Royal Birkdale Open Champions, 1954 – 2017
“Accuracy will trump strength at this Open.” – Johnny Miller
By all accounts, the summer of 1976 was a scorcher in England and for The Open Championship field that meant the Royal Birkdale greens were in less than ideal conditions. The extreme heat put the putting surfaces into a condition The Observer’s Peter Dobereiner described this way:
"Freckles of brown spread to disfiguring blotches at a speed almost detectable to the naked eye, making it impossible to judge the pace of the ball as it crossed from living green to dead brown."
Jack Nicklaus was more direct when he declared that putting at the 1976 Open Championship was going to be more a matter of luck than a test of skill.
With a 19-year old Seve Ballesteros in the field, luck came into play early in the Championship. The outrageously brilliant Seve led the way, alongside Christie O’Connor and Norio Suzuki. After the round, Seve quipped,
"If I play like this I have a good chance. Maybe I win. My driving is very good."
And it was, for a while. But playing a less flamboyant game Miller began to close in on the Spaniard and they went into the third round with Seve only two shots clear of Miller.
On the third day the rain fell in torrents and the wind blew strong at Birkdale. Seve’s driver began to fail him and Miller played on but Seve held onto the lead. On the final day, as Seve tried harder and his shots went wild, Miller again played on. Seven took a tumble down the leaderboard and Jack Nicklaus, who had been lurking, came up to meet him. Chipping in for eagle on the 13th and carding a 66, Johnny Miller hoisted the Claret Jug. It was his only Open Championship victory.
Seve’s time came three years later, at Royal Lyntham.