Open Championship Playoff Records

A closer look at the Open Championships to have gone to playoffs

Open Championship Playoff Records

With the 147th Open Championship leaderboard becoming clustered, it’s hard not to see extra holes being required.

Over the years, there have been 21 playoffs in golf’s oldest Major, the most recent one coming in 2015 at St Andrews, where Zach Johnson claimed his second Major title and first Claret Jug.

The very first playoff came in 1876, a time when 36 holes were required to decide the winner – and that year victory went to Bob Martin.

There were three more 36-hole playoffs in the nineteenth century, Harry Vardon winning in 1896, before he claimed another in the twentieth century when he overcame J.H. Taylor in 1911.

Jack Nicklaus won the first 18-hole playoff in 1970, when he beat Doug Sanders by one at St Andrews. Five years later, his great rival Tom Watson beat Jack Newton by one over an extra 18 at Carnoustie.

Fourteen years later and Royal Troon witnessed one of the most memorable final days in Open history. This was the scene of Mark Calcavecchia’s triumph when he got the better of Wayne Grady and Greg Norman. It was Norman who looked destined for an incredible comeback win – having started the day seven shots back – but he eventually ran out of steam.

Eight more four-hole playoffs have followed, including Johnson’s win over Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman in 2015.