On This Day in 1978, Jack Nicklaus Conquered St. Andrews for the Second Time

I know everyone’s focused on Royal Birkdale and this year’s edition of golf’s original championship, but we thought we could take a few minutes to reflect on Jack Nicklaus’ 1978 Open win at St. Andrews, which happened on this day 48 years ago.

It was the Golden Bear’s second Open victory at St. Andrews, and his third and final Claret Jug. Jack entered the final round one shot off the lead, and walked off the 18th green two shots ahead of Ben Crenshaw, Raymond Floyd, Tom Kite, and Simon Owen.

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This win completed his third Career Grand Slam—utter ridiculousness—and was his 15th major championship title overall.

Since Jack’s win at the Old Course, six other players have been named Champion Golfer of the Year at the iconic venue: Seve Ballesteros (1984), Nick Faldo (1990), John Daly (1995), Tiger Woods (2000, 2005), Louis Oosthuizen (2010), Zach Johnson (2015), and Cameron Smith (2022).

The Open returns to St. Andrews in 2027 for the 155th edition.

*This page was first published on July 15, 2025. Last updated July 15, 2026.