O8217;Meara makes a mark at the Open

Woods was out of it until a birdie barrage on the closing holes, one at 15 followed by a 30-foot chip-in at 17 and a 30-foot putt at 18 to huge roars from the crowd, leaving him one shot shy of the playoff.

If anything, the applause was even louder for Rose, the crowd8217;s favourite who set them alight through the last three rounds and capped an astoundingly mature performance with a 45-yard lobbed wedge shot into the final hole for a birdie and a share of fourth place.

He turned professional last night, too late to collect his 76,667 pounds about 46 lakhs of prize money but with the potentialto earn millions from the game.

O8217;Meara8217;s second major of the year after his US Masters success in April made him the oldest player to hold more than one Grand Slam title his 41 years, six months and six days leaving him ahead of both Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan when they won multiple majors.

Nicklaus was 40 when he won the US Open and PGA in 1980, as was Hogan in 1953 when he won the Masters and US and British Opens.

O8217;Meara8217;s victory in a four-hole playoff over Brian Watts came after they finished on level-par 280, the first time since Greg Norman at Turnberry 1986 that the winner did not break par. Norman was also level par.

O8217;Meara became the fourth successive American to take the title after John Daly, in 1995, Tom Lehman and Justin Leonard. Before 1995, Americans had won just one of the previous 11.

8220;It is incredibly gratifying to know my name is on this trophy right here,8221; O8217;Meara said with the Auld Claret jug at his side, adding that he felt calm but nervous during the playoff.

8220;Youknow there is a lot on the line and if you lose you8217;re going to be very disappointed. I didn8217;t want to be disappointed,8221; he said.

Watts, a 32-year-old American who has won 11 titles on the European tour, had never experienced such a pressure-cooker atmosphere as the Open, in which he has finished far down the field twice and missed the cut the other three times he played.

After taking the lead on the second day, he held his nerve and composure surprisingly well right up until he missed a four-foot putt on the first playoff and never got back on equal terms as he lost by two shots.

8220;I8217;m disappointed not to win because I had a chance to win but at the same time I8217;m proud of myself,8221; Watts said. But the 188,000 pounds he won qualifies him to join the US tour next year if he decides to leave the Japanese tour after five years.

He would then no longer have to commute from Japan to Oklahoma several times a year to see his wife Debbie and their year-old son.

It was by common consent a remarkable Openfrom start to finish, with Woods and compatriot John Huston shooting 65s for the first-round lead and then dropping back as the weather worsened on day two, when Watts took over.

A treacherous wind on Saturday sent scores soaring, 23 of the 81 halfway survivors failing to break 80, before moderating on the final day when Watts set out with a two-shot lead.

There were countless twists and turns in the plot with Jim Furyk and Jesper Parnevik also challenging down the stretch before fading to join Rose and Raymond Russell of Scotland in fourth place.

Parnevik, who plays on the US tour, seemed most disappointed as he was runner-up in 1994 and 1997. 8220;I would like to win this event once but it seems impossible. It is not my tournament,8221; he said.