Who lost the playoff at the 1998 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale?

Brian Watts lost the playoff at the 1998 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. He and Mark O’Meara finished the regulation 72 holes tied at 280, even par, forcing a four-hole aggregate playoff.

Watts had been the 54-hole leader after rounds of 68, 69 and 73. O’Meara, meanwhile, began the final round two strokes behind but shot 68 to join Watts at the top. The tie made Watts the first American to reach an Open Championship playoff since 1985, when David Graham lost to Sandy Lyle.

The playoff used Royal Birkdale’s closing holes, 15 through 18. O’Meara birdied the first playoff hole while Watts made par. Both players then parred the next two holes, leaving Watts needing a birdie at the last to extend the contest. He instead made bogey, while O’Meara made par.

O’Meara won the aggregate playoff 17–19 and claimed his first Open Championship. It was his second major victory of 1998, following his Masters triumph three months earlier.