british open 2009
British Open 2009 Turnberry leaderboard news: Stewart Cink punctures Tom Watson’s Turnberry fairytale to be the winner 2009 British Open in playoff. To the winner went the famous claret jug and a cheque of £750,000. To the runner-up went £450,000 and the comfort of knowing that he had given inspiration to millions – as well as palpitations to those who had backed him at 1,500-1 before a ball was struck.
History faltered at Turnberry today when Tom Watson, bidding to become oldest man (and the first with a hip replacement) to win one of golf’s major championships, was finally vanquished by his countryman Stewart Cink at the 2009 Open Championship.
The 59-year-old American, whose last major championship victory came 26 years ago, had an eight-foot putt on the final hole to secure one of the greatest upset victories in the history of sport, let alone golf.
Alas for him, alas for sporting romantics around the world, his ball came up short, sending the two compatriots into a four-hole play-off.
Like Greg Norman last year, Tom Watson couldn’t become the oldest British Open winner ever, with the Turnberry course and Stewart Cink as the last of a host of big names on the leaderboard eventually besting him.
Greg Norman also started day four of the British Open last year in sole possession of the lead, but this time it was the 59-year-old Watson who couldn’t make it stick after he fell into a four-hole playoff with Cink when they both finished on two under par.
Watson started the 18th hole of his fourth round needing only to par to win outright, but his second shot to the par four landed in rough behind the hole and the eight-time-major-winning veteran could not get up and down for the win.
On the second hole of the play off, using the last four holes of the Turnberry course, Watson birdied to take the lead, but a fateful stray tee off on the relatively easy par five 17th was the tragedy which ruined his chances.
“I don’t know if I can get it out Ox, but I reckon I’ll give it a try,” Watson said to his caddy, Philadelphia-based polticial consultant Neil Oxman. Watson’s shot from impossibly long rough couldn’t make the fairway, though, and he three-putted to take a double bogey seven.
Watson’s tee shot on the 18th then went into the crowd, drawing a curtain on the championship and leaving Cink the deserving winner. Watson told the crowd before playing his second, “The way I’m hitting it, I might hit it into you,” showing he still had a sense of humor at least.
At times during the day there were a number of single and multiple leaders, including England’s Lee Westwood and Australian Matthew Goggin. Former major winner Westwood tailed off with three bogeys and a birdie at the 17th across the last four holes, while the lesser-ranked Goggin also dropped three shots in successive holes at 14, 15 and 16 and failed to birdie the 17th.
British Open 2009 Turnberry leaderboard news: Stewart Cink punctures Tom Watson’s Turnberry fairytale to be the winner 2009 British Open in playoff. To the winner went the famous claret jug and a cheque of £750,000. To the runner-up went £450,000 and the comfort of knowing that he had given inspiration to millions – as well as palpitations to those who had backed him at 1,500-1 before a ball was struck.
History faltered at Turnberry today when Tom Watson, bidding to become oldest man (and the first with a hip replacement) to win one of golf’s major championships, was finally vanquished by his countryman Stewart Cink at the 2009 Open Championship.
The 59-year-old American, whose last major championship victory came 26 years ago, had an eight-foot putt on the final hole to secure one of the greatest upset victories in the history of sport, let alone golf.
Alas for him, alas for sporting romantics around the world, his ball came up short, sending the two compatriots into a four-hole play-off.
Like Greg Norman last year, Tom Watson couldn’t become the oldest British Open winner ever, with the Turnberry course and Stewart Cink as the last of a host of big names on the leaderboard eventually besting him.
Greg Norman also started day four of the British Open last year in sole possession of the lead, but this time it was the 59-year-old Watson who couldn’t make it stick after he fell into a four-hole playoff with Cink when they both finished on two under par.
Watson started the 18th hole of his fourth round needing only to par to win outright, but his second shot to the par four landed in rough behind the hole and the eight-time-major-winning veteran could not get up and down for the win.
On the second hole of the play off, using the last four holes of the Turnberry course, Watson birdied to take the lead, but a fateful stray tee off on the relatively easy par five 17th was the tragedy which ruined his chances.
“I don’t know if I can get it out Ox, but I reckon I’ll give it a try,” Watson said to his caddy, Philadelphia-based polticial consultant Neil Oxman. Watson’s shot from impossibly long rough couldn’t make the fairway, though, and he three-putted to take a double bogey seven.
Watson’s tee shot on the 18th then went into the crowd, drawing a curtain on the championship and leaving Cink the deserving winner. Watson told the crowd before playing his second, “The way I’m hitting it, I might hit it into you,” showing he still had a sense of humor at least.
At times during the day there were a number of single and multiple leaders, including England’s Lee Westwood and Australian Matthew Goggin. Former major winner Westwood tailed off with three bogeys and a birdie at the 17th across the last four holes, while the lesser-ranked Goggin also dropped three shots in successive holes at 14, 15 and 16 and failed to birdie the 17th.
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