Birkdale brilliance

By the time he arrived at Royal Birkdale in 1983 Tom Watson had already cemented his place as one of the Open’s greatest ever champions.

His stunning sequence of four Claret Jugs in eight years up to that point represented dominance unlike anything the Championship had seen before – and anything it has seen since.

Starting with play-off success at Carnoustie in 1975, Watson’s tour of Open triumphs included an iconic Duel in the Sun with Jack Nicklaus at Turnberry two years later, a dominant showing at Muirfield in 1980, and a sensational comeback victory at Royal Troon in 1982.

As The 112th Open came around, to many observers it looked as though the man from Missouri had, by the age of 33, achieved almost all there was to achieve at the Championship, securing his Open legacy forever.

However, that week in 1983 he arrived in Southport with a score to settle, desperate to earn his first win of the year and lift his first Claret Jug outside Scotland.

Greatest players putting on a show

Across the week a then record crowd of 142,000 people flooded through the gates hoping to see the world’s best golfers at the peak of their powers. And they didn’t leave disappointed.

During a thrilling Sunday Watson’s name was joined on the leaderboard by the likes of Lee Trevino – a previous Champion in Southport, Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros and Bill Rogers.

It was Rogers, the Champion Golfer in 1981, who would provide the most remarkable of moments when he holed a one-iron shot for albatross on the par-5 17th hole. This flash of brilliance came amid a strong performance, however he wouldn't be ending the week as Champion Golfer this time around.

Elsewhere, a fast start from Craig Stadler, whose round of 64 was a new opening-day record, saw the 1982 Masters champion threaten to win his first Open before fading as the Championship went on and finishing outside the top 10.

Ultimately, come Sunday afternoon, it was Hale Irwin and Andy Bean who would prove Watson’s closest challengers in a Championship that would go to the wire, and produce yet more dramatic scenes in the shadow of the famous Royal Birkdale clubhouse.

This was the sixth time the venue had staged The Open, with Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Johnny Miller the previous winners there.

Things were perfectly poised for a new player to join esteemed company and write their own name into the history of this world class links course.

Watson weaves his magic

Despite not showcasing his best form early on Sunday, Watson seized control of The 112th Open with a sublime performance down the stretch.

Birdies at 11, 13 and 16 put the American in a commanding position, and he knew that a par on the final hole would be enough to win by one and secure his fifth Claret Jug.

With the pressure on, Watson stepped up and hit one of the greatest shots in Open history – launching a two-iron at the green from 218 yards and ending up 20 feet from the pin.

He would two putt and sign for a nine-under-par winning score of 275, the third-lowest winning tally the Championship had seen.

Watson later recalled: “I came to the 18th hole with a one-shot lead and I hit two of the finest shots I played in the Open Championship back-to-back.

“I hit a power fade driver. I then hit a two-iron and when it got up to the apex the crowd just came together and ran across the fairway.

“So I never saw the ball land. I didn’t know how close the ball was to the hole until I walked through the crowd and could finally see – that’s close enough, I can’t choke this away.”

The eight-time major champion finished one shot clear of Irwin and Bean, the latter having made a costly error on the 14th when he stubbed his putter and missed the ball when trying to tap home from one inch.

An Open legacy enhanced

“What a way to end a dry spell.”

Those were the words of the Champion Golfer of the Year as he stood on the 18th green – Claret Jug in hand – after winning his fifth Open in nine years.

Watson’s ‘dry spell’ was one year without a victory, since his success at Royal Troon, in fact, and with this win representing his first Open triumph outside Scotland, he could leave Southport with that score having been settled.

In July 2026 – 43 years on from this famous triumph – golf’s original championship will return to Royal Birkdale for an 11th time, and a new name will be added to the venue’s list of Champions.

History tells us the greatest players rise to the occasion on the Southport links. Tom Watson’s victory in 1983 epitomises that perfectly.