Seve Ballesteros(E)

Runner-up: Jack Nicklaus

Seve Ballesteros won his first Open Championship at Royal Lytham, becoming the first continental European champion since Arnaud Massy in 1907. Ballesteros famously drove into a parking area on the 16th hole in the final round, then holed a brilliant chip shot for birdie. He won by three strokes over Jack Nicklaus and Ben Crenshaw. A new era of European golf had begun.