It was one of the crowning moments of world golf, one of the most exciting episodes in the great history of the majors. That afternoon on July 9, 1977 in Turnberry, Scotland, the British Open was being settled under the sun between two of the greatest players in the history of the sport: Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson.
The former had already – at 37 years of age – fourteen majors (the last being the 1975 US PGA Championship), while the player from Kansas – then 27 years old – arrived at Turnberry after having won three months earlier – two strokes ahead of Nicklaus – the Augusta Masters, his second major after having won the British Open two years earlier.
After the first two rounds, both were tied for the lead by one stroke and were paired together on the third day. They did not disappoint the enthusiastic crowd that packed the course and closed their rounds with a 65 (-5) for a total of 203 (-7). They were the leaders with 18 holes to go, 3 strokes ahead of Ben Crenshaw and six ahead of the next classified.
On the final day, the Golden Bear took an early lead with two birdies and was already three strokes ahead of Watson at the start of the fifth hole. But Watson was not deterred and holed three birdies on the next four holes to even the match. On the 9th, Nicklaus took the lead thanks to a bogey by his rival, and on the 12th the Ohio star increased the lead with a birdie when he holed a seven-meter putt. Watson responded with birdies on 13 and 15, the latter with an incredible 18-meter putt from off the green that touched the flag and went in for birdie. The crowd roared. With three holes to go, they were tied again, the swords were back in the air in the phenomenal battle that would later be baptized and known worldwide as Duel in the Sun.
The 16th was resolved with two pars. And then came the 17th, a par 5 of 450 meters. Nicklaus went to the right of the green but his chip on the third shot left the ball a meter from the hole. Watson missed an eagle putt for birdie. Unexpectedly, the Golden Bear missed his short putt and closed the hole with par: a one-stroke lead for his rival.
On the 18th, a par 4 of 388 meters, Watson took the fairway very well with his first shot, with a 1-iron. Nicklaus was forced to take a risk, but his drive deflected to the right and the ball landed in a complicated area of rough. The Kansas player’s second shot, with a 7 iron, left the ball sixty centimeters from the flag. It seemed that the battle was totally decided, but the Golden Bear once again brought out his extraordinary talent and hit an amazing 8-iron shot that landed the ball on the front of the green 11 meters from the flag. This time his putter performed well and, with another colossal stroke, the ball sank into the hole. 66 strokes in a round without a single bogey. If Watson missed and did not bag his seventh birdie of the day, there would be an 18-hole playoff. Just two feet separated him from victory. “As I was getting ready for my putt,” Watson said afterward, “the crowd was still unleashed. Then Jack raised his arms to calm the crowd down.”
The crowd was momentarily choked up as Watson made his practice swing and holed his putt for the victory. The crowd was still shouting in jubilation as Nicklaus slung his arm over the champion’s shoulder and walked with him toward the card drop tent.
With his final round of 65 (-6), Watson hoisted for the second time the famous Claret Jug destined to the champions of the British Open. The 268 strokes (-12) that gave him the victory improved by eight strokes the previous best result of that major.
The third place finisher was his compatriot Hubert Green, that year’s US Open champion, who finished eleven strokes behind the winner.
Nicklaus would go on to win his third British Open the following year, following his victories in 1966 and 1970.
After his triumph at Carnoustie, his third major, Watson would add another five majors, while the Golden Bear would add another four, to total eighteen, the last one being the 1986 Augusta Masters. In the balance of victories in the British Open, Watson clearly surpassed Nicklaus: five to three.
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5 THINGS ABOUT THE PROTAGONISTS
1) The year of the Duel in the Sun, 1997, Watson had beaten Nicklaus four times, including the Augusta Masters, where the Golden Bear finished second, two strokes behind the champion.
2) Nicklaus scored his first Grand Slam when he won the 1996 British Open. He would go on to win the four tournaments that make up the Grand Slam twice more.
3) In the 2009 British Open, Watson, then 59, came into the final round on the 18th with a one-stroke lead. A par was enough to win, but his approach bounced off the front slope of the green and rolled backwards. He made bogey and played a playoff in which Stewart Cink won on the fourth hole.
4) Nicklaus won his first major (1962 US Open) at the age of 22, and Watson won his first (1975 British Open) at the age of 25. The Golden Bear won his last major (1986 Masters) at the age of 46, and Watson (1983 British Open) at the age of 35.
5) Watson accumulated a total of 39 victories (including his 8 majors) during his PGA Tour career, while Nicklaus had 73, including his 18 majors.
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3 THINGS ABOUT TURNBERRY
1) The golf course was closed during the two World Wars to be used as an air base. The clubhouse was used as a hospital to treat wounded military personnel.
2) The management of Turnberry Golf Club, owned by U.S. President Donald Trump, who bought it in 2014, canceled the sale of a soft drink mjuy popular in Scotland, because of the risk of staining carpets.
3) In 2003, the 18th hole on the Ailsa Course, “Ailsa Hame,” was renamed “Duel in the Sun” as a tribute to the battle between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus in 1977. It is also the name of a sports bar at the resort.
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