One of the most memorable sporting contests of modern times, the 1977 Open Championship saw Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus, by many considered two of the best players in the history of golf, battle for the title in front of record-breaking crowds. A back-and-forth struggle, in which neither golfer was able to sustain a lead, came down to the final hole, where Watson teed off with a one-stroke advantage. Nicklaus, deep in the rough off the tee, smashed a brilliant recovery shot onto the 18th green; then, he made an amazing 35-foot putt to keep the pressure on Watson. In what is still remembered as the most thrilling finish in Open history, Watson answered Nicklaus’ miraculous birdie with a 20-inch birdie of his own on the sun-drenched green. Watson took the 106th Claret Jug, heralding the end of the Nicklaus era and the dawn of Watson’s own supremacy.

“This is what it's all about, isn't it?”

—Tom Watson to Jack Nicklaus at the 16th tee of the final round