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 Woods achieves goal of winning Nov. 15: Tiger Woods says he put together some good rounds to win in Australia. |
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Woods has not watched much tape of '77 British Open, only the final few holes. Asked what he recalled, Woods smiled.
"I can't believe Jack made the putt," he said. "How about that?"
Nicklaus took his familiar crouch over the putt, sent it toward the hole and watched it die into the cup for one final birdie and a 66. He finished at 269, the lowest score in British Open history, a record that lasted under a minute.
Watson then tapped in his birdie for a 65 and finished at 268.
Among those watching was Maltbie, who stepped out of the scoring tent to see the finish.
"All you were doing was getting out of the way, if you could, watching scoreboards and listening to the cheers," Maltbie said. "It was pretty special."
The four rounds for Nicklaus: 70-68-65-66.
The four rounds for Watson: 70-68-65-65.
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Nicklaus said Turnberry was the best major he ever played without winning. Even now, when asked what he remembers about the '77 British Open and the historic duel with Watson, his answer is simply, "I lost."
For Watson, the embrace he shared with Nicklaus on the 18th green was almost as memorable as the victory itself.
"Jack was the most gracious competitor I've ever seen in the throes of defeat," Watson said. "I've never seen somebody be able to take defeat and give credit to the player, even though he's hurting inside. And he did that. When we walked off the 18th green, he put his arm around me — and he about broke my neck, he squeezed he so hard.
"He said, 'Tom, I gave it my best shot, but it wasn't good enough. Congratulations.'"
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