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1998 / Royal Birkdale
At the age of 41, Mark O’Meara won The Open at Royal Birkdale in 1998 to become the oldest player to win two majors in the same year.
He added to his Masters title from April by defeating Brian Watts in a play-off as his 17-year career enjoyed a late surge – something he credited to practising alongside young protege Tiger Woods.
“Tiger’s rejuvenated me,” O’Meara said. “He has been a driving force. I look at Tiger’s talent and his technique and his swing and I think he is a better player than I am.
“That motivated me. He keeps telling my friends, ‘You know Mark can really play and he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves.”
Watts, who was born in Montreal of an English father and a German mother and raised in Dallas, was a surprise leader after the second and third rounds but remained calm as O’Meara rallied from two behind.
O’Meara appeared to take control with birdies at the 11th and then the two par-3s, the 12th and the 14th, hitting a 3-iron to four feet at the latter. He dropped a shot at the 16th but birdied the 17th for a 68.
Watts, playing in the group behind, also birdied the 17th and then played an exquisite bunker shot from an awkward stance to save par at the last and force the play-off. O’Meara, sitting beside the green, led the applause.
A birdie at the 15th at the start of the four-hole play-off followed by three pars was good enough for a two-shot win. Woods, the winner of the 1997 Masters, almost joined the play-off but missed out by one shot after birdieing three of the last four holes.
Justin Rose’s 66 in the second round equalled the record for an amateur in The Open, held by Frank Stranahan and Woods, and the 17-year-old enjoyed great support over the weekend.
There was a deafening roar when he holed a pitch from the rough at the final hole for a birdie to finish in a tie for fourth place, the best result by a British amateur since Roger Wethered lost a play-off in 1921.
Name
Finish
R1
R2
R3
R4
Total
Par
Raymond RUSSELL
4
68
73
75
66
282
-
Davis LOVE III
8
67
73
77
68
285
-
Brad FAXON
11
67
74
74
72
287
-
John HUSTON
11
65
77
73
72
287
-
Gordon BRAND JR
14
71
70
76
71
288
-
Peter BAKER
15
69
72
77
71
289
-
Greg TURNER
15
68
75
75
71
289
-
Des SMYTH
15
74
69
75
71
289
-
Robert ALLENBY
19
67
76
78
69
290
-
Curtis STRANGE
19
73
73
74
70
290
-
Mark JAMES
19
71
74
74
71
290
-
Bob ESTES
24
72
70
76
73
291
-
Stephen AMES
24
68
72
79
72
291
-
Peter O'MALLEY
24
71
71
78
71
291
-
Lee JANZEN
24
72
69
80
70
291
-
Sam TORRANCE
24
69
77
75
70
291
-
Loren ROBERTS
29
66
76
76
74
292
-
Scott DUNLAP
29
72
69
80
71
292
-
Shigeki MARUYAMA
29
70
73
75
74
292
-
Santiago LUNA
35
70
72
80
71
293
-
Sven STRUVER
35
75
70
80
68
293
-
Steen TINNING
38
69
76
77
72
294
-
Naomichi OZAKI
38
72
73
76
73
294
-
Philip WALTON
38
68
76
74
76
294
-
Tom KITE
38
72
69
79
74
294
-
Patrik SJOLAND
38
72
72
77
73
294
-
Joakim HAEGGMAN
38
71
74
78
71
294
-
David FROST
44
72
73
78
72
295
-
Andrew COLTART
44
68
77
75
75
295
-
David HOWELL
44
68
77
79
71
295
-
Rodger DAVIS
44
76
70
78
71
295
-
Katsuyoshi TOMORI
44
75
71
70
79
295
-
David CARTER
44
71
75
76
73
295
-
Payne STEWART
44
71
71
78
75
295
-
Brandt JOBE
52
70
73
82
71
296
-
Frankie MINOZA
52
69
75
76
76
296
-
Steve STRICKER
52
70
72
80
74
296
-
Larry MIZE
52
70
75
79
72
296
-
Billy MAYFAIR
52
72
73
77
74
296
-
Ignacio GARRIDO
57
71
74
80
72
297
-
Steve JONES
57
73
72
79
73
297
-
Ian WOOSNAM
57
72
74
76
75
297
-
Eduardo ROMERO
57
71
70
79
77
297
-
Greg CHALMERS
57
71
75
77
74
297
-
Trevor DODDS
57
73
71
81
72
297
-
Carlos FRANCO
64
71
73
76
78
298
-
Michael LONG
66
70
74
78
77
299
-
Michael CAMPBELL
66
73
73
80
73
299
-
Didier DE VOOGHT
66
70
76
80
73
299
-
Mark BROOKS
66
71
73
75
80
299
-
Andrew CLAPP
72
72
74
81
73
300
-
Bob MAY
74
70
73
85
75
303
-
Andrew MCLARDY
75
72
74
80
78
304
-
Freddie JACOBSON
76
67
78
81
79
305
-
Kazuhiko HOSOKAWA
77
72
73
81
80
306
-
Robert GILES
78
72
74
83
78
307
-
Andrew OLDCORN
80
75
71
84
79
309
-
Dudley HART
81
73
72
85
80
310
-
Barry LANE
M/C
72
75
-
-
-
M/C
Paul McGINLEY
M/C
72
75
-
-
-
M/C
Brian DAVIS
M/C
72
75
-
-
-
M/C
Tony JOHNSTONE
M/C
73
74
-
-
-
M/C
Carl SUNESON
M/C
77
70
-
-
-
M/C
Keiichiro FUKABORI
M/C
70
77
-
-
-
M/C
Jeff MAGGERT
M/C
73
74
-
-
-
M/C
Phillip PRICE
M/C
72
75
-
-
-
M/C
Craig PARRY
M/C
73
74
-
-
-
M/C
Bob TWAY
M/C
68
79
-
-
-
M/C
Peter SENIOR
M/C
71
77
-
-
-
M/C
Peter MITCHELL
M/C
76
72
-
-
-
M/C
Simon MCCARTHY
M/C
73
75
-
-
-
M/C
Toru TANIGUCHI
M/C
71
77
-
-
-
M/C
Joe DURANT
M/C
74
74
-
-
-
M/C
Glen DAY
M/C
75
73
-
-
-
M/C
Yoshinori MIZUMAKI
M/C
71
77
-
-
-
M/C
Paul AZINGER
M/C
76
73
-
-
-
M/C
Gary BROWN
M/C
74
75
-
-
-
M/C
Grant DODD
M/C
70
79
-
-
-
M/C
J.P. HAYES
M/C
70
79
-
-
-
M/C
Derrick COOPER
M/C
72
77
-
-
-
M/C
David SHACKLADY
M/C
76
74
-
-
-
M/C
Jean Louis GUEPY
M/C
74
76
-
-
-
M/C
John LOVELL
M/C
72
78
-
-
-
M/C
Corey PAVIN
M/C
74
76
-
-
-
M/C
Per-Ulrik JOHANSSON
M/C
74
76
-
-
-
M/C
Scott HOCH
M/C
73
77
-
-
-
M/C
Lee JONES
M/C
77
73
-
-
-
M/C
Retief GOOSEN
M/C
74
76
-
-
-
M/C
KJ CHOI
M/C
70
80
-
-
-
M/C
Skip KENDALL
M/C
74
77
-
-
-
M/C
Stephen LEANEY
M/C
75
76
-
-
-
M/C
Mark MCNULTY
M/C
73
78
-
-
-
M/C
Matt MCGUIRE
M/C
74
77
-
-
-
M/C
Fredrik HENGE
M/C
75
76
-
-
-
M/C
Steven YOUNG
M/C
74
78
-
-
-
M/C
Howard CLARK
M/C
73
79
-
-
-
M/C
Steve ALLAN
M/C
72
80
-
-
-
M/C
Ross DRUMMOND
M/C
74
78
-
-
-
M/C
Russell CLAYDON
M/C
74
79
-
-
-
M/C
Frank NOBILO
M/C
76
77
-
-
-
M/C
Andrew MAGEE
M/C
75
78
-
-
-
M/C
Graham SPRING
M/C
74
80
-
-
-
M/C
Steven ALKER
M/C
73
81
-
-
-
M/C
Steven ARMSTRONG
M/C
76
78
-
-
-
M/C
Daren LEE
M/C
76
78
-
-
-
M/C
Robert KARLSSON
M/C
72
82
-
-
-
M/C
Mats HALLBERG
M/C
77
77
-
-
-
M/C
Mark LITTON
M/C
75
80
-
-
-
M/C
Toru SUZUKI
M/C
78
77
-
-
-
M/C
Bradley DREDGE
M/C
78
78
-
-
-
M/C
Greig HUTCHEON
M/C
73
83
-
-
-
M/C
Gary ORR
M/C
78
78
-
-
-
M/C
Scott HENDERSON
M/C
77
80
-
-
-
M/C
Peter HEDBLOM
M/C
76
82
-
-
-
M/C
Jeff REMESY
M/C
77
82
-
-
-
M/C
Francis HOWLEY
Wd
78
-
-
-
-
M/C