Key anniversaries at the British Open

Course: Royal Troon

Score: 276

Runner-up: Kel Nagle

Margin of victory: 6 shots

Winner’s share: 1,400 pounds

Recap: If the torch had been passed to Jack Nicklaus a month earlier at Oakmont in the U.S. Open, Arnold Palmer wasn’t cooperating. Palmer, who won his first Open title a year earlier at Royal Birkdale, grabbed the 36-hole lead at 140 and had a 67 in the third round to stretch his lead to four shots over Nagle. Palmer closed with a 69 for a record 276 and a six-shot victory. Fittingly, it was Nagle who had held off Palmer at St. Andrews in 1960, when Palmer was going for his third straight professional major and effectively created the modern version of the Grand Slam. As for Nicklaus? His first visit to Troon resulted in rounds of 80 and 79. He tied for 34th, 29 shots behind.

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1987 (25 years ago)

Winner: Nick Faldo

Course: Muirfield

Score: 279

Runner-up: Paul Azinger, Rodger Davis

Margin of victory: 1 shot

Winner’s share: 75,000 pounds

Recap: Nick Faldo, seen as England’s next great player after Tony Jacklin, finally emerged on a world stage and after three years of technical training under David Leadbetter. Faldo won the first of his six majors in memorable fashion. He trailed Paul Azinger by one shot going into the final round at Muirfield and won despite not making a single birdie. Faldo was famous this day for closing with 18 pars and a round of 71, enough to hold off challenges from a group that included Azinger, Payne Stewart and Tom Watson.

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