1966 Open Championship

The 1966 Open Championship was the 95th Open Championship, held 6–9 July at Muirfield Golf Links in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. Jack Nicklaus won the first of his three Claret Jugs, one stroke ahead of runners-up Doug Sanders and Dave Thomas.[2][3] It was the sixth of eighteen major titles for Nicklaus and marked the completion of the first of his three career grand slams.[4][5]

1966 Open Championship
Tournament information
Dates6–9 July 1966
LocationGullane, Scotland
Course(s)Muirfield Golf Links
Statistics
Par71[1]
Length6,887 yards (6,297 m)[1]
Field130 players, 64 after cut[1]
Cut150 (+8)[1]
Prize fund£15,000
$42,000
Winner's share£2,100
$5,880
Champion
United States Jack Nicklaus
282 (−2)
Muirfield is located in Scotland
Muirfield
Muirfield
Location in Scotland
Muirfield is located in East Lothian
Muirfield
Muirfield
Location in East Lothian, Scotland

This was the first Open to be scheduled over four days, with one round each day, finishing on Saturday. Previous editions had played the third and fourth rounds on Friday. The U.S. Open changed to a four-day schedule the previous year in 1965, moving its final round from Saturday afternoon to Sunday. The Open Championship operated on a Wednesday through Saturday schedule through 1979.

It was the final Open for 1964 champion Tony Lema, who died in a plane crash two weeks later, hours after the PGA Championship.[6]

Nicklaus has described Muirfield as "the best golf course in Britain."[7] He later developed a championship golf course and community in Dublin, Ohio, a suburb north of his hometown of Columbus. Opened in 1974, Nicklaus named it Muirfield Village and it hosts his Memorial Tournament, a top invitational event on the PGA Tour since 1976.

Course
Main article: Muirfield
Hole123456789Out101112131415161718InTotal
Yards4293633851875164731874514953,4864753633851544624071985284293,4016,887
Par444354345364443443543571

Source:[8]
Lengths of the course for previous Opens (since 1950):

  • 1959: 6,806 yards (6,223 m), par 72

Round summaries

First round

Wednesday, 6 July 1966

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
T1England Jimmy Hitchcock70−1
United States Jack Nicklaus
T3South Africa Harold Henning71E
United States Tony Lema
United States Doug Sanders
Scotland Ronnie Shade (a)
T7England Fred Boobyer72+1
England John Carter
England Alex Caygill
Republic of Ireland Christy Greene
Australia Kel Nagle
South Africa Gary Player
Wales Dave Thomas

Second round

Thursday, 7 July 1966

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1United States Jack Nicklaus70-67=137−5
2England Peter Butler73-65=138−4
T3South Africa Harold Henning71-69=140−2
Australia Kel Nagle72-68=140
United States Phil Rodgers74-66=140
T6United States Doug Sanders71-70=141−1
Scotland Ronnie Shade (a)71-70=141
8Australia Bruce Devlin73-69=142E
9England Alex Caygill72-71=143+1
10United States Julius Boros73-71=144+2

Amateurs: Shade (-1), Cole (+4), Townsend (+6), Bonallack (+7),
Millensted (+12), Smith (+13), Falkenburg (+22)

Third round

Friday, 8 July 1966

PlacePlayerScoreTo par
1United States Phil Rodgers74-66-70=210−3
2United States Jack Nicklaus70-67-75=212−1
3United States Doug Sanders71-70-72=213E
T4United States Arnold Palmer73-72-69=214+1
Wales Dave Thomas72-73-69=214
6South Africa Harold Henning71-69-75=215+2
T7England Alex Caygill72-71-73=216+3
Australia Bruce Devlin73-69-74=216
Spain Sebastián Miguel74-72-70=216
Australia Kel Nagle72-68-76=216
Scotland Ronnie Shade (a)71-70-75=216

Final round

Saturday, 9 July 1966

PlacePlayerScoreTo parMoney (£)
1United States Jack Nicklaus70-67-75-70=282−22,100
T2United States Doug Sanders71-70-72-70=283−11,350
Wales Dave Thomas72-73-69-69=283
T4Australia Bruce Devlin73-69-74-70=286+2696
Australia Kel Nagle72-68-76-70=286
South Africa Gary Player72-74-71-69=286
United States Phil Rodgers74-66-70-76=286
T8United States Dave Marr73-76-69-70=288+4330
Spain Sebastián Miguel74-72-70-72=288
United States Arnold Palmer73-72-69-74=288
Australia Peter Thomson73-75-69-71=288

Source:[2][3][4]
Amateurs: Shade (+9), Townsend (+11), Bonallack (+13), Cole (+14)

References
  1. "Media guide". The Open Championship. 2011. pp. 70, 203. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  2. "Nicklaus wins British Open by stroke". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. 10 July 1966. p. 1, sec. 2.
  3. Jacobs, Raymond (11 July 1966). "Nicklaus's Open at fifth attempt". Glasgow Herald. p. 4.
  4. "Happy Nicklaus plans return trip". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. 10 July 1966. p. 1B.
  5. Wright, Alfred (18 July 1966). "Smiling Jack wins a rough one". Sports Illustrated. p. 20.
  6. "Lema plane crash probed". Milwaukee Sentinel. United Press International. 26 July 1966. p. 1-sports.
  7. "Muirfield club steeped in tradition". Star-Phoenix. (Saskatoon). Reuters. 14 July 1980. p. B1.
  8. "Card of course". Glasgow Herald. 9 July 1966. p. 13.

56.043°N 2.823°W / 56.043; -2.823

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