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It was the week Tom Watson’s journey to Open greatness began.

The man from Missouri would go on to become one of the most decorated Champion Golfers in history, lifting the Claret Jug five times during an illustrious career.

Triumphs at Turnberry, Muirfield, Royal Troon and Royal Birkdale all followed a special week at Carnoustie in 1975.

Now, more than 50 years on, Watson has been looking back on those treasured four days in Angus, where his love affair with The Open started.

In the second instalment in a new R&A video series in which Champion Golfers rewatch their finest Championship moments, the American talks through some of the factors which led him to success at The 104th Open.

Watson's key focus upon arrival at Carnoustie was to keep things simple. He had already come close to major success across the Atlantic but was still searching for a breakthrough on the biggest stage.

"Keep the ball out the bunkers," he said in the latest episode, available now on R&A TV. "That was the main thought I had playing Carnoustie."

What might have sounded straightforward was put to the test at a venue renowned for challenging the very best in the world.

The course posed a fierce examination and a pulsating four days followed, with Watson among a group of leading contenders vying for the Claret Jug.

In the video, the five-time Champion Golfer revisits his memories of Barry Burn, widely regarded as one of the toughest par-3s in golf and a hole he failed to make par on all week.

He reflects on key moments on the 5th and 14th holes as he battled for victory in testing conditions, while also offering insight into the sensational birdie putt on the 72nd hole that secured an 18-hole play-off against Australia's Jack Newton.

The play-off proved equally dramatic. Watson recalls how he and Newton arrived at the 90th and final hole locked together, with the Claret Jug hanging in the balance.

A par on the last was enough to secure victory and see Watson join Ben Hogan and Tony Lema as the only players to win The Open on their debut in the post-war era.

The victory marked the beginning of one of the greatest Open careers in history. Over the next decade, Watson would add four more Claret Jugs to his collection and cement his place among the Championship's all-time greats.