1970 Open Championship
The 1970 Open Championship was the 99th Open Championship, played 8–12 July at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland. Jack Nicklaus won the second of his three Opens in an 18-hole Sunday playoff over Doug Sanders, 72 to 73. In gusty winds during the fourth round on Saturday, Sanders saved par from the Road Hole bunker and led by one heading to the 72nd hole. After a lengthy drive on the short par-4, he took four shots from just 74 yards (68 m) and missed a downhill putt for par from three feet to win.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 8–12 July 1970 |
| Location | St Andrews, Scotland |
| Course(s) | Old Course at St Andrews |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 6,951 yards (6,356 m) |
| Field | 134 players 80 after 1st cut 57 after 2nd cut |
| Cut | 149 (+5) (1st cut) 223 (+7) (2nd cut) |
| Prize fund | £40,000 $96,000 |
| Winner's share | £5,250 $12,600 |
| Champion | |
| Jack Nicklaus | |
| 283 (−5), playoff | |
This was the first playoff at The Open since 1963 and the first at 18 holes. The previous playoffs were 36 holes on Saturday. Prior to 1966, the final two rounds of The Open were played on Friday. The playoff format was changed again to the four-hole aggregate after the 1985 Open, first used in 1989.
A thunderstorm late in the opening round on Wednesday evening caused a suspension in play; it was competed early the next day.