham, which many thought would be the first of many major titles, preceded a terrible slump in form and he has never been the same since.
