British Open: Ranking the 25 most dominant performances of all time
By Bill Felber
8. Nick Faldo, 1990, -3.20
The two-time defending Masters champion was a consensus co-pick to win his second British Open title, coming off not only that win but a near-miss at the U.S. Open. There a closing rush had left him just one shot out of a playoff eventual won by Hale Irwin over Mike Donald.
Only Greg Norman, the world’s top-ranked player, seemed capable of denying Faldo when the world’s best convened at St. Andrews.
The first two rounds were exactly the deadlock everybody expected. Norman shot 66-66, Faldo produced a 67-65, and they jointly led the field by four strokes.
What happened over the weekend, though, surprised all who expected a tense duel to the finish. While Faldo laid down another 67, Norman stumbled, managed only a 76, and dropped nine behind in sixth place.
That made Sunday’s final round a virtual coronation. With Norman no longer a threat, only Payne Stewart produced anything resembling a challenge, climbing within two before hitting into the Coffins bunker on the 13th hole.
With no such difficulties, Faldo calmly rebuilt his five-stroke lead and won by that margin with a four-round total of 270. His 18-under par was a tournament record.
Safely home, Faldo let the gallery in on a secret; it hadn’t been as easy as it looked. “My stomach was churning,” he said. “With a five-stroke lead, everybody expected me to win.”