The 145th Open Championship has turned into a two-horse race with Henrik Stenson holding the 54-hole lead by a stroke over Phil Mickelson. The pair are five shots ahead of Bill Haas who is in third place. Neither of the two has shot a round over 70 this week, meaning a 65 or lower would be needed from the group of chasers in some of the most challenging conditions of the week.
Jaime Diaz at GolfDigest.com broke down 10 of the best major final round face-offs and had this to say about the 1977 Open.
1977 British Open: Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson
The ultimate showdown, the “Duel in the Sun.” Turnberry is where Watson, who had won that year’s Masters by outplaying Nicklaus in the final round, dethroned the Golden Bear as the game’s best player. In the final round, Watson shot 65 to Nicklaus’ 66 to win by one. The third place finisher, Hubert Green, was 11 strokes behind the winner. Tied on the 16th tee, Watson turned to to Nicklaus and said, “This is what it’s all about it, isn’t it.” Said Nicklaus, “You bet it is.”
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