BBC SPORT | THE OPEN | Great wins at the Old Course

St Andrews has played host to all of golf's greatest players since The Open was first held there in 1873.

Only a handful of them, however, have come away from the Old Course with a championship win to their name.

The early championships were characterised by high scores and varying degrees of controversy.

Perhaps the first truly great Open champion to lift the title at St Andrews was the legendary JH Taylor, who first conquered the Old Course in 1895.

'Great Triumvirate'

Taylor was one third of the 'Great Triumvirate' that dominated golf at the turn of the century.

Of that trio, only Harry Vardon failed to win The Open at St Andrews, as James Braid captured the Claret Jug in 1905 and 1910.

But Taylor, who went on to found the Professional Golfers' Association, also won there twice.

His second victory, in 1900, saw him record rounds of 79, 77, 78 and 75 - the first time 80 had been broken in every round of the championship.

The brilliant American amateur arrived at St Andrews as defending champion in 1927 and proceeded to make a successful defence of his title, while rewriting the record books at the same time.

New record

His four-round total of 285 was a new record for The Open and it stood until Gene Sarazen shot a 283 in 1932 at Sandwich.

In 1946, it was the turn of Sam Snead whose length and accuracy ultimately led to him securing a four-shot victory.

Snead barely endeared himself to the galleries, however, with a series of barbed remarks about the course and the tournament itself.

The next two champions at the Old Course were true Open greats.

Peter Thompson claimed the second of five Open wins when he visited St Andrews in 1955, recording a course record of 281 for the four rounds.

John Daly lifts the trophy in 1995
He was runner-up two years later when four-times champion Bobby Locke was victorious.

40-year-old Locke's win was almost declared null and void, though, after he replaced his ball at a different spot on the green before holing out on the last green.

But the authorities decided he had gained no advantage and the result was allowed to stand.

A line-up of the golfing greats who won The Open at St Andrews would not be complete without Jack Nicklaus who took the title there in 1970 and 1978.

The first of those victories came about after a play-off with the unlucky Doug Sanders who fluffed a three-foot putt on the final hole of the fourth round which would have won him the title.

Road Hole

In 1984, Seve Ballesteros recorded the second of his three Open wins, edging out Tom Watson who was ultimately beaten by the infamous Road Hole where he carded a five on his final round.

Ballesteros, who had had his own problems at the hole, birdied the last, leaving Watson with an almost impossible target of a two at the 18th.

It was beyond him and the Spaniard again had his name on the Claret Jug.

Another man on his way to three Open victories was Nick Faldo in 1990.

In an exceptional display of controlled golf, Faldo never wavered and his 18-under-par total of 270 took six shots off the previous championship record for the Old Course.

It was a different type of golf which earned big-hitting John Daly the last Open title to be held at St Andrews.

The big American blasted his way around the course in 1995 to record a six-under-par total of 282 to earn his second Major title.


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