cover story
Adam needed a birdie at the last
to win or a par to force a playoff. He
found a bunker off the tee and was
only able to pitch out sideways.
His third shot was brilliant and left
him with an eight-footer to force the
playoff. He narrowly missed and Ernie
grabbed the Claret Jug.
“I can’t justify anything I did out
there today,” Scott said at the time.
“I let a great chance slip through my
fingers today, and I know it.”
Others have had the Open within
reach, but faltered and had the title
ripped from their grasp.
These are
some of the
other near
misses.
Sergio Garcia – 2007
At Carnoustie, Garcia held the lead
after each of the first three rounds and
carried a three-shot lead over Steve
Stricker and a six-shot lead over the
rest of the field going into the final
round.
He extended his lead to four shots,
but bogeys at the fifth, seventh and
eighth proved costly.
On the final hole, he needed a par
to win, but failed to get up and down
from the greenside trap. Padraig
Harrington edged out the Spaniard by
one stroke in the four-hole playoff.
Thomas Bjorn – 2003
Bjorn led Ben Curtis, playing in his
first major, by three with four to play
at St George’s. The Dane bogeyed the
15th and then took three to get out
of a deep greenside bunker on 16.
He then bogeyed the 17th to gift the
American victory.
Jean van de Velde – 1999
The Frenchman only needed to
double-bogey the final hole at
Carnoustie, but he had a major
meltdown.
He held a three-shot lead, drove
right of the burn and instead of
laying up he went for glory. His
approach shot hit the grandstand
and ricocheted backwards landing in
knee-deep rough.
On his third shot, van de Velde’s
club tangled in the rough on his
downswing and his ball flew into the
Barry Burn.
He took off his shoes and
contemplated playing out of the
water, but sanity prevailed and he
took a drop. His approach finished
two metres from the cup. He made
the putt for a triple bogey, which put
him in a playoff with Scot Paul Lawrie
and Justin Leonard. Lawrie won the
playoff.
Wayne Grady – 1989
At Royal Troon, Grady opened with
rounds of 68-67 to lead by two and
after a third round 69 entered the
final round one shot ahead of Tom
Watson and eventual winner Mark
Calcavecchia by three.
Grady carded a respectable 71,
but Calcavecchia’s 68 and Greg
Norman’s 63 resulted in a three-man
playoff.
It was the first playoff at the Open
in 14 years and the first use off the
four-hole aggregate playoff adopted
in 1985.
Going to the final playoff hole,
Calcavecchia and Norman led Grady
by two.
Calcavecchia sliced his drive, but
the ball was playable. Norman hit a
super drive down the middle, but
the ball bounced to the right and
into a bunker.
After Calcavecchia hit his approach
to five feet, Norman gambled from
the bunker and the ball smashed
into the bunker’s face and limped
into another.
Norman thinned his next shot and
the ball careered out of bounds and
Calcavecchia took home the title
Paul Azinger – 1987
“Zinger” let the 1987 Open at
Muirfield slip through his fingers.
On the par-5 14th, Jack was stone
dead for a birdie but Watson chipped
in for eagle.
Both hit good drives on the last, but
Newton hooked his approach in a
front bunker. Watson was on the green
and rolled his putt stone dead.
Jack’s sand shot left him with too
much to do and Tom won his first of
five Open Championships.
Doug Sanders – 1970
In gusty winds during the final round
at the Old Course at St Andrews,
Sanders saved par from the Road Hole
bunker and led by one going to the
72nd hole. After a lengthy drive on the
short par-4, he took four shots from
just 68 metres and missed a downhill
putt for par from one metre to win.
He missed and went into an 18-hole
playoff against Jack Nicklaus, which he
lost by a stroke.
David Thomas – 1958
Dave Thomas couldn’t stop Peter
Thomson winning his fourth Open at
Lytham.
Still, the Welshman did have
opportunities on the final day but
blew it with three putts at the 10th, 11th
and 12th. He took a one-stroke lead
on 15.
At the par-5 17th, Thomas had a
seven-iron in, but pulled it into deep
rough and took a five.
He led Nick Faldo and David Frost
by a shot going into the final round
and was three ahead of the field
after eight holes.
He parred the last to tie with
Thomson, but he was no match for the
Aussie in the playoff.
On the back nine, he missed a few
makeable putts, but his biggest
error was taking driver on 17.
Dai Rees – 1946, 1950,
1954 and 1961
He found the fairway bunker, had
to chip out sideways and made six.
Then on the last, he took an iron for
safety and missed the green with a
five-iron.
Azinger finished in a tie for second
with Rodger Davis. Faldo parred all
18 holes to win by one stroke.
Jack Newton – 1975
At Carnoustie, Jack started with
steady rounds of 69-71 and then
equalled the Open record with a 65.
Three times the Welshman finished
second at the Open (1953, 1954 and
1961). In 1950, he finished third and in
1946 was fourth.
Christy O’Connor – 1958
Poor crowd control at Lytham in
1958 might have cost the Irishman
victory.
Fans were crowding the 18th and,
after a lengthy wait, O’Connor decided
to take a three-wood rather than
driver.
That put him one behind South
African Bobby Cole entering the
final round.
He felt the hole was driver and
wedge, but he took three-wood, hit
it in a trap, made five and