Top 10 Performances in The Open Championship History

Fans of old-school major championship golf might not enjoy this feature all that much.

While golf aficionados are forever enamored with historic performances from Tom Morris Sr., Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones and other multi-time Open Championship winners, the majority of top scores at the annual event have come within the past 20 years.

As we gear up for the latest edition of the crown jewel of European golf supremacy, here’s a look at the 10 most outstanding performances relative to par in the history of the Open Championship (with a bonus Tiger entry).

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T10. Lee Trevino, 1971 (Royal Birkdale)

69-70-69-70 (14 under par)

This was peak Trevino. Mere weeks after winning both the U.S. Open and Canadian Open, the talented American added another national championship to his resume with one of the steadiest performances of any player in the field. Trevino was either tied for the top spot or the solo leader across all four rounds, taking home 5,500 pounds for his first of two straight Open titles.

T10. Tiger Woods, 2005 (St. Andrews)

66-67-71-70 (14 under par)

In what was Jack Nicklaus’ final appearance at a major championship, it was only fitting that his heir apparent put together a dominant wire-to-wire win for his 10th major title (and second Grand Slam). And while this performance didn’t quite compare to his dominant 2000 showing at St. Andrews, it was still good enough for a whopping five-shot win over Colin Montgomerie.

Tiger Woods of the US looks at his name on the Claret Jug after winning the 134th Open Championship on the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, 17 July, 2005.Photo by Adrian Dennis via AFP)

9. Zach Johnson, 2015 (St. Andrews)

66-71-70-66 (15 under par)

Johnson had company at the top of the 2015 leaderboard, forced into a three-way, four-hole playoff with Marc Leishman and Louis Oosthuizen. Johnson prevailed thanks to birdies on the first two playoff holes, earning his second career major title. Rory McIlroy sat this one out with an ankle injury, marking the first time in 61 years that the defending champ was absent.

8. Shane Lowry, 2019 (Royal Portrush)

67-67-63-72 (15 under par)

Lowry didn’t just win the 2019 Open Championship; He was dominant, particularly in a course-record third-round 63 that gave him a four-shot advantage heading into Sunday. And unlike the 2016 U.S. Open, when he squandered a huge final-day lead, Lowry cruised to the victory at Royal Portrush, winning by six shots for his first major title.

7. Collin Morikawa, 2021 (Royal St. George’s)

67-64-68-66 (15 under par)

Do your thing, debutant! Morikawa was triumphant in his Open Championship debut, becoming the first player in nearly 20 years to win in his first appearance. And the American star was full value for the victory, making just four (!) bogeys across 72 holes for his second major victory — with both coming in his respective tournament debuts.

6. Louis Oosthuizen, 2010 (St. Andrews)

65-67-69-71 (16 under par)

We’re starting to notice a pattern here, with St. Andrews showing up yet again (and this isn’t the last appearance, either). Oosthuizen dominated from the start, following up an opening-round 65 with an impressive 67 in favorable morning conditions to open a five-shot advantage. He breezed from there to a seven-shot edge for his first (and, to date, only) major victory.

5. Rory McIlroy, 2014 (Royal Liverpool)

66-66-68-71 (17 under par)

On the very course where Tiger Woods bested an elite field eight years earlier (more on that later), McIlroy was dominant over the opening 54 holes as he earned a wire-to-wire win for his first career Open Championship crown and third major title overall. A six-shot lead shrank to just two in the final round, but McIlroy held on for the 975,000-pound winner’s check.

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy holds the Claret Jug as he poses for a photograph after winning the 2014 British Open Golf Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Course in Hoylake, northwest England on July 20, 2014. McIlroy won the British Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Course in Hoylake with a final round of 71. The 25-year-old Northern Irishman won with a seventeen under par total of 271, two strokes clear of Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia.Photo by Andrew Yates via AFP.

4. Tiger Woods, 2006 (Royal Liverpool)

67-65-71-67 (18 under par)

This victory — his third Open Championship triumph — hit differently for Woods. It was his first major win since the passing of his father Earl two months earlier, and it did not come easy. Woods closed with a sublime final-round 67 to earn a two-shot win over Chris DiMarco and become the first Open champion to defend his title since Tom Watson in 1982-83.

3. Nick Faldo, 1990 (St. Andrews)

67-65-67-71 (18 under par)

The 1987 Open Championship winner had his work cut out for him despite showing terrific form through the first 36 holes. He and Greg Norman were four shots clear of the field heading into the weekend, where Faldo (67) made things look easy en route to a five-shot advantage entering Sunday. He closed with a 71 for a five-shot win, his second of three Open titles.

2. Tiger Woods, 2000 (St. Andrews)

67-66-67-69 (19 under par)

On a resume that features plenty of incredible performances, this was easily one of Tiger’s most dominant showings. He seized control of the tournament with a second-round 66, padded his lead with a 67, and wasn’t threatened the rest of the way as he logged an eight-shot win. It was his first Open Championship win and completed his Grand Slam. At age 24. Oh, Tiger.

1. Henrik Stenson, 2016 (Royal Troon)

68-65-68-63 (20 under par)

Based on how many times St. Andrews shows up on this list, there’s a decent chance we’ll have a new No. 1 on this list after next weekend. But right now, the top spot belongs to Stenson — and boy, did he earn it. The talented Swede not only established the record for lowest score relative to par at the Open, but he also finished it off with a major record-tying final-round 63.

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