1987 British Open Winner and Scores
The 1987 British Open was the 116th time the tournament was played. The winner used brute efficiency in the final round: Nick Faldo parred all 18 holes.
Winner: Nick Faldo, 279
Where it was played: Muirfield in Gullane, Scotland
Tournament dates: July 16-19, 1987
Leader after first round: Rodger Davis, 64
Leader after second round: Paul Azinger, 136
Leader after third round: Paul Azinger, 207
What Happened in the 1987 Open Championship
Later in his career, Nick Faldo had the reputation as a clutch player, a great player who pulled off big shots under pressure. Early in his career? Not so much. Although Faldo was a successful player before the 1987 British Open — he led the European Tour Order of Merit in 1983 — he had a different reputation prior to this tournament: A player who couldn't take the pressure. He was even called, by some, Nick "Fold-o" because he had played poorly down the stretch in several big tournaments.When did that earlier reputation change to the later one? This tournament is a good candidate. Here, Faldo won his first major championship. Not only did he not succumb to pressure down the stretch, he played the most even-keel final round possible: 18 holes, 18 pars.
Faldo trailed Paul Azinger by one stroke entering the final round. Azinger took the lead on the second day and maintained it through the third round in a tournament plagued by rains and howling winds. The R&A's history of the event notes that in the third round, four holes playing into the wind had to be shortened just so players could reach the fairways from the tees. But Azinger managed a 71 in those conditions, and Faldo a 71, too, to set up the final round.
And Faldo was a par machine in that final round. No bogeys, no birdies, just 18 pars. It wasn't the most exciting golf, but it was precise, and it was what was necessary to win. Faldo carded a 71 and posted 5-under 279, then waited to see if Azinger could beat him. Azinger would have won if he had made pars of his own on the 71st and 72nd holes.
But Azinger couldn't do it. He bogeyed the 17th. A birdie on the 18th would still give Azinger the win, a par would force a playoff. But Azinger bogeyed again after his approach to the green found a bunker, and he finished second, one stroke behind. Rodger Davis tied Azinger in second place, Davis' best-ever showing in a major (and one of just two Top 10s in majors for Davis).
Faldo went onto win five more majors. Azinger finally got his own major win at the 1993 PGA Championship, where he topped Greg Norman in a playoff, a playoff Faldo missed by one stroke.
1987 British Open Final Scores
| Nick Faldo | 68-69-71-71—279 |
| Paul Azinger | 68-68-71-73—280 |
| Rodger Davis | 64-73-74-69—280 |
| Payne Stewart | 71-66-72-72—281 |
| Ben Crenshaw | 73-68-72-68—281 |
| David Frost | 70-68-70-74—282 |
| Tom Watson | 69-69-71-74—283 |
| Ian Woosnam | 71-69-72-72—284 |
| Nick Price | 68-71-72-73—284 |
| Craig Stadler | 69-69-71-75—284 |
| Jumbo Ozaki | 69-72-71-73—285 |
| Jose Maria Olazabal | 70-73-70-72—285 |
| Hal Sutton | 71-70-73-71—285 |
| Mark Calcavecchia | 69-70-72-74—285 |
| Graham Marsh | 69-70-72-74—285 |
| Mark McNulty | 71-69-75-70—285 |
| Lee Trevino | 67-74-73-72—286 |
| Ken Brown | 69-73-70-74—286 |
| Mark Roe | 74-68-72-72—286 |
| Eamonn Darcy | 74-69-72-71—286 |
| Bernhard Langer | 69-69-76-72—286 |
| Wayne Grady | 70-71-76-69—286 |
| Raymond Floyd | 72-68-70-76—286 |
| Sandy Lyle | 76-69-71-70—286 |
| Gerry Taylor | 69-68-75-75—287 |
| Gordon Brand Jr. | 73-70-75-70—288 |
| Larry Mize | 68-71-76-73—288 |
| David Feherty | 74-70-77-67—288 |
| Danny Edwards | 71-73-72-73—289 |
| Anders Forsbrand | 73-69-73-74—289 |
| Lanny Wadkins | 72-71-75-71—289 |
| Ken Green | 67-76-74-72—289 |
| Fuzzy Zoeller | 71-70-76-72—289 |
| David Graham | 69-73-78-70—290 |
| Greg Norman | 71-71-74-75—291 |
| Manuel Calero | 71-74-75-71—291 |
| Jay Haas | 69-74-76-72—291 |
| Bob Tway | 67-72-75-77—291 |
| Ross Drummond | 79-66-77-69—291 |
| Gordon J. Brand | 72-72-74-74—292 |
| Andy Bean | 70-73-75-74—292 |
| Fred Couples | 70-74-78-70—292 |
| Derrick Cooper | 74-72-78-68—292 |
| Ossie Moore | 71-72-76-74—293 |
| Brian Marchbank | 72-72-76-73—293 |
| Fulton Allem | 74-69-77-73—293 |
| Carl Mason | 70-69-78-76—293 |
| Larry Nelson | 70-75-76-73—294 |
| John Slaughter | 72-71-76-75—294 |
| Philip Walton | 72-73-75-75—295 |
| Seve Ballesteros | 73-70-77-75—295 |
| Sam Torrance | 76-69-77-73—295 |
| Mats Lanner | 71-74-79-71—295 |
| Billy Andrade | 74-69-78-75—296 |
| Roger Chapman | 70-73-79-74—296 |
| John O'Leary | 71-73-79-73—296 |
| Ove Sellberg | 71-72-78-76—297 |
| a-Paul Mayo | 72-70-75-80—297 |
| Bill McColl | 71-75-77-75—298 |
| Tommy Nakajima | 73-72-77-76—298 |
| Brian Jones | 73-72-80-73—298 |
| Miguel Angel Martin | 74-71-77-77—299 |
| Howard Clark | 72-73-78-76—299 |
| Neil Hansen | 75-69-80-75—299 |
| Scott Simpson | 75-71-82-71—299 |
| Hugh Baiocchi | 72-73-78-77—300 |
| Jet Ozaki | 72-73-78-77—300 |
| Brandel Chamblee | 73-72-77-78—300 |
| Gary Player | 72-74-79-75—300 |
| Mark O'Meara | 73-72-82-73—300 |
| Wayne Westner | 71-75-84-71—301 |
| Tom Kite | 73-72-81-76—302 |
| Jack Nicklaus | 74-71-81-76—302 |
| Jeff Hawkes | 71-74-80-78—303 |
| a-Ricky Willison | 75-71-83-76—305 |
| Chris Moody | 76-70-81-79—306 |
| David Jones | 72-74-83-78—307 |
| Anthony Stevens | 71-75-82-84—312 |
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1986 British Open - 1988 British Open