admin5. JACK’S GRAND SLAM: Jack Nicklaus was stopped short of a calendar Grand Slam at Muirfield in 1972. Not to be overlooked was his first British Open title in 1966 that gave him the career Grand Slam at age 26. At the time, Nicklaus was the youngest of four players to win all four professional majors, and he achieved it in just 19 majors as a pro. Nicklaus had only one close call at the Open, when he finished one shot behind in 1963 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. He took the 36-hole lead at Muirfield with a 70-67 start, only to follow with a 75 in the third round that left him two shots behind Phil Rodgers.
This was the first year the Open was held over four days. Rodgers faded to a 76. Dave Thomas of Wales closed with a 69, while Doug Sanders had a 70. Nicklaus regained the lead with a birdie on the par-5 17th, and then he two-putted for par from about 20 feet on the final hole for a 70 to win by one shot.
4. JAMES BRAID: James Braid, part of the ‘’Great Triumvirate’’ along with Harry Vardon and J.H. Taylor, arrived at Muirfield in similar context to Ernie Els this year. He not only was the defending champion after winning the previous year at St. Andrews, he won the Open when it was last held at Muirfield.
When the 1906 British Open returned to Muirfield for the fourth time, the championship was held over three days for the first time to accommodate a record 181-man field. Braid got the bad end of the draw, going out late in the opening two rounds.. He followed with a 76.
Still four shots behind going into the 36-hole final day, Braid had a 74 to close to within three shots of Taylor, and then closed with a 73 as Taylor and Vardon fell apart. .
It was the third and final time that Braid, Vardon and Taylor finished 1-2-3 (not always in that order) at the Open.
3. THE BLACK KNIGHT’S FIRST MAJOR: No other golfer has travelled the world more than Gary Player of South Africa, and it was at Muirfield in 1959 that he first emerged as one of the game’s greatest players. Player opened with rounds of 75-71, making the cut with three shots to spare and trailing Fred Bullock by eight shots going into the final day. He worked his way up the leaderboard in the morning round with a 70, through that still left him four shots behind Bullock and Sam King. Over the final 18 holes, the South African made a terrific charge. He needed only a par on the last hole, but Player drove into a bunker on the 18th and then three-putted for a double bogey.
The 90-man field only had three Americans, none of whom made the cut. A year later, Arnold Palmer made his Open debut.
2. LEE TREVINO’S WIN, TWO OTHERS’ LOSSES: Lee Trevino won his second straight British Open in 1972 at Muirfield in a championship equally known for who didn’t win.
Jack Nicklaus had his best chance at the calendar Grand Slam after winning the Masters and US Open, and returning to the links course where he won his first British Open The main challenge for Trevino came from Tony Jacklin, going for his third major.
1. REDEMPTION AND A MAJOR FOR FALDO: Nick Faldo was an emerging star for England, having won the Order of Merit and played on five Ryder Cup teams. But he didn’t feel his game was good enough, and in a risky move, he rebuilt his swing under David Leadbetter and went some three years without winning. — AFP.
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