The 1997 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 126th Open Championship, held from 17–20 July at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Troon, Scotland. Justin Leonard won his only major championship and was the fifth consecutive American to win at Royal Troon. Five strokes back after a 72 in the third round, Leonard had six birdies on the front nine in the final round; he added two more at 16 and 17 for 65 (–6) to win by three strokes over runners-up Darren Clarke and Jesper Parnevik, the 54-hole leader. Course Old Course Lengths of the course for previous Opens (since 1950): Opens from 1962 through 1989 played the 11th hole as a par-5. Past champions in the field Made the cut Source: Missed the cut Source: Round summaries First round Thursday, 17 July 1997 Source: Second round Friday, 18 July 1997 Source: Amateurs: Howard (+2), Watson (+7), Bladon (+10), Olsson (+11), Webster (+11), Taylor (+15), Young (+17), Miller (+22). Third round Saturday, 19 July 1997 Source: Final round Sunday, 20 July 1997 Source: Amateurs: Howard (+9) Scorecard Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par Source: References External links Royal Troon 1997 (Official site) 126th Open Championship - Royal Troon (European Tour) The Open Championship Golf tournaments in Scotland Open Championship Open Championship Open Championship