The Open Championship: Top 10 moments in history
By Luke Norris
7. John Daly outlasts Constantino Rocca at St. Andrews in 1995
St. Andrews was the host for The Open Championship and as per usual, the Old Course provided thrilling drama while also serving as the host to The Open debut of one Tiger Woods, who finished in a tie for 68th that week but would win the next two outings here. But more on that in a bit.
Coming into The Open in ’95, John Daly had won two PGA Tour events since his improbable victory at the 1991 PGA Championship but was struggling. He hadn’t finished in the top 10 in his last 26 appearances and had actually missed the cut in 11 of those events. He had nearly fallen out of the top 100 in the world (he was 93rd after missing the cut in Hartford a month earlier) but given his no-nonsense type of play, a style that actually can work at St. Andrews, that didn’t much matter, even if this was the same man that had finished dead last in two of his first three tries at The Open.
Daly fired an opening-round 67 to share the lead with Ben Crenshaw, Mark McNulty and five-time champion Tom Watson. And a little fun fact for you. Trailing by just one after the first round was David Feherty, who had finished fourth the previous year and would eventually tie for 31st. Daly held the lead with two others following the second round but fell four back of Michael Campbell…yes, that Michael Campbell…heading into Sunday’s final 18.
Sitting just two shots back of Campbell at 7-under was Costantino Rocca, a journeyman who had two victories on the European Tour but had never contended in a major championship and hadn’t even played The Masters or the U.S. Open that season. But there he was on the final day and he and Daly would provide some of the wildest entertainment the Old Course had ever seen.
As others near the top of the leaderboard took themselves out of it, Daly stayed the course when most expected him to falter as well. He did find some trouble on the 16th with a bogey and found trouble at the Road Bunker on 17 but played a miraculous shot to sneak away with a five. A par at the last and all he could do was wait in the clubhouse at 6-under. Campbell had taken himself out of it with a final-round 76 but there was still a chance for Rocca to get into a playoff with a birdie at the last. That’s when the madness took over.
Following a fantastic save at the 17th, the Italian hit a monstrous drive down the left side at 18 and a birdie seemed easy from where he was. A short chip and a putt and we were heading to extra holes. But not so fast. In a scene you’ll see every Saturday morning at your local muni course, Rocca flubbed his chip and was left with an impossible 65-footer through the Valley of Sin. But then it rolled and it rolled and it rolled and it dropped to a thunderous ovation as Rocca hit the deck in disbelief. Daly couldn’t believe it either but now had to prepare himself for at least four more holes.
The playoff wasn’t quite as dramatic as Daly won by four shots for one of the most improbable victories at The Open and the drama he and Rocca put the golf world through for a few hours at the home of golf remains one of the most memorable days of this great championship.