From Park to Woods: The best at the British Open
By Bill Felber
Best of the British Open: #13-15
15. Willie Park Jr. -13.51, 1860-1882: The son of the inaugural and four-time Open champion, Willie Jr. became a star in his own right while still a teenager. In his second Open appearance, as a 17-year-old in 1881, he tied for fifth. Park beat two-time champion Bob Martin in 1887 and in 1889 won a playoff over Andrew Kirkaldy. In 27 career Open appearances, Park added a runner-up in 1898 and five other top 5s to those two victories.
14. Greg Norman, -13.57, 1977-2004: For the better part of two decades, Norman was a perennial threat at the Open, which he won for the first time by five shots at Turnberry in 1986. In 1989 he – and Wayne Grady — lost a three-way playoff to Mark Calcavecchia at Troon, then at Royal St. George’s in 1993 he overtook Nick Faldo with a final round 64 that gave him a two-stroke victory.
13. Macdonald Smith, -13.64, 1923-1937: Because he never won a major, Smith’s career is largely overlooked today. His record deserves better. Between 1923 and 1937 the American competed in a dozen British Opens. He was runner-up to Bobby Jones on the way to his 1930 Grand Slam, and again in 1932 to Gene Sarazen. Smith finished third in 1923 and 1924, then fourth in 1925 and again in 1936.