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Most dramatic final days in Majors’ history

Take a trip down memory lane as we look at five of the most exhilarating final days of the Majors.

04 November 2019 1 minute read Most dramatic final days in Majors’ history

While golf is a leisurely hobby for most of us, it’s a far more dramatic affair at the top of the game.

Join us as we remember five of the most dramatic final days from the Majors…

1977 Open Championship
‘The Duel in the Sun’ between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus was voted The Open’s Greatest Finish in 2016. The Turnberry tournament saw two of golf’s greats at the peak of their powers, trading blows (and swings), with a single shot to separate them. The pair finished 10 and 11 shots ahead of third-placed Hubert Green, in a battle remembered for its competitive but sporting nature. The 18th hole at the Scottish course now carries ‘The Duel in the Sun’ name.

2000 PGA Championship
The 2000 PGA Championship will go down as one of history’s best golfing duels. A David and Goliath-esque battle took place as the little-known Bob May, refused to let an in-form Tiger Woods stand in the way of his game. Woods almost lost out and needed birdies at the 17th and 18th holes to finish the last 12 holes in 7 under par and force a playoff. A battle over three holes saw Tiger claim the title by a single stroke.

2011 Masters
South African Charl Schwartzel, fought off competition from seven other players on the back nine at Augusta to win his first Major. In the end Adam Scott, Jason Day and Tiger Woods were no competition for Schwartzel’s four birdied final holes. Many will remember the tournament for Rory McIlroy, and his obvious disappointment, head in hands, as he missed out on his first Major title.

2016 Open Championship
Henrik Stenson broke the record for the lowest 72-hole score in Majors history, while also equalling the lowest final round in a Major, in his triumph over Phil Mickelson. The Swede’s victory took second place behind The Duel in the Sun, in a 2016 vote of The Open’s greatest Finishes. Tom Watson, who won the 1977 classic, compared Stenson and Mickelson to the standard of golf at his championship win by saying: “They played better”.

2019 Masters
Fourteen years after he last put on the Green Jacket and 11 years after last winning a Major, Tiger Woods tasted victory once more. The five-times Masters champion ruled supreme at Augusta having gone behind after 54 holes – something he had not achieved before. Masters champion Trevor Immelman described Tiger’s success as “the greatest comeback in the history of sports.”
  

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