The Open: From Rogers to Hamilton, five surprise winners
By Keith Jackson & Ali Stafford
Last Updated: 11/07/16 2:16pm
Will we see a surprise winner at The 145th Open, live on Sky Sports? Here's a look back at five of the unlikely names to have lifted the Claret Jug.
1981 - Bill Rogers
Rogers caused a stir in the autumn of 1979 when he emerged as a surprise winner of the Suntory World Match Play at Wentworth, but he didn't make his Open debut until the following year, finishing in a creditable tie for 19th at Muirfield.
He considered staying at home in Texas rather than travel to Kent for the first Open at Royal St George's in 32 years, but was persuaded to make the journey by his good friend and fellow Texan Ben Crenshaw.
And it proved to be an inspired decision. Despite having no prior knowledge of the Sandwich layout, and limited experience of links golf in general, Rogers cruised to a comfortable four-shot triumph and collected his only major title.
After a hard-fought 72 in dreadful conditions on an opening day when nobody broke par (Jack Nicklaus shot 83 - the worst score of his career), Rogers jumped into the lead with a superb 66 on Friday, and a third-round 67 opened up a five-stroke advantage over the field.
And with the wind up again on the final day, Bernhard Langer reduced the deficit to one before Rogers made three birdies in four holes around the turn and sauntered across the line.
1995 - John Daly
It seems strange to have the winner of a previous major on the list, but 1991 PGA champion Daly surprised us all with his memorable play-off win over Costantino Rocca at the Home of Golf in 1995.
Daly combined awesome power with a sublime touch on and around the greens, and his course-management skills, in particular, shone through.
The American was in the clubhouse on six under after a closing 71 in blustery conditions, and Rocca came to the 72nd hole needing a birdie to force extra holes.
The Italian duffed his first chip from the Valley of Sin, only to hole an outrageous 65-foot putt to tie with the colourful Californian.
But Daly birdied the first extra hole as Rocca bogeyed, and the Italian then took three swipes to get out of the Road bunker at the 17th as Daly snatched an unexpected second major title.
1999 - Paul Lawrie
Records tumbled at Carnoustie as Lawrie created major championship history by coming from 10 shots behind on the final day to claim a thrilling Open victory, although he was indebted to a remarkable meltdown from Jean van de Velde.
The conditions and set-up were brutal at a venue dubbed "Carnastie", but Van de Velde managed his game better than the rest over the first 54 holes and carved out a commanding five-shot lead on level par.
Lawrie looked out of the running on 10 over, but he defied the elements to close with an outstanding four-under 67 - comfortably the low round of the day - which set the clubhouse target on six over.
Van de Velde held himself together after a superb charge from Craig Parry faltered down the stretch, and the Frenchman arrived on the 72nd tee three clear of the field. But what followed would become etched in Open folklore.
His drive found the rough, he carved his second into thicker rough via a deflection off a grandstand, he chunked a chip into the Barry Burn, from where he contemplated splashing out before taking a drop. He pitched his fifth into a bunker, and eventually holed from 10 feet for triple-bogey and a place in a play-off with Lawrie and Justin Leonard.
And it was Lawrie who dominated the extra holes, maintaining his form from earlier as he birdied the 17th and sealed victory with a stunning long-iron to three feet at the last.
2003 - Ben Curtis
Few would have heard of the American when the 500/1 outsider became the lowest-ranked player in history to win a major title by claiming a one-shot victory at Royal St George's.
The 26-year-old had never registered a professional top-10 prior to his arrival at Sandwich, having snuck into the field with a then career-best tied-13th finish at the Western Open a fortnight earlier.
Coming into the week as the world No 396, Curtis followed back-to-back 72s with a third-round 70 to head into the final round within two strokes of pacesetter Thomas Bjorn.
After playing the first 11 holes in five under to move into the outright lead, Curtis bogeyed four of the final seven to set the clubhouse target at one under.
Bjorn went into the closing stretch holding a three-shot cushion over Curtis, only to throw away his advantage by posting bogeys either side of a double-bogey at the 16th.
Needing to birdie the last to force a play-off, the Dane could only finish with a par to make Curtis the first first-time Open winner since Tom Watson 28 years earlier.
2004 - Todd Hamilton
Hamilton denied Ernie Els a second successive major title by upstaging the US Open champion in a play-off at Royal Troon.
Hamilton had only claimed his first PGA Tour win earlier in the year at the Honda Classic, having been a four-time champion in Japan the previous year.
Back-to-back 67s gave Hamilton a one-shot lead over 2002 champion Els going into the final round, where the lead exchanged hands on several occasions.
Phil Mickelson briefly made it a three-way tie for the lead before falling one stroke short, while Els birdied his final two holes to set the target at 10 under.
Hamilton the missed his par putt at the 18th to fall into a play-off, but was handed back the advantage when Els bogeyed the third of four extra holes.
The American then left himself a close-range putt at the last to secure the win, and what proved his only major victory.
Will we see a surprise winner at Royal Troon? Watch the Open from July 11-17 live on Sky Sports The Open - your new home of golf
