Tuesday, Jul 23, 2002
Tuesday, Jul 23, 2002 |
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Golf
The 32-year-old South African, who completed the 72 holes of regulation play with a one-under-par 70, had to survive a roller-coaster ride of emotion before sealing victory with a five-foot putt for par at the fifth extra hole. The twice US Open champion became only the third South African to win the third of the year's four major championships. Bobby Locke won the Open four times between 1949 and 1957, while Gary Player — one of just three men to clinch the title in three different decades — triumphed in 1959, 1968 and 1974. Appleby and Elkington both exited the play-off after the first four holes following bogeys at the 18th, and Els and Levet then had to replay the 18th in sudden death. Levet found a fairway bunker off the tee and Els ended up in a greenside bunker with his second, but the South African was able to save par, while the Frenchman had to settle for a bogey-five. All four players had finished regulation play tied at six-under-par 278, Appleby shooting a 65, and Elkington and Levet matching 66s. Els, who led the field by two after Saturday's difficult third round, seemed to have the third Major title firmly in his grasp when he moved three strokes clear with six holes to play. But the World No. 3 bogeyed the 14th, double-bogeyed the short 16th and had to birdie the par-five 17th to join the play-off — the third in the last five British Opens. Els, whose US Open victories came at Oakmont in 1994 and at Congressional in 1997, gathered five birdies in all — along with a double-bogey and two bogeys — on a calm and sunny day.
England's Gary Evans, who was outright leader at six under earlier in the day, closed with a drama-filled 65 to finish tied for fifth at five-under 278 with Ireland's Padraig Harrington (67) and Japan's Shigeki Mauyama (68).
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods, who was trying to win the third leg of the Grand Slam, shot himself out of the tournament with an 81 in the third round, his worst score as a professional. But Woods didn't leave town with his tail between the legs. He had seven birdies on Sunday for a 65, matching the best score of a sunny, almost balmy day in Scotland. He finished at even-par 284, tied for 29th. Reuters
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