| 1974 |
| 1974 |
| Gary Player |
The Dark Knight…
In blustery conditions, the South African shared the first round lead with Englishman John Morgan, who would later go on to become Head Professional at Royal Liverpool, one of the other Open Championship venues found on England’s Golf Coast.
In true Lytham fashion a traumatic finish ensued with three bogeys in the last four holes. Despite this, it was enough to give him a final round score of 70 and a four-stroke win over Oosterhuis, with Jack Nicklaus pipping Hubert Green for fourth place thanks to a birdie at the last.
LYTHAM, ENGLAND – JULY 1974: Gary Player of South Africa poses with the Claret Jug following his victory during The 103rd Open Championship held at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club from July 10-13, 1974 in Lytham, England. (Photo by R&A via Getty Images)
A quarter of a century after his first major win, Player was still showing he had an abundance of enthusiasm and dedication to produce his very best golf. With his triumph, he shared with Harry Vardon the distinction of claiming the title in three separate decades and became just the fourth player after Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus to win the Masters and The Open in the same year.
