Golfers With Most Top 5 Finishes in British Open
There are four golfers in Open Championship history who recorded 15 or more Top 5 finishes in this major championship. Those four golfers are the three who comprised "the Great Triumvirate," plus Jack Nicklaus.
The List: Most Top 5 Finishes in Open Championship
- 16 Top 5s — J.H. Taylor, first Top 5 finish in 1894, last in 1924
- 16 — Jack Nicklaus, first Top 5 finish in 1963, last in 1980
- 15 — Harry Vardon, first Top 5 finish in 1894, last in 1914
- 15 — James Braid, first Top 5 finish in 1897, last in 1912
Nicklaus holds the British Open record for most second-place finishes with seven, and Taylor is No. 2 on that list with six runner-up showings. Taylor finished in the Top 5 in 12 out of the 16 years from 1894 through 1909. Nicklaus finished in the Top 5 all but two years during the 18-year stretch from 1963-80.
Vardon, Taylor and Braid are the three golfers who were collectively known as the Great Triumvirate, as their careers very closely overlapped.
Top 5s in the Open for Other Notables
These are the total Top 5 finishes recorded by some other notables in the British Open — golfers who won multiple titles or are among those with the most appearances in The Open. This list is obviously not exhaustive, but just a sampling for the sake of comparison to the record-holders above.
Old Tom Morris — 13
Sandy Herd — 12
Willie Park Sr. — 11
Peter Thomson — 10
Ernie Els — 9
Tom Watson — 9
Henry Cotton — 7
Nick Faldo — 7
Bobby Locke — 7
Walter Hagen — 6
Gary Player — 6
Tiger Woods — 6
Seve Ballesteros — 4
Related articles:
- Most appearances in British Open before winning it
- Golfers who won British Open in three difference decades
- Longest gap between wins in British Open
The R&A. The Open Media Guide, The 153rd Open Royal Portrush, The Open Championship Records.