St Andrews finish voted as the greatest ever

Selected from a top 10 shortlist, determined by an international poll of leading golf experts and commentators, Nicklaus’s win has been overwhelmingly supported as the best by golf fans worldwide.

The poll, carried out amongst golf fans for the past two months ahead of last weekend’s Open Championship, was created by Glenmorangie, the spirit of The Open.

Marc Hoellinger, president and CEO of The Glenmorangie Company, said: “We have been delighted with the public’s reaction to this debate.

“The search for the Open’s Greatest Finishes campaign has seized the imagination of golf aficionados worldwide and sparked a lot of interesting conversations and memories.

“We at Glenmorangie know all about great finishes through our award-winning whisky and extra matured range and recognise Nicklaus’s win to be well-deserving of the title of the Open’s Greatest Finish.”

The top five finishes are:

First – 1970, St Andrews – Jack Nicklaus defeats Doug Sanders by a single stroke in their 18-hole play off .

Second – 1972, Muirfield – Lee Trevino lands his second Open title in a tight finish ahead of Tony Jacklin and Jack Nicklaus , chipping in on the penultimate hole to secure a crucial par.

Third – 1977, Turnberry – Tom Watson edges out Jack Nicklaus in a titanic battle forever referred to as the ‘Duel in the Sun’.

Fourth – 1984, St Andrews – Seve Ballesteros ends the challenge of Tom Watson by holing a magic 15ft put on the 18th before rejoicing with the iconic fist pump celebration.

Five – 1995, St Andrews – Constantino Rocca produced one of the truly great shots in the history of The Open at the 72nd hole of The Open, sinking an uphill put from the edge of the green to force a play-off with John Daly.