The 7 Most Unlikely Winners In The History Of The British Open

As of the start of the 153rd edition of The British Open, 90 different golfers had earned the right to hoist the Claret Jug on at least one occasion. That list is filled with a number of legends who cemented that status with a win at the major, but it’s also home to more than a few people who managed to get a victory virtually no one saw coming.

It’s hard not to appreciate a good underdog story, and there are plenty of golfers who’ve treated us to one by coming out of nowhere to win a tournament where they weren’t expected to be a contender.

That includes more than a few dark horses who’ve ended up reigning supreme at The British Open, and these guys stick out when it comes to the golfers who seemingly had no business winning the major before they stunned the world.

Ben Curtis (2003)

I’m not ranking these guys in any particular order, but Ben Curtis would probably be near the top of the list if I were.

2003 marked the first year Ben Curtis earned the right to play on the PGA Tour, and he was still in search of his first win on the circuit when he headed to Royal St George’s as the 396th-ranked player in the Official World Golf Rankings.

However, he found himself just a few shots out of first place by the time the weekend rolled around and overcame the two-stroke deficit he was facing heading into Sunday to get the win by a single shot—his only major and just one of the four victories he racked up before calling it quits.

Todd Hamilton (2004)

The man who won The Open the year after Curtis stunned the world was also very much an outsider, as Todd Hamilton had spent the bulk of a pro career he kicked off at the end of the 1980s grinding on the Japan Golf Tour before finally getting his PGA Tour card in 2003.

He did get his first victory on the latter with a win at The Honda Classic in 2004 a few months before The British Open descended upon Royal Troon, but he was not viewed as a top contender (he was ranked 56th in the OWGR).

With that said, he had a one-stroke lead over Ernie Els when play wrapped up on Saturday, and the two men ended up in a four-hole playoff where Hamilton edged the South African by a stroke to get his only major win and his second and final PGA Tour victory.

Louis Oosthuizen (2010)

Louis Oosthuizen had done pretty well for himself on the European Tour heading into The Open at St Andrews in 2010. However, his track record in major tournaments had left a lot to be desired, as he’d only made the cut in one of the eight he’d competed in at that point (the 2008 PGA Championship).

The South African was just two shots behind Rory McIlroy for the lead after the opening round, and he followed up that 65 with the 67 that put him five strokes ahead of the rest of the field when the cut was finalized.

He never really looked back and ended up cruising to a seven-stroke victory for his first and only major and PGA Tour win.

Darren Clarke (2011)

It seemed like Darren Clarke’s best years were behind him when the 42-year-old made the trip to Royal St George’s in 2011. He had gotten a win on the European Tour a couple of months prior, but he was going to be facing some significantly stiffer competition at The Open.

The Northern Irishman was unexpectedly tied for first at -5 when play wrapped up on Friday, and he had sole possession of the top spot by a single stroke ahead of the final round.

The margin grew to three shots when everything was said and done, and he became the fifth-oldest golfer to win the Claret Jug at the time with his only major victory.

Paul Lawrie (1999)

This one is unlikely for a couple of reasons.

Paul Lawrie had just two wins on the European Tour when The British Open was held at Carnoustie in 1999, and he was also sitting 10 shots out of the lead heading into the final round.

However, he found himself in a playoff with Justin Leonard and Jean van de Velde after the latter fell victim to the biggest choke job in the history of golf on the 18th hole, and he ended up beating both men by three strokes to get his lone major.

Ian Baker-Finch (1991)

Ian Baker-Finch’s win at The Open in 1991 is sandwiched between a list of victories by guys including Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, and Seve Ballesteros, and we’d be treated to a “One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other” situation if you were to lump him in with that crew.

The Australian did have a number of wins on a pro tour based in his native country, but his lone PGA Tour win prior to the major being held at Royal Birkdale in 1991 came two years before the tournament.

He opened things up with back-to-back 71s before a 64 propelled him to the top of the leaderboard ahead of the last round, and he turned a one-stroke lead into two to fend off Mike Harwood and get his only major.

 

John Daly (1995)

I’m somewhat hesitant to include John Daly here when you consider he’d already won a major with his shocking victory at the PGA Championship in 1991, but it looked like that was a fluke when you consider he’d only gotten two more wins on the PGA Tour before he played in The Open at St Andrews in 1995.

He also had to pull off a bit of a comeback to get his second major, as he was one of four golfers four strokes behind Michael Campbell heading into Sunday.

The fan favorite ended up in a four-hole playoff with Costantino Rocca, and the triple bogey his opponent carded on the third leg essentially sealed the deal for Daly.