The Open Championship has produced some truly dramatic scenes throughout the years.
There have been some incredible wins, including Ryan Fox’s remarkable victory at Royal Birkdale two weeks ago.
And there have been some devastating losses for certain players as well.
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One of the most heartbreaking moments came at The Open back in 2001 at Royal Lytham & St Annes.
Photo by R&A via Getty Images
David Duval was the eventual champion, but his task of winning the championship was made a whole lot easier by one of his main challengers being docked two strokes early on in the final round.
Why Ian Woosnam received a two-stroke penalty while leading The Open in 2001
In 2001, Ian Woosnam, with 52 professional victories to his name, teed off on the first hole at Royal Lytham & St Annes on Sunday at The Open trailing by one.
However, after his sensational tee shot on the par-three opening hole, Woosnam’s birdie catapulted him to the top of the leaderboard, and moved onto the next tee with a real bounce in his step.
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Sadly for the Welshman, that feeling of elation quickly turned into one of despair.
Woosnam’s caddie – Myles Byrne – informed the 1991 Masters champion that he had two drivers in the bag.
In total, Woosnam’s bag contained 15 clubs – one more than the legal limit.
22 Jul 2001: Ian Woosnam of Wales throws his club away after being told by PGA tour official John Paramor that he has too many clubs in his bag and be given a two shot penalty during the fourth round of the 2001 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, England. DIGITAL IMAGE….
The now 68-year-old was obviously furious, and threw one of his drivers into the shrubbery to the right of the second tee at Royal Lytham.
He received a two-stroke penalty for his violation of the rules and the rest is history.
After Woosnam’s opening birdie became a bogey, he went on to shoot a round of level-par 71 – a fine effort given the circumstances.
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The Welshman finished four shots adrift of the eventual winner, David Duval.
However, it’s fair to say he would have had a real chance to win his second major, had he not been penalized two strokes on his first hole of the day.
Ian Woosnam never recovered after Open heartbreak
After that fateful day at Royal Lytham & St Annes, Woosnam never won a regular tournament again, although he did clock up a few senior tour victories.
And his major record after The Open in 2021 makes for really grim reading.
Woosnam played in 24 majors after his Royal Lytham nightmare and he missed 20 cuts.
In the four majors where the Welshman made the cut, he recorded T-51, T-37th, 72nd and 44th place finishes.
And there is no doubt that he will still regret what happened at Royal Lytham and St Annes all those years ago to this very day.