Tom Watson in 2009 at Turnberry. Doug Sanders at St Andrews in 1978. Jean van de Velde down the road at Carnoustie in 1999 would also fit the bill – it's not always winners that take the headlines at the Open Championship.

The year before the Frenchman's ill-advised paddle in the Barry Burn, The Open was also dominated by a player other than the Champion Golfer of the Year.

And despite winning a Major, claiming an Olympic gold medal and becoming world No.1 since then, the moment Justin Rose might always be most remembered for is holing out with his pitching wedge on the 18th at Royal Birkdale.

That breathtaking shot was the last time his club would make contact with a golf ball as an amateur.

Rose was front and back page news alongside that year's winner Mark O'Meara – who had pipped his friend and sport's new superstar Tiger Woods to the Claret Jug.

Holing out from 50 yards on the 18th meant the 17-year-old from Hampshire finished fourth – the highest position by a British amateur since Roger Wethered lost a play-off in 1921.

As the galleries lining the closing fairway acclaimed England's new hero, Rose looked to the sky in disbelief and, as he later admitted, a tinge of embarrassment at such an astonishing moment.
It meant Rose's start to life as a professional would be arguably the most analysed in modern times – only Woods' would come close. Four days later he made his debut at the Dutch Open and the boy wonder missed the cut. It was not a one-off; he didn't make it to the weekend in his subsequent 20 events either.

But it takes uncommon talent to finish fourth in an Open as a 17-year-old amateur and Rose was no one-shot wonder. He had built a stellar amateur career and had almost qualified for The Open as a 14-year-old in 1995.

Three years later, armed with new clubs and buoyed by practice rounds with Nick Price and Ernie Els, he followed a modest opening 72 with a 66 – the lowest round by an amateur since Frank Stranahan and Woods – to get into the final group for the third round.

Just let that sink in; he had played his way ahead of the world's elite golfers into the final group of the Open Championship for Saturday's play. He did not wilt either, leading the championship after 48 holes to raise the prospect of a story for the ages.

He was eventually overtaken on 'moving day' by O'Meara, Brian Watts, Jesper Parnevik and Jim Furyk but rallied on Sunday, capping his fairytale performance with the iconic moment on 18.
But from having the world at his feet as he signed for his closing 69 and joining the paid ranks the following day, Rose floundered – and his Birkdale performance meant the world was watching his every move as he tried to find his feet on the European Tour.

He finally made the cut at the Compaq European Grand Prix the following June, and won his first title in 2002. His career has since gone from strength to strength, winning the US Open at fabled Merion in 2013, and claiming gold for Great Britain at the Rio Olympics in 2016 alongside multiple Ryder Cup victories for Europe in 2012, 2014 & 2018.

Those successes were likely to have been especially enjoyed by a British sporting public that had been thrilled by his teenage heroics at Birkdale and who then followed him through his 21-cut misery. His wide-eyed brilliance in 1998 meant many were invested in Rose and his career from that moment. Rose said of his teenage stardom: "I didn't want that to be my defining moment, as great as it was, and I'm so grateful that I've had what I feel is a successful career. So I can look back at it and go 'wow, that was the start of something great'."

Moments of Birkdale magic

Rose's heroics are just one of the myriad storylines Birkdale has thrown up since 1954, when it hosted its first Open. Since then, it has staged more championships other than St Andrews.
Peter Thomson was Birkdale's first Open champion and added a second at the dramatic Southport links 11 years later. In between, Arnold Palmer won the first of his back-to-back titles in 1961.

Lee Trevino in 1971, Johnny Miller five years later – when a young Severiano Ballesteros announced himself to the golf world - and Tom Watson in 1983, all confirmed the suspicion that Birkdale only produces high-calibre champions.

Ian Baker-Finch's Sunday 66 helped him win in 1991 then after O'Meara in 1998, Padraig Harrington retained the Claret Jug 10 years later despite almost not teeing it up that week because of a wrist injury.

Jordan Spieth edged out Matt Kuchar six years ago with swashbuckling play that Seve would have nodded with approval at.

Spieth and Harrington will tee it up just up the road at Royal Liverpool in July seeking another Claret Jug, with the Dubliner's hopes remarkably realistic at the age of 51.

A charge by him, in a manner Greg Norman managed aged 53 when Harrington won in 2008, would be a captivating narrative. If the Irishman fails to threaten at Hoylake though, you can be sure Hoylake will produce plenty of alternative storylines.

It will unfold on your television screen of course, but there is nothing like being on the course to witness one of the great moments in the history of the greatest championship for the 'I was there' factor.

Secure your place to watch the 151st Open with priceless™ by Mastercard, where you can combine your experience with rounds of golf at Open Championship venues Royal Birkdale and Royal Lytham & St Annes.