The Open Championship is the most iconic individual event in men’s elite golf. Over 149 previous editions there have been a huge number of thrilling moments of excellence. It’s very difficult to make comparisons between champions and feats of golfing brilliance from different eras so ranking the best shots in Open history is a challenge – Many variables need to be considered; the weather, the difficulty, the course conditions of the time, all need to be factored in.
Using their powerful Shot Quality technology, Clippd, a new data-driven performance platform, has used their powerful Shot Quality tech to rank the 18 greatest Open shots. The results might surprise you. has been able to do this and produce a definitive Shot Quality score for 18 pre-selected iconic shots.
Shot Quality builds on Strokes Gained analysis by factoring in additional context like weather conditions and course difficulty. For this project, Clippd went even further and factored in course conditions at the time each of the shots was played.
The selection of the 18 shots was subjective but the Clippd analysis of them is fully objective. The analysis uses the benchmark of 2021 Tour players based on PGA Tour ShotLink and DP World Tour data. A ShotQuality score of 100 is the standard expected from a current male tour professional and the maximum score of 200 is considered to be “perfect” – a hole-in-one or a hole-out from distance.
The Results
18 – Ben Hogan, Carnoustie 1953. Driver, 1st shot 6th hole, round 4, Shot Quality – 110
17 – Nick Faldo, Muirfield 1992, 3-iron, 2nd shot 18th hole, round 4, Shot Quality 122
16 – Jack Nicklaus, Turnberry 1977, 8-iron, 2nd shot 18th hole, round 4, Shot Quality 134
15 – Jordan Spieth, Royal Birkdale 2017, 2-iron, 2nd shot 13th hole, round 4, Shot Quality 144
14 – Ernie Els, Muirfield 2002, Lob Wedge, 2nd shot 13th hole, round 4, Shot Quality 157
13 – Tom Watson, Royal Birkdale 1983, 2-iron, 2nd shot 18th hole, round 4, Shot Quality 164
12 – Seve Ballesteros, Royal Lytham 1988, Sand Wedge, 3rd shot 18th hole, round 4, Shot…
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