Jack Nicklaus beat which golfer in an 18-hole playoff at the 1970 Open?

Jack Nicklaus beat Doug Sanders in an 18-hole playoff at the 1970 Open Championship. Nicklaus won the playoff 72 to 73 at the Old Course in St Andrews.

The pair had finished the regulation 72 holes tied at 283, five under par. Sanders had led by one heading to the 72nd hole, but he failed to convert a short par putt after reaching the green in four. That missed opportunity sent the championship to a playoff the following day.

The 1970 contest was the first Open playoff played over 18 holes. Nicklaus produced a level-par 72 in difficult, windy conditions, while Sanders finished one over par. The victory was Nicklaus’s second Open title, following his 1966 win at Muirfield; he would later win a third Open at St Andrews in 1978.

Tony Jacklin, Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer were prominent players in the field, but none was Nicklaus’s playoff opponent. Sanders was also a major champion contender without an eventual major title, making the loss one of golf’s best-known near misses.