American golfers will be bidding for a clean sweep of major tournament wins this year when The Open gets under way at Royal Portrush on Thursday.
Tiger Woods memorably recaptured the Masters, Brooks Koepka secured back-to-back USPGA Championship titles and Gary Woodland clinched his first major triumph at the US Open.
Here, PA takes a look at the four US golfers who lifted the major trophies in 1982.
Masters – Craig Stadler
Stadler claimed his only major title at Augusta when he defeated Dan Pohl in a play-off. Nicknamed ‘The Walrus’, Stadler enjoyed a stellar year in 1982, winning three other PGA Tour events to finish as top money-earner, while his next best finish at a major tournament was at the PGA Championship in 1978 when he finished sixth. He was also tied for sixth place in The Open at Muirfield in 1980.
US Open – Tom Watson
Eight-time major winner Watson won the US Open in thrilling fashion at Pebble Beach after chipping in at the 17th and following up with another birdie at the 18th to beat Jack Nicklaus by two shots. It was his sixth major win and he would go on to claim his seventh in The Open later the same year. Watson defended his Open title 12 months later at Royal Birkdale for his eighth major title, which places him sixth on the all-time list.
The Open – Tom Watson
Watson became only the third golfer since World War Two after Ben Hogan (1953) and Lee Trevino (1971) to win the US Open and The Open in the same year when he beat England’s Peter Oosterhuis and Zimbabwe’s Nick Price by one shot at Royal Troon. Tiger Woods has since matched the feat (2000). Watson won The Open five times and only once on English soil, at Royal Birkdale in Southport in 1983.
USPGA – Raymond Floyd
Floyd won his second USPGA title at the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa after shooting an opening round of 63, which remained the joint lowest round in a major championship until 2017. Floyd had won his first major at the same event 13 years earlier and also triumphed at the Masters (1976) and the US Open (1986). He captained the USA’s Ryder Cup team in 1989 and was vice-captain nine years later.
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