Doug Sanders' Heartbreaking Miss at The Open Championship

Doug Sanders experienced a significant moment in his golfing career during the 1970 Open Championship at St Andrews, where he missed a three-foot putt that would have secured him a victory over Jack Nicklaus.

After coming back from two strokes down to take the lead, Sanders' miss on the iconic 18th green led to an 18-hole playoff the following day, which Nicklaus ultimately won. This moment became a defining regret for Sanders, who never won a major championship despite several near misses throughout his career.

In a 2015 interview, Sanders reflected on the incident, recalling how he mistakenly thought he had already won and how the laughter from fans after his miss added to his disappointment. Despite this, he expressed gratitude for his life and the friendships he made in golf, although the regret of that missed putt lingered for decades.