Golf’s greatest underdog stories

Leicester City created arguably the biggest upset in sporting history as they achieved Premier League glory last night.

The Foxes started the season at 5,000/1 but clinched the league title with two games to spare – sparking tremendous scenes around the city and at striker Jamie Vardy’s house, where the players gathered to watch the 2-2 draw between Chelsea and Tottenham.

But golf, too, has had its fair share of underdog stories down the years…

Francis Ouimet – 1913 US Open

Twenty-year-old amateur Francis Ouimet – invited by the USGA to play – beat two of the game’s brightest stars at the time, Britons Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, by five strokes in an 18-hole play-off to win the US Open on his home course, Brookline.

Larry Mize – 1987 Masters

Augusta native Mize found himself in a sudden death play-off against none other than Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros at the 1987 Masters. The Spaniard was eliminated at the first play-off hole and then Mize hit the shot of a lifetime, chipping in for birdie 140ft from the hole.

John Daly – 1991 US PGA Championship

Daly was famously the ninth and final alternate for the 1991 tournament, and only got in on the eve of the first round because Nick Price pulled out at the last minute to attend the birth of his child. He took the lead on day two and never lost it. “It’s a miracle,” he said afterwards.

Billy Mayfair – 1998 Nissan Open

Who knew how big a scalp this would be? Mayfair remains the only player to beat Tiger Woods in a play-off, clinching his fourth PGA Tour win with a birdie on the first extra hole.

Paul Lawrie – 1999 Open Championship

The Scot entered Carnoustie ranked No.159 in the world and started the final round ten shots off the lead. However, he shot a fine four-under-par 67 to get into a play-off alongside Justin Leonard and Jean van de Velde – who made a triple-bogey on the 18^th. Lawrie went on to win the four-hole play-off by three strokes.

Ben Curtis – 2003 Open Championship

Curtis was a PGA Tour rookie at the time with just one top 25 finish to his name and ranked No.396 in the world. A 300/1 shot, he still managed to sneak through a crowded leaderboard at Royal St George’s to win by a stroke.

Shaun Micheel – 2003 US PGA Championship

This isn’t just Micheel’s sole major championship win – astonishingly, to date, it is his only PGA Tour win. Entering the tournament ranked No.169, he held a share of the lead going into the final round before seeing off nearest challenger Chad Campbell.

Todd Hamilton – 2004 Open Championship

Aged 38 in 2003, Hamilton earned a PGA Tour card for the first time and a few months before his 40th birthday, Hamilton caused a huge Open Championship upset, defeating then three-time major winner Ernie Els in a play-off at Royal Troon.

Y.E. Yang – 2009 US PGA Championship

This was huge. Yang became the first Asian-born player to win a major at Hazeltine, while it also signalled the first time Tiger Woods had failed to win a major having led after 54 holes.

Oliver Wilson – 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links C’ship

After 228 European Tour starts, including nine runner-up finishes, Wilson finally earned his first win, picking up a cheque for $800,000. Wilson was a sponsor’s invite who started the week ranked No.792 in the world.