1998 Open Championship
The 1998 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 127th Open Championship, held from 16 to 19 July at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. In weekend wind and rain, Mark O'Meara won his second major championship of the year and first Open Championship in a playoff over Brian Watts, the 54-hole leader.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 16–19 July 1998 |
| Location | Southport, England |
| Course(s) | Royal Birkdale Golf Club |
| Tour(s) | European Tour PGA Tour Japan Golf Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 7,018 yards (6,417 m) |
| Field | 156 players, 81 after cut |
| Cut | 146 (+6) |
| Prize fund | £1,700,000 €2,483,810 $2,750,000 |
| Winner's share | £300,000 €420,000 $493,500 |
| Champion | |
| Mark O'Meara | |
| 280 (E), playoff | |
north of Liverpool, England
Three months earlier, O'Meara won the Masters on the final green by sinking a 20-foot (6 m) birdie putt. At age 41, he became the oldest player to win two majors in a year: Jack Nicklaus (1980), Ben Hogan (1953), and Craig Wood (1941) were all age forty. (Hogan won three majors and turned 41 two weeks after the third.)
At the previous Open at Royal Birkdale seven years earlier in 1991, O'Meara was a co-leader after 54 holes, shot 69, and tied for third.