1963 Open Championship
The 1963 Open Championship was the 92nd Open Championship, held from 10 to 13 July at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in Lytham St Annes, England.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 10–13 July 1963 |
| Location | Lytham St Annes, England |
| Course(s) | Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 6,836 yards (6,251 m) |
| Field | 120 players, 47 after cut |
| Cut | 149 (+9) |
| Prize fund | £8,500 $23,800 |
| Winner's share | £1,500 $4,200 |
| Champion | |
| Bob Charles | |
| 277 (−3), playoff | |
St Annes
St Annes
Bob Charles won his only major championship in a 36-hole playoff on Saturday, eight strokes ahead of runner-up Phil Rodgers, and became the first left-hander to win a major title. Masters winner Jack Nicklaus bogeyed the last two holes and came in third, one stroke out of the playoff. A heavy favourite among the local bettors, two-time defending champion Arnold Palmer tied for 26th. U.S. Open champion Julius Boros did not play.
This was the last 36-hole playoff at The Open, the format was changed to 18 holes the following year, used in 1970 and 1975. The four-hole aggregate format was introduced in 1986 and first used in 1989.
The PGA Championship was played the next week in Texas at Dallas, one of five times in the 1960s that these two majors were played in consecutive weeks in July. In epic heat, 23-year-old Nicklaus regrouped and won by two strokes for his third major title.