Considering his popularity, his country (Northern Ireland), the 2006 death of his wife and his lack of success in majors, Darren Clarke‘s victory in the British Open ranked high on the emotion meter. But can it crack this list of crowd-pleasing titles?
5. Tiger Woods (2008 U.S. Open) » Going 19 holes against Rocco Mediate in a Monday playoff on a leg with a torn ACL and multiple stress fractures, Woods set the standard for overcoming pain.
4. Francis Ouimet (1913 U.S. Open) » From immigrant roots, Ouimet grew up caddying across the street at the Country Club in Brookline, Mass. When the club hosted the Open, he entered and stunned the world’s top two players, Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, in a playoff, inspiring the 2005 film “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”
3. Ben Hogan (1950 U.S. Open) » Sixteen months after a horrific auto accident and doubts about whether he would be able to walk again, Hogan limped to a playoff victory at Merion in a tale so moving that it inspired the movie “Follow the Sun.”
2. Tiger Woods (1997 Masters) » Not only was his record-setting, blowout victory his first major title and the first in golf history for a black man, but it came at a golf course and in a tournament that had barred blacks for decades.
1. Jack Nicklaus (1986 Masters) » With his son, Jackie, carrying his clubs, Nicklaus shot 30 on the back nine at Augusta, rallying to capture the last of his 18 major championships at age 46, six years after his previous major title at the 1980 PGA.
