Open Anniversaries: Tom Lehman's triumph, Tiger's rise
Last Updated: 09/07/16 10:06am
In our third anniversary in the countdown to The Open, we reflect on Tom Lehman's win in 1996 and Tiger Woods' rise to fame as an amateur.
Lehman had just finished runner-up at the US Open to Steve Jones a month earlier, and it came as no surprise that he would make a big impact at Royal Lytham & St Annes. Woods, on the other hand, was the three-time US Amateur champion and was competing in his second-ever Open championship.
It started well for Lehman, and after two consecutive rounds of 67, the American joined the top of the leaderboard at eight-under-par with Paul McGinley, who had managed an impressive second-round score of six-under-par.
Meanwhile, the 20-year-old Woods had struggled on the opening day in Lancashire with a 75, but had come just one short of McGinley's second-round 65 to put himself at one-under-par for the tournament and guarantee himself the silver medal as the only amateur to make the cut.
While Woods made his impact as an amateur, Lehman had begun to assert dominance over the top of the leaderboard. He hit his six-iron to 15-feet on the par-three first, and rolled it in for a birdie. It was the first of many to come in his third round, and Lehman's judgement on the greens was close to perfection as he consistently made putts of over 10 feet for birdie.
Lehman's only mistake of the day came on the final hole, where his three-wood found the fairway-bunker from the tee. He wasn't able to save par, but a seven-under-par round of 64 gave him a six-shot lead and a final-day pairing with that year's Masters winner, Nick Faldo.
Reminded of Greg Norman's six-shot lead and subsequent collapse to Faldo during the Masters, Lehman knew he had to produce a convincing round on his final Sunday. It didn't start well. With no birdies and only a bogey to show for his front nine, Lehman's game looked to be collapsing and his green-reading ability from Saturday seemed to have abandoned him.
His saving grace was to come with a birdie on the tough par-three 12th, and despite bogeys on both 15 and 17, he still held a two-shot lead before heading to the last. He barely found the green with his second, but a pressure-filled putt put him to within three feet for a par. With three putts to win, Lehman rolled it in to become the first American winner of the Claret Jug at Royal Lytham & St Annes since Bobby Jones in 1926.
"I had no rhythm and my putting stroke felt like lead, but I managed to grind it out," he said after his finished his round. "It wasn't pretty, but it was good enough."
Woods finished tied for 22nd and 10 shots behind Lehman, but it was just the beginning for the future major champion. He turned professional six weeks later and by April 1997, he had won his first Masters tournament.
