| 2004 British Open | |
Played at Royal Troon in Scotland, the 2004 British Open was Phil Mickelson's best chance to date to win this tournament, a tourney in which he does not have a strong history.
Mickelson played the last three rounds in 66, 68, 68, a very strong close. But he had started slowly in the first round with a 73, and in the end Mickelson finished one stroke out of a playoff.
Hamilton was one stroke clear of Els on the 72nd hole. Els had a birdie putt to win the Claret Jug, but the putt came up short. Then Hamilton managed to save bogey, which dropped him from the title but kept him in a playoff.
After three playoff holes Hamilton was again one ahead of Els, and again Els had a birdie putt, one that could even it up again. But again Els missed, and this time, rather than bogeying, Hamilton parred to win the Open Championship.
2004 British Open Scores
Scores and earnings from the 2004 British Open, played on the Old Course at Royal Troon Golf Club in Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland (a-amateur; p-won playoff):
| p-Todd Hamilton | 71-67-67-69--274 | $1,348,270 |
| Ernie Els | 69-69-68-68--274 | $805,218 |
| Phil Mickelson | 73-66-68-68--275 | $514,965 |
| Lee Westwood | 72-71-68-67--278 | $393,246 |
| Thomas Levet | 66-70-71-72--279 | $298,679 |
| Davis Love | 72-69-71-67--279 | $298,679 |
| Scott Verplank | 69-70-70-71--280 | $220,030 |
| Retief Goosen | 69-70-68-73--280 | $220,030 |
| Mike Weir | 71-68-71-71--281 | $167,597 |
| Tiger Woods | 70-71-68-72--281 | $167,597 |
| Darren Clarke | 69-72-73-68--282 | $129,833 |
| Mark Calcavecchia | 72-73-69-68--282 | $129,833 |
| Skip Kendall | 69-66-75-72--282 | $129,833 |
| Barry Lane | 69-68-71-75--283 | $105,801 |
| Stewart Cink | 72-71-71-69--283 | $105,801 |
| KJ Choi | 68-69-74-73--284 | $88,012 |
| Justin Leonard | 70-72-71-71--284 | $88,012 |
| Joakim Haeggman | 69-73-72-70--284 | $88,012 |
| Kenny Perry | 69-70-73-72--284 | $88,012 |
| Bob Estes | 73-72-69-71--285 | $71,346 |
| Gary Evans | 68-73-73-71--285 | $71,346 |
| Michael Campbell | 67-71-74-73--285 | $71,346 |
| Paul Casey | 66-77-70-72--285 | $71,346 |
| Vijay Singh | 68-70-76-71--285 | $71,346 |
| Colin Montgomerie | 69-69-72-76--286 | $60,391 |
| Ian Poulter | 71-72-71-72--286 | $60,391 |
| Jyoti Randhawa | 73-72-70-72--287 | $54,305 |
| Takashi Kamiyama | 70-73-71-73--287 | $54,305 |
| Rod Pampling | 72-68-74-73--287 | $54,305 |
| Mark O'Meara | 71-74-68-75--288 | $45,878 |
| Shigeki Maruyama | 71-72-74-71--288 | $45,878 |
| Bo Van Pelt | 72-71-71-74--288 | $45,878 |
| David Toms | 71-71-74-72--288 | $45,878 |
| Nick Price | 71-71-69-77--288 | $45,878 |
| Keiichiro Fukabori | 73-71-70-74--288 | $45,878 |
| Kim Felton | 73-67-72-77--289 | $35,111 |
| Tetsuji Hiratsuka | 70-74-70-75--289 | $35,111 |
| Stuart Appleby | 71-70-73-75--289 | $35,111 |
| Tjaart Van der Walt | 70-73-72-74--289 | $35,111 |
| Steve Lowery | 69-73-75-72--289 | $35,111 |
| Hunter Mahan | 74-69-71-75--289 | $35,111 |
| Andrew Oldcorn | 73-70-71-76--290 | $27,714 |
| Adam Scott | 73-68-74-75--290 | $27,714 |
| Charles Howell | 75-70-72-73--290 | $27,714 |
| Trevor Immelman | 69-74-71-76--290 | $27,714 |
| Kenneth Ferrie | 68-74-73-75--290 | $27,714 |
| Alastair Forsyth | 68-74-79-70--291 | $22,404 |
| Mathias Gronberg | 70-74-73-74--291 | $22,404 |
| Miguel Jimenez | 74-71-71-75--291 | $22,404 |
| Jerry Kelly | 75-70-73-73--291 | $22,404 |
| Paul Bradshaw | 75-67-72-77--291 | $22,404 |
| Shaun Micheel | 70-72-70-79--291 | $22,404 |
| Sean Whiffin | 73-72-71-75--291 | $22,404 |
| Raphael Jacquelin | 72-72-73-75--292 | $19,755 |
| Steve Flesch | 75-70-70-77--292 | $19,755 |
| Ignacio Garrido | 71-74-72-75--292 | $19,755 |
| Carl Pettersson | 68-77-74-74--293 | $19,100 |
| James Kingston | 73-72-74-74--293 | $19,100 |
| Paul McGinley | 69-76-75-73--293 | $19,100 |
| Paul Broadhurst | 71-74-72-77--294 | $18,538 |
| Gary Emerson | 70-71-76-77--294 | $18,538 |
| Brad Faxon | 74-68-73-79--294 | $18,538 |
| Mark Foster | 71-72-76-77--296 | $18,070 |
| Chris DiMarco | 71-71-78-76--296 | $18,070 |
| a-Stuart Wilson | 68-75-77-76--296 | |
| Marten Olander | 68-74-78-77--297 | $17,696 |
| Rory Sabbatini | 71-72-73-81--297 | $17,696 |
| Martin Erlandsson | 73-70-77-78--298 | $17,321 |
| Paul Wesselingh | 73-72-76-77--298 | $17,321 |
| Bob Tway | 76-68-73-82--299 | $17,040 |
| Christian Cevaer | 70-74-74-82--300 | $16,759 |
| Rich Beem | 69-73-77-81--300 | $16,759 |
| Sandy Lyle | 70-73-81-79--303 | $16,478 |
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