Great performances by outsiders in sport always capture the public’s imagination. When Emma Raducanu came from nowhere to win the 2021 US Open tennis title, it was a Cinderella story that cheered the nation. When Leicester City won the 2015/16 Premier League title, even non-football fans rooted for them and celebrated their success.
Essentially, everyone loves an underdog. It heartens us to see people exceed their, and others’,expectations. We golfers are all underdogs – every time we go out, it’s likely the course is going to beat us, so we appreciate great performances by outsiders as much as any sports fans.
If a player can go out and score beyond their supposed ability, it inspires us to believe that maybe we could just win the Summer Cup or break 90 for the first time. Outsiders causing upsets give us all hope. Here, we count down our top ten outstanding outsider performances in the men’s Majors.
10 FRANCIS OUIMET 1913 US Open
In 1913, the great Harry Vardon and fellow Jerseyman Ted Ray travelled to the USA for a tour that would include the US Open at Brookline. Vardon had won the US Open in 1900 and had five Open Championships to his name. Ray had won The Open in 1912 and was one of the most powerful players of the age. Most felt that one of the two would end up taking the
