Revealed: The 18 Greatest Shots In Open History Ranked

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 Quality 166

11 – Jack Nicklaus, Old Course 1970, Driver, 1st shot 18th hole, playoff, Shot Quality 173

10 – Bobby Jones, Royal Lytham 1926, Mashie, 2nd shot 17th hole, round 4, Shot Quality 184

9 – Arnold Palmer, Royal Birkdale 1961, 6-iron, 2nd shot 15th hole, round 4, Shot Quality 184

8 – Nick Price, Turnberry 1994, putter, 3rd shot 17th hole, round 4, Shot Quality 196

7 – Henrik Stenson, Royal Troon 2016, putter, 3rd shot 15th hole, round 4, Shot Quality 199

6 – Lee Trevino, Muirfield 1972, pitching wedge, 4th shot 17th hole, round 4, Shot Quality 199

5 – Constantino Rocca, Old Course 1995, putter, 3rd shot 18th hole, round 4, Shot Quality 199

4 – Padraig Harrington, Royal Birkdale 2008, 5-wood, 2nd shot 17th hole, round 4, Shot Quality 200

3 – Gene Sarazen, Royal Troon 1973, 5-iron, 1st shot 8th hole, round 1, Shot Quality 200

2 – Tiger Woods, Royal Liverpool 2006, 4-iron, 2nd shot 14th hole, round 2, Shot Quality 200

1 – Tom Morris Jr, Prestwick 1870, cleek, 3rd shot 1st hole, round 1, Shot Quality 200

The chart below shows the results:

And here’s more on the analysis for the leading shot:

For more detail on the 18 iconic shots and information on Clippd Shot Quality technology, visit the Clippd website.

“The 18 shots in this list are part of the rich history of The Open,” says Clippd co-founder Piers Parnell. “Clippd’s technology helps us to really understand skill, a topic that will always engage true lovers of the game. And what better time and place to be talking about feats of great skill than the 150th staging of golf’s greatest tournament at St Andrews, the game’s spiritual home.”