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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, July 21, 2009

On this date: 1979 — Spain's Seve Ballesteros wins the British Open


Associated Press

July 21

1876 — Princeton takes the team championship in the first IC4A (Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes Association) track and field meet.

1957 — Lionel Herbert wins the PGA championship with a 2-1 final round victory over Dow Finsterwald.

1963 — Jack Nicklaus wins the PGA championship by two strokes over Dave Ragan to become the fourth golfer to win the three major United States titles.

1968 — Arnold Palmer becomes the first PGA golfer to earn $1 million over his career despite losing by one stroke to Julius Boros in the PGA championship.

1974 — Sandra Haynie edges Carol Mann and Beth Stone by one stroke to win the U.S. Women's Open championship.

1979 — Spain's Seve Ballesteros wins the British Open by three strokes over Ben Crenshaw and Jack Nicklaus.

1985 — The greatest money winner in horse racing history, John Henry, is retired. The 10-year-old, who won 39 races in 83 starts, earned $6,597,947 in total purses.

1989 — Mike Tyson knocks down Carl "The Truth" Williams with a single left hook and stops him 93 seconds into the first round of his heavyweight title defense. It is the fifth shortest heavyweight title fight in history.

1996 — Tom Lehman shoots a final-round 73 for a 72-hole total of 13-under 271 to win the British Open, two strokes better than Ernie Els and Mark McCumber.

2001 — Chris Webber signs the second-biggest contract in NBA history, agreeing to a seven-year deal worth $122.7 million to return to the Sacramento Kings.

2002 — Ernie Els faces great pressure in the British Open by squandering a three-stroke lead and outlasts Thomas Levet of France to win a four-man playoff that produces the first sudden-death finish in the 142-year history of the tournament.

2007 — Bernard Hopkins earns another stunning victory in the twilight of his fighting days, ending Winky Wright's 7½-year unbeaten streak with a unanimous decision in their 170-pound matchup in Las Vegas.