Open anniversaries: Seve Ballesteros triumphs in first Monday finish 30 years ago
Wednesday 18 July 2018 16:47, UK
Seve Ballesteros triumphed in the first Monday finish at The Open in 1988.
It took 117 Championships for The Open to be delayed until the Monday, but the Spaniard produced a spectacular performance to claim his third Claret Jug.
A complete washout on the Saturday forced an unprecedented fifth day of action, and many predicted a damp squib of a finale. But fans flocked to Royal Lytham and St Annes in their thousands to attend, as Ballesteros held off Nick Price and defending champion Nick Faldo.
Price fired a third-round 69 to gain a two-shot advantage after 54 holes. He and Ballesteros both continued to impress but Faldo was unable to stay in contention.
Ballesteros and Price continued to push each other all the way, but the Zimbabwean was unable to keep up as he three-putted the 18th to finish with a round of 69. Ballesteros, meanwhile, completed a 65 to finish two shots clear.
It was the last time that Ballesteros would be in contention for victory at The Open, but in true Seve fashion it was a fitting way for him to clinch his final major title.
