1970 Open Championship

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

The 1970 Open Championship, the 99th Open, was held from 8–12 July at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland. The par-72 course measured 6,951 yards. A thunderstorm delayed the start of play, which was completed the next day. The field began with 134 players, with 80 making the first cut and 57 advancing after the second cut. The prize fund was £40,000, with the winner receiving £5,250.

Jack Nicklaus won his second Open title in a dramatic 18-hole playoff against Doug Sanders. After four rounds, Nicklaus and Sanders were tied, and Nicklaus triumphed 72 to 73 in the playoff, finishing at 283 (−5). Sanders had led late in the final round and, after a long drive on the 18th, faced a short downhill par putt that would have won the championship if it had dropped.

This was the Open’s first playoff since 1963 and the first to be decided over 18 holes (previous playoffs were 36 holes).