Skip to main content

1968 / Carnoustie

Gary Player hit one of the greatest shots of his career to win the 1968 Open at Carnoustie and claim the Claret Jug for a second time.

It came at the par-5 14th hole, named the “Spectacles” for a pair of bunkers that pinch into each side of the fairway 70 yards from the green.

Player eagled the hole in both his last two rounds, using a 2-iron in the third round but on the final day the hole was playing into a teeth of a gale.

With all his might, the South African swung a 3-wood and struck the ball so well that it never wavered in the wind and finished two feet from the hole. Player won by two strokes from former Champions Jack Nicklaus and Bob Charles.

Carnoustie proved a formidable test, at 7,252 yards the longest course yet used for The Open.

Amateur Michael Bonallack and Brian Barnes shared the lead on the first day, while the second round saw the only sub-70 scores of the week, a 69 by Nicklaus and a 68 from Billy Casper, who led by four strokes.

Casper was a two-time US Open Champion but was playing in The Open for the first time. With a round to play his lead was one over Charles and two over Player but a 78, including a 6 at the 14th, drop him to fourth place.

Charles closed with a 76, while Nicklaus and Player both had 73s, with the South African posting a one-over-par total of 289 after earlier rounds of 74, 71 and 71.

Player’s second Open title was his fifth Major win, the South African having completed the career Grand Slam at the 1965 US Open. For the first time, a 54-hole cut was introduced leaving 45 players for the final round.

Name
Finish
R1
R2
R3
R4
Total
Par
Gary PLAYER
1
74
71
71
73
289
-
2
72
72
71
76
291
-
2
76
69
73
73
291
-
Billy CASPER
4
72
68
74
78
292
-
Maurice BEMBRIDGE
5
71
75
73
74
293
-
Gay BREWER
6
74
73
72
76
295
-
Brian BARNES
6
70
74
80
71
295
-
Neil COLES
6
75
76
71
73
295
-
Al BALDING
9
74
76
74
72
296
-
10
77
72
74
74
297
-
10
77
71
72
77
297
-
Bruce DEVLIN
10
77
73
72
75
297
-
Brian HUGGETT
13
76
71
75
76
298
-
Bobby COLE
13
75
76
72
75
298
-
Tommy HORTON
13
77
74
73
74
298
-
Peter ALLISS
13
73
78
72
75
298
-
13
74
75
75
74
298
-
Paddy SKERRITT
18
72
73
77
77
299
-
Eric BROWN
18
76
76
74
73
299
-
18
72
72
75
80
299
-
Sebastian MIGUEL
21
73
75
76
76
300
-
David WEBSTER
21
77
71
78
74
300
-
Michael BONALLACK
21
70
77
74
79
300
-
Keith MACDONALD
24
80
71
73
77
301
-
24
77
71
78
75
301
-
Alex CAYGILL
24
79
76
71
75
301
-
Malcolm GREGSON
27
77
75
76
74
302
-
Sandy WILSON
27
73
81
74
74
302
-
Dave THOMAS
27
75
71
78
78
302
-
Bob SHAW
27
75
76
73
78
302
-
David HUISH
31
74
74
78
77
303
-
Jaime GALLARDO
31
78
71
78
76
303
-
Harry BANNERMAN
31
74
73
77
79
303
-
34
78
76
73
77
304
-
Gordon CUNNINGHAM
35
80
70
75
80
305
-
Jimmy MARTIN
35
81
72
74
78
305
-
Michael MURPHY
35
77
74
77
77
305
-
Hubby HABJAN
38
77
74
76
79
306
-
Mohamed Said MOUSSA
39
77
76
75
79
307
-
Christy GREENE
39
75
77
76
79
307
-
Tony GRUBB
39
79
74
75
79
307
-
Peter MILLS
42
71
76
80
84
311
-
Bert YANCEY
42
78
75
74
84
311
-
Barry COXON
42
77
72
78
84
311
-
Harry WEETMAN
45
77
76
74
86
313
-
Guy WOLSTENHOLME
WD
78
76
75
-
-
-
David TALBOT
WD
74
79
76
-
-
-
David PASONAGE
WD
78
72
79
-
-
-
Jimmy HITCHCOCK
WD
78
76
75
-
-
-
Lionel PLATTS
WD
76
76
77
-
-
-
Bill LARGE
WD
77
76
76
-
-
-
Bobby WALKER
WD
75
76
79
-
-
-
Leopoldo RUIZ
WD
75
77
78
-
-
-
Angelo CROCE
WD
79
75
76
-
-
-
Clive CLARK
WD
76
77
78
-
-
-
Fred BOOBYER
WD
80
75
76
-
-
-
Mike HOYLE
WD
81
74
76
-
-
-
John GARNER
WD
78
75
78
-
-
-
Tony FISHER
WD
75
76
80
-
-
-
John COCKIN
WD
82
71
79
-
-
-
Frank PHILLIPS
WD
81
73
78
-
-
-
Peter GREEN
WD
76
77
80
-
-
-
Peter BUTLER
WD
76
78
79
-
-
-
Richard EMERY
WD
77
78
79
-
-
-
Roberto MONGUZZI
WD
77
75
82
-
-
-
Ian RICHARDSON
WD
77
78
79
-
-
-
Roberto BERNARDINI
WD
76
78
81
-
-
-
Peter TOWNSEND
WD
76
79
80
-
-
-
Donald SWAELENS
WD
80
75
80
-
-
-
Roger FIDLER
WD
76
78
82
-
-
-
David BUTLER
M/C
76
80
-
-
-
M/C
Arnold O'CONNOR
M/C
81
75
-
-
-
M/C
Jimmy KINSELLA
M/C
78
78
-
-
-
M/C
Bob SWEENY JR
M/C
79
77
-
-
-
M/C
David SNELL
M/C
79
77
-
-
-
M/C
Hedley MUSCROFT
M/C
76
80
-
-
-
M/C
Laurie AYTON JR
M/C
79
77
-
-
-
M/C
Jim HENDERSON
M/C
80
76
-
-
-
M/C
M/C
74
82
-
-
-
M/C
Norman VON NIDA
M/C
79
77
-
-
-
M/C
Bernard HUNT
M/C
85
71
-
-
-
M/C
Ronnie SHADE
M/C
80
77
-
-
-
M/C
Mike INGHAM
M/C
77
80
-
-
-
M/C
Allan GILLIES
M/C
80
77
-
-
-
M/C
John PANTON
M/C
77
80
-
-
-
M/C
Hugh BOYLE
M/C
77
80
-
-
-
M/C
Jock BURNS
M/C
76
81
-
-
-
M/C
Jerry PITTMAN
M/C
78
79
-
-
-
M/C
Terry LE BROCQ
M/C
80
77
-
-
-
M/C
George PARTON
M/C
80
77
-
-
-
M/C
Christy O'CONNOR SR
M/C
81
76
-
-
-
M/C
Tim WOOLBANK
M/C
78
79
-
-
-
M/C
Stan PEACH
M/C
76
81
-
-
-
M/C
Mike PLUMBRIDGE
M/C
83
75
-
-
-
M/C
Hugh LEWIS
M/C
79
79
-
-
-
M/C
Abdel HALIM
M/C
79
80
-
-
-
M/C
Alberto CROCE
M/C
83
76
-
-
-
M/C
Angel GALLARDO
M/C
80
79
-
-
-
M/C
Richard LIVINGSTON
M/C
79
80
-
-
-
M/C
Ian MACDONALD
M/C
80
79
-
-
-
M/C
Randall VINES
M/C
80
79
-
-
-
M/C
Frank RENNIE
M/C
83
77
-
-
-
M/C
Peter MATKOVICH
M/C
82
78
-
-
-
M/C
Donald SMART
M/C
78
82
-
-
-
M/C
George EVANS
M/C
81
79
-
-
-
M/C
Peter JONES
M/C
83
77
-
-
-
M/C
Al JOHNSTON
M/C
80
80
-
-
-
M/C
Peter OOSTERHUIS
M/C
77
83
-
-
-
M/C
Syd SCOTT
M/C
84
76
-
-
-
M/C
Sandy SADDLER
M/C
80
80
-
-
-
M/C
Cherif El SAYED
M/C
78
82
-
-
-
M/C
Adrian SADLER
M/C
83
78
-
-
-
M/C
George WILL
M/C
80
81
-
-
-
M/C
Jack SHARKEY
M/C
82
79
-
-
-
M/C
Norman DREW
M/C
78
84
-
-
-
M/C
John SIRMAN
M/C
86
76
-
-
-
M/C
Gordon GRAY
M/C
84
78
-
-
-
M/C
Derek NASH
M/C
79
83
-
-
-
M/C
Malcolm LEEDER
M/C
82
81
-
-
-
M/C
Tom STEELE
M/C
81
82
-
-
-
M/C
Tony COOP
M/C
79
84
-
-
-
M/C
Ernie JONES
M/C
83
81
-
-
-
M/C
Malcolm GUNN
M/C
81
84
-
-
-
M/C
Cyril PENNINGTON
M/C
82
83
-
-
-
M/C
Austin SKERRITT
M/C
86
80
-
-
-
M/C
Mick NOTLEY
M/C
82
84
-
-
-
M/C
Don WOODMAN
M/C
85
82
-
-
-
M/C
M/C
88
84
-
-
-
M/C
J.D. MORGAN
M/C
91
82
-
-
-
M/C
Barry FRANKLIN
DQ
-
-
-
-
-
M/C

Latest from the open