1975 British Open Winner and Scores
The 1975 British Open was the 104th time the tournament was played. It was the year of Tom Watson's first Open Championship win, but he needed a playoff to claim the trophy.
Winner: Tom Watson, 279
Where it was played: Carnoustie in Angus, Scotland
Tournament dates: July 9-13, 1975
Leader after first round: Peter Oosterhuis, 68
Leader after second round: David Huish, 136
Leader after third round: Bobby Cole, 204
What Happened in the 1975 Open Championship
Tom Watson had only two wins on the PGA Tour when he arrived at the 1975 British Open for his first appearance in the tournament. He also had a reputation for blowing chances in big tournaments. But by the end of this event, that reputation was gone, and Watson was a major champion.Bobby Cole was the early noisemaker, tying the then-course record at Carnoustie with a second-round 66. Cole then matched that score in the third round, taking a 1-stroke lead. But Jack Newton set a course record himself in the third round with a 65, moving into second place. Johnny Miller was two behind after the third round, and Watson was three back.
In the final round, Jack Nicklaus — who began the round four strokes off Cole's lead — scored 72 in tough conditions to post 280, the clubhouse lead. Miller had a chance to beat that, but bogeyed the 18th hole to also finish at 280. Watson, however, birdied the last hole to post 279.
Cole, who shot 76 on the day, needed a birdie at the last to tie Watson, but didn't get it. Newton needed a par to tie Watson, and he did get it. And that sent Watson and Newton into an 18-hole playoff the following day.
Playing in a steady rain, Watson and Newton jockeyed for position throughout the playoff. Newton had the lead after 12 holes, but Watson eagled the 14th to take it back. When they reached the 18th hole, they were tied.
Watson reached the final green in two, but Newton's approach found a bunker. He blasted out to about 20 feet. Watson 2-putted for par, then Newton's par putt skirted the left edge of the cup. Watson was the Open champion of 1975.
Watson went on to achieve status as an all-time great — he won this major five times total, and recorded eight major championship victories overall. Newton was a solid player, and was runner-up also at the 1980 Masters. But his career was cut short by a horrific accident in 1983 involving a spinning airplane propeller. Newton lost an arm, an eye, and nearly his life.
The 1975 British Open was also the scene of Seve Ballesteros' first appearance in a major. The 18-year-old missed the cut.
1975 British Open Final Scores
| Tom Watson | 71-67-69-72—279 (71) |
| Jack Newton | 69-71-65-74—279 (72) |
| Jack Nicklaus | 69-71-68-72—280 |
| Johnny Miller | 71-69-66-74—280 |
| Bobby Cole | 72-66-66-76—280 |
| Graham Marsh | 72-67-71-71—281 |
| Peter Oosterhuis | 68-70-71-73—282 |
| Neil Coles | 72-69-67-74—282 |
| Hale Irwin | 69-70-69-75—283 |
| George Burns | 71-73-69-71—284 |
| John Mahaffey | 71-68-69-76—284 |
| Paul Leonard | 70-69-73-74—286 |
| Bob Charles | 74-73-70-69—286 |
| Andries Oosthuizen | 69-69-70-78—286 |
| Tom Weiskopf | 73-72-70-72—287 |
| Arnold Palmer | 74-72-69-73—288 |
| Maurice Bembridge | 75-73-67-73—288 |
| Alan Tapie | 70-72-67-79—288 |
| Sam Torrance | 72-74-71-72—289 |
| Tommy Horton | 72-71-71-75—289 |
| Lon Hinkle | 76-72-69-72—289 |
| Bernard Gallacher | 72-67-72-78—289 |
| Hugh Baiocchi | 72-72-73-73—290 |
| Brian Barnes | 71-74-72-73—290 |
| Martin Foster | 72-74-73-71—290 |
| Danny Edwards | 70-74-71-75—290 |
| Raymond Floyd | 71-72-76-71—290 |
| Roberto De Vicenzo | 71-74-72-74—291 |
| David Graham | 74-70-72-75—291 |
| Simon Hobday | 70-70-76-75—291 |
| Guy Hunt | 73-68-76-74—291 |
| Mike Cahill | 71-73-74-74—292 |
| Dale Hayes | 73-71-73-75—292 |
| Tienie Britz | 74-71-72-75—292 |
| Peter Dawson | 74-75-71-72—292 |
| Gary Player | 75-71-73-73—292 |
| Bob Shearer | 69-72-74-77—292 |
| Hubert Green | 72-73-70-77—292 |
| David Huish | 69-67-76-80—292 |
| Norman Wood | 74-74-71-74—293 |
| Brian Huggett | 72-71-75-75—293 |
| Kel Nagle | 72-73-73-75—293 |
| Bob Gilder | 75-71-75-72—293 |
| Lee Trevino | 76-69-73-75—293 |
| Brian Waites | 74-72-69-78—293 |
| Ian Stanley | 75-71-70-78—294 |
| Lou Graham | 73-72-74-76—295 |
| Bill Garrett | 76-72-72-75—295 |
| Christy O'Connor Jr. | 72-73-73-77—295 |
| Peter Wilcock | 77-68-75-75—295 |
| Bill Brask Jr. | 74-71-72-78—295 |
| Eddie Pearce | 72-75-70-79—296 |
| John Jacobs | 72-76-73-76—297 |
| Vicente Fernandez | 76-70-74-77—297 |
| Lu Liang-Huan | 76-72-72-77—297 |
| David Vaughan | 72-71-74-80—297 |
| Dennis Clark | 72-72-76-78—298 |
| Terry Le Brocq | 72-76-72-78—298 |
| Peter Townsend | 74-70-76-78—298 |
| Herluf Hansen | 74-74-73-78—299 |
| Jan Dorrestein | 75-73-73-79—300 |
| Carl Mason | 73-72-75-81—301 |
| Roddy Carr | 76-72-72-82—302 |
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