The Duel in the Sun: The 1977 Open Championship at Turnberry
The 1977 Open Championship at Turnberry's Ailsa Course produced the most celebrated head-to-head in major championship history. Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson separated themselves from the field after 36 holes and spent the final two rounds engaged in a private contest that the rest of the players might as well have been spectating.
Nicklaus, 37, was the dominant golfer of his era — 15 major championships, the consensus greatest player in the game's history to that point. Watson, 27, had won the Masters that April and was establishing himself as the most dangerous player on the planet. The collision at Turnberry was the central rivalry of 1970s golf, compressed into 36 holes on the Scottish coast.
The Final Two Rounds
After 36 holes, Watson and Nicklaus led the field by three shots. The rest of the tournament was irrelevant — this was a two-man contest.
In the third round, Watson shot 65. Nicklaus shot 65. They were tied going into Sunday.
In the final round, Watson shot 65 again. Nicklaus shot 66. Watson won by one shot — 268 to 269, both totals obliterating the Open Championship record at the time. The next player in the field finished ten shots behind them.
The decisive moment came on the 18th hole. Watson holed a birdie putt to go one ahead. Nicklaus, needing eagle to tie, struck his approach to within 35 feet of the hole. The birdie putt dropped. Watson made his birdie anyway. One shot. Watson had beaten the greatest player in the world in the greatest duel the major championships had produced.
"I gave you everything I had," Nicklaus told Watson on the 18th green, "but it wasn't enough." Watson's reply: "That's the finest game of golf I've ever played."
Turnberry's Ailsa Course
The Ailsa Course at Turnberry occupies a dramatic stretch of the Ayrshire coast in southwest Scotland, with views of Ailsa Craig — the volcanic plug that rises from the Firth of Clyde — and, on clear days, the coast of Northern Ireland. The course plays along the coastline for several holes, with the iconic lighthouse at the turn providing one of golf's most recognizable visual landmarks.
Turnberry has a complicated history. The course was converted to an airfield during the Second World War and the greens were buried under tarmac. After the war, the course was rebuilt from scratch — with only the ruins of the hotel and the lighthouse remaining as reference points from the original layout. The reconstruction was completed in 1951, and Turnberry went on to host four Open Championships.
The Rematch: 2009 Open Championship
The Ailsa Course hosted its fourth Open Championship in 2009, and golf's sense of narrative produced a near-sequel. Tom Watson, now 59 years old, led the tournament through 72 holes. Standing on the 72nd tee with a one-shot lead, he needed only a par to become the oldest major champion in history. He made bogey. Stewart Cink won in the playoff.
Watson's near-victory at 59 — at the same course where he'd won his greatest duel 32 years earlier — is one of the most bittersweet near-misses in major championship history.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 1977 Open Championship?
Tom Watson won the 1977 Open Championship at Turnberry with a score of 268 (65-65-65-65 over four rounds), one shot ahead of Jack Nicklaus who finished at 269.
Why is it called the Duel in the Sun?
The 1977 Open Championship at Turnberry is called the Duel in the Sun because the final two rounds were played in unusually hot, sunny weather for the Scottish coast, and the contest between Watson and Nicklaus was essentially a one-on-one duel that played out over those two rounds. The name also evokes the Western film trope of two gunslingers facing off.
What course is Turnberry?
The Ailsa Course at Turnberry, now called Trump Turnberry after the resort was purchased by Donald Trump in 2014, is located in Turnberry, South Ayrshire, Scotland, on the southwest coast overlooking the Firth of Clyde.