Jack Nicklaus won his third and final Open championship, two strokes ahead of runners-up Ben Crenshaw, Raymond Floyd, Tom Kite, and Simon Owen.

[3] It was the fifteenth of his eighteen major championships and marked the completion of his third career grand slam.

[4][5] Defending champion Tom Watson was a co-leader after 54 holes,[6][7] but four consecutive bogeys on the front nine led to a 76 (+4).

Watson finished six strokes back in a tie for fourteenth place.

Saturday, 15 July 1978 Amateurs: McEvoy (+5), Miller (+6), Brodie (+7), Godwin (+10).