From the number of playoffs to the year Royal Birkdale first hosted The Open, Compleat Golfer’s July issue sheds light on the numbers that count.
8 – The number of times The Open Championship has been held at Royal Birkdale. The first one was in 1954 when Australia’s Peter Thomson won and the last was in 2008 when Padraig Harrington lifted the Claret Jug.
19 – Number of times The Open has been decided by a playoff. Zach Johnson’s victory over Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman at St Andrews in 2015 was the last time this happened.
20 – Strokes under par – record-equalling for a Major – that Henrik Stenson went in winning at Royal Troon last year.
23 – The number of years The Open has been an official PGA Tour event.
63 – The lowest round in Open history, held by 10 players, including Greg Norman, Nick Faldo and Rory McIlroy. Last year Henrik Stenson (fourth round) and Phil Mickelson (first round) posted that number.
65 – The lowest score the last time The Open was played at Royal Birkdale, posted by Camilo Villegas in the second round.
83 – The second-round total of 2010 champion Louis Oosthuizen at Royal Troon last year. He missed the cut by eight shots. America’s Billy Horschel also missed the cut, despite shooting a first-round 67. His second-round 85 left him six strokes adrift. Scotland’s Sandy Lyle also had a week-high 85.
