Todd Hamilton won his only major championship, defeating 2002 champion Ernie Els by a stroke in a four-hole playoff.[2]Phil Mickelson finished third, followed by Lee Westwood in fourth.[3] Hamilton was the sixth consecutive American to win at Royal Troon.[4]
13. Top 20 in the final 2003PGA Tour Official Money List
14. First 3 players, not exempt, in the top 20 of the 2004 PGA Tour Official Money List as of 27 May
15. First 2 PGA Tour members, not exempt, in a cumulative money list taken from the 2004 Players Championship and the five PGA Tour events leading up to and including the 2004 Western Open
25. First 4, not exempt having applied (24) above, in a cumulative money list taken from all official Japan Golf Tour events from the 2004 Japan PGA Championship up to and including the 2004 Mizuno Open
Paul Casey and Thomas Levet both carded 66 (−5) and held a two stroke lead over a group of nine players. The group at 3-under included amateur Stuart Wilson and Vijay Singh. Defending champ Ben Curtis carded a 75 (+4). In total there were 39 rounds under par, 25 of those being in the 60s. Home favourite Colin Montgomerie started with a 2-under 69.
Skip Kendall stormed into the lead with a 66 to reach the halfway stage at 135 (−7). Casey dropped down the leaderboard with a 77, while Levet shot a 70 to drop down into second. K. J. Choi continued his good start with a 69, keeping him in a tie for third place with Barry Lane. Todd Hamilton finished the round with a 67 to move up into a tie for fifth place.
Hamilton surged up the leader with a second consecutive 67 to finish the day at 205 (−8). Ernie Els, the 2002 champion, moved up to second at 206 with a 68, while one shot behind lay the reigning Masters champion Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen, and Thomas Levet at 207 (−6).
A see-saw final round led to a two-man playoff between Hamilton and Els. Hamilton, playing in only his eighth major, opened up a two-shot lead after chipping in for birdie from 30 feet (9 m) on the par-3 14th to get to 10 under. Then he holed a 12-foot (4 m) birdie on the par-5 16th to keep his cushion. Els had to make birdies to keep up, and he came through with pure putts on the 16th and 17th. Then came the wild 72nd hole, with Hamilton holding a one shot lead. Hamilton pushed his iron off the tee and into the rough, then chopped it across the fairway next to a guard railing that restricted his swing. Els hit his approach to within the shadow of the flag, leaving a 12-foot birdie attempt. Hamilton chipped to 20 feet (6 m) and missed to take bogey. Els suddenly had a putt to win, but left it short. Mickelson carded a final round 68 to finish a shot back at 275 (−9). A 67 moved Lee Westwood into sole fourth, matching Davis Love III for low score of the final round.
Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par
Source:[7]
Playoff
After 72 holes, Hamilton and Els were tied for the lead at 274 (−10), requiring a four-hole aggregate playoff, played over the 1st, 2nd, 17th, and 18th holes. (The first use of this format in The Open was fifteen years earlier in 1989, also at Royal Troon.) Both players parred the first two holes, both par fours, and Hamilton managed a par 3 on the 222-yard (203 m) 17th. Els overshot the green and bogeyed,[8] then parred the last, leaving Hamilton a 3-foot (1 m) par putt to win the Open, which he holed.[2][9] Els had all four rounds in the 60s for the second time in an Open without winning; the other time was at Royal St. George's in 1993.