Only to lose ground in the third round, shooting 71 while Trevino carded a 66 and Jacklin a 67. That dropped Nicklaus back to fifth, six strokes behind Trevino.

It looked as if it would be two-man battle in the final round between Trevino and Jacklin. Trevino was very popular with British Open fans, but Englishman Jacklin carried the hopes of most in the crowd. He was the 1969 British Open winner, and 1970 U.S. Open winner. And entering the final round, Jacklin trailed Trevino by one stroke.

That set up a very interesting final round, largely because Nicklaus, it turned out, wasn't quite ready to give up on that Grand Slam dream. By the time Trevino and Jacklin, playing together, made the turn, Nicklaus had seized the lead. He wound up shooting 66, taking the clubhouse lead at 279.

But by the time Trevino and Jacklin reached the 17th hole, they were tied for the lead again, one in front of Nicklaus. There, it appeared that Jacklin would take control and win - but instead, Trevino flipped that expectation on its head.

Trevino got in trouble off the tee on the par-5, and stayed in trouble until his ball was laying four over the back of the green. Jacklin was on the green laying three.

Then Trevino - who later admitted he was so frustrated at how poorly he'd played the hole that he wasn't even giving his best effort - quickly stepped up to his chip shot and gave the ball a rap. And the ball ran right into the hole for an improbable and unexpected par save.

Perhaps Jacklin was rattled, but he proceeded to 3-putt for bogey, giving Trevino a one-stroke lead.

Trevino parred the last to win the championship. Jacklin bogied, placing Nicklaus second and Jacklin third.

Jacklin never again finished inside the Top 10 in a major. Trevino now had back-to-back British Open wins and his fourth career major (he won two more).

And Nicklaus? He didn't win, his Grand Slam dream was over. But Nicklaus was in the midst of a truly remarkable run at the British Open. From 1966 through 1980, Nicklaus finished inside the Top 6 at the British Open every single year. That stretch included three wins and four seconds.

Also of note at the 1972 British Open: Billy Casper played the Open Championship only five times, in the latter stage of his career. His final appearance in the tournament was here. He finished tied for 40th.