Open Championship 1981

After a long pause, the Open returned to Sandwich. The course was set up to punish loose shots, with thick rough surrounding the fairways. A notable early casualty was Jack Nicklaus, who scored an 83 on the first day, playing in the worst of the weather.

After two rounds, Tom Watson, Raymond Floyd, Tony Jacklin, David Graham, Bernhard Langer, Ben Crenshaw and Mark James were all in contention, but a marvellous third round of 67 in very windy conditions left Bill Rogers five shots clear.

The Texan duly played an excellent fourth round of 71, giving him a winning total of 276. Three weeks earlier he had finished second in the US Open, but sadly he quit tournament golf within two years of these triumphs.  Read More