2012 The Story of the Open Championship...

GOLF: THE STORY OF THE OPEN SPT G584J/01 BRD000000

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I remember the weather, and how we got over it.

One man's meltdown and another man's triumph.

A massive heartbreak for one of the game's greatest players.

The defining moment of my career.

Great experience. I had an absolute blast.

I just think about a great test of golf.

The renaissance of Ernie Els, really.

I will never, ever forget that feeling when that putt went in.

Golf's never over till it's over.

The Links land of northwest England,

venue for the 141st Open Championship.

Once again, Royal Lytham and St Annes Golf Club

welcome the game's oldest major.

And Darren Clarke, such an emotional winner at Royal St George's,

began his week by handing back the Claret Jug.

I've had a wonderful year as Open Champion.

I've enjoyed being Open Champion.

You know, I've been very pleased and privileged

to take the Claret Jug to a lot of places round the world

where it's never been before.

The little box that you get with it, the secure box,

has got more stickers on it than it's probably ever had.

So it's done a lot of air miles this year.

Thank you for looking after the trophy for us.

There's a few little marks on it...

Well, we'll soon put those right!

'He's represented the R&A and the Open Championship extremely well.'

I mean, he's travelled with the Claret Jug

and shown it around the world, everywhere he's gone.

I suspect it's been in a few bars

and he's probably slept with it at his bedside and so on.

I don't know that we've ever had a champion quite as...

can I use the word "chuffed"?

..as Darren was to be Open Champion.

And of course, the crowd at Royal St George's just lapped it up

and...he was the people's champion.

On home turf, a strong English challenge was expected.

Lee Westwood and Luke Donald were heavily fancied to break through,

after a spell in major championships where no-one player had dominated.

No-one's really come through and started to win consistently,

which just speaks to how difficult it is to win majors.

Tiger Woods had captured 14 major titles,

but none since the 2008 US Open.

Did you ever feel a sense of anxiety over when, or if,

the next one is coming?

No. No. I just try to...

try and put myself there.

And I think if I continue putting myself there,

you know, enough times, then I'll win major championships.

At 6.30 on Thursday morning, Barry Lane, a 52-year-old qualifier,

had the honour of hitting the championship's first shot.

It was just a really, really nice atmosphere.

The weather was a little bit chilly, a bit drizzly, first thing.

A little bit of wind.

I got a few butterflies,

but I just, you know, just focused on trying to hit a good shot.

I managed to hit a pretty good tee shot onto the green.

It was a great honour. I just wanted to thank him.

It's obviously the only open course where you start with a par 3.

It's not, you can just bunk it down there somewhere short of the bunkers

and play the hole conservative,

you've just got to hit a very, very good shot.

Three hours and 12 minutes later, Woods did precisely that.

APPLAUSE

It led to an immediate birdie,

and he was 4-under after 7.

CHEERING

That was as good as it got, though.

Despite a short game masterclass,

Tiger had to be content with a 67.

APPLAUSE

Paul Lawrie, the 1999 Open Champion at Carnoustie,

chipped in twice during a run of three consecutive birdies.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

He signed for a 65.

Westwood could not have wished for a better start.

He birdied the first two holes

but played the back 9 poorly for a 73.

APPLAUSE

Game 15 contained three major champions and two of them

lived up to their reputations.

CHEERING

Ernie Els finished the day with a 67.

APPLAUSE

Darren Clarke's poor form continued.

He shot 76, but nothing could dilute the warm applause

from those in the grandstands on the 18th.

APPLAUSE

Pick of the bunch was American Zach Johnson,

who managed seven birdies in a 65.

APPLAUSE

On this day, though, Adam Scott was inspired,

moving 5-under through 14.

APPLAUSE

The best swing, from my memory, was the second shot into 15th.

It just felt like that perfect swing you put on the range

that's so hard to take to the course.

APPLAUSE

It was a lovely shot, and rolled the putt in

to keep everything going in the right direction.

Scott's 3 was followed by this approach to the 16th,

which led to another birdie.

Scott was 7-under-par and flirting with history.

A quick second there, I did the maths and I'm fully aware

that a 62 hadn't been shot in a major,

and thought about it for a second,

which is something you don't want to think about any longer than that.

Unfortunately, I just stumbled on the last.

Scott equalled the course record with a 64.

APPLAUSE

I'd never shot that low a score in a major before.

I'm thrilled. It's a perfect start to the tournament.

Having missed the cut on his three previous trips to the Open,

American Brandt Snedeker solved the mystery of Links golf

with an opening 66.

On course for the same score was 23-year-old Rory McIlroy.

But on the 15th, McIlroy's drive flared right,

struck a spectator on the head and flew out of bounds.

Are you OK?

He was getting into trouble.

He was getting into trouble and he was getting out of trouble.

And I think that's what we really love about him.

He grounded out in the end,

and then came in with a 67, which was fabulous.

He got himself into position.

CHEERING

McIlroy would birdie two of the closing three holes.

In contrast, world number one, Luke Donald bogeyed the 18th

for a level par round of 70.

Joining Lawrie and Johnson in a tie for second

was Belgium's Nicholas Colsaerts.

On the 17th, not even a fairway bunker derailed him.

It's always great when you hit a shot like that

and you come racing out of the bunker and you know it's come out good.

It was just coming out exactly where I wanted it to be.

65 at the Open is more than good.

But not enough to prevent Adam Scott being the outright

first-round leader, following a day of excellent scoring.

Heavy overnight rain saturated the course for day two.

There were genuine concerns play would be delayed.

But the tireless work of the green staff ensured no disruption.

Wind remained absent, but Royal Lytham is formidable,

whatever the weather.

Nicholas Colsaerts, one of the first leaders in action,

bogeyed two of the opening three holes,

but worse was to come.

On the 7th, I basically did

everything you need to avoid at Lytham.

I hit a drive down a pot bunker, hacked it out, maybe 10 yards,

then I was right in between

playing just short of the green or going for it.

Went for it, missed that one,

it went right, missed the next one.

Ended up in the total rough.

It was just basically nowhere to be seen.

Lifted in the rough,

hit it over the green, got it up and down for eight.

APPLAUSE

Funnily enough, I've got a smile on my face,

because I know I've just done everything wrong.

It's not like I've just missed, you know, half a shot.

I've missed everything.

In a different sense, Rory McIlroy also missed everything.

And...everyone,

on a day of wild inconsistency.

Early on, the bad was often followed by the good.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

But his hopes began to unravel on the 9th.

No!

There was an element there of the very young player

who still has a bit to learn, which suggested that, you know,

he still has to learn a bit of patience

when it comes to Open Championships, or major championships in general.

Within a year, he'll probably have a Grand Slam, you know,

because he's that good. Who knows?

But Friday morning's big story was Brandt Snedeker.

Already 1-under for the round, as he arrived on the 6th green.

Yeah, it was just one of those putts you're just going to get close.

Up over a ridge, going downhill.

I figured within three feet, I was happy.

I hit one of those putts and when you're putting good,

those long ones always seem to find their way on the right line,

and then about five feet from the hole, I think I started walking.

CHEERING

To make that one really got the momentum going.

"OK, today's going to be a good day."

I was able to get a good birdie on 9,

I hit a 9-iron about four feet on 9, made birdie there.

CHEERING

11, you know, I hit a nice wedge in there,

about a 20-footer.

Made that one.

And at this time, I thought every putt was going in.

Snedeker was round in 64,

and reached the halfway mark of the championship 10-under.

Playing with intelligence, not tempted to attack the flanks.

That was my game plan. Just put it in the middle of the greens,

because the bunkers are waiting there for a reason.

They're penalties, so try and shoot away from them.

And I did that, you know.

I think I hit 31 of the first 36 greens or something like that.

To have that kind of run where you feel like

you can do no wrong was a lot of fun.

Out in the afternoon, Adam Scott's front-9 was uneventful,

but his round was kick-started on the 10th.

CHEERING

Scott also birdied the 11th and 18th, in a back-9 of 33,

his golf far more accurate

than his definition of "spectacular."

To fight back and shoot 67,

without doing anything...

spectacular,

showed that my game was in good shape

and I kept myself right in touch with the leader, which was important.

CHEERING

Scott spent his first 36 holes in the company

of Northern Ireland's Alan Dunbar, the reigning amateur champion.

Dunbar shot 71 in the second round, but missed the cut

and with it, the opportunity to win the silver medal.

The experience, however, was invaluable.

We only had two amateurs this year. They both got good draws.

I hope they enjoyed the experience.

I know Alan did, because I went to see him

as soon as he finished his 36 holes and he'd loved the experience.

He's a wonderful golfer and I think played with great credit, actually.

I said, "I really hope you enjoyed it and I know we'll be

"seeing more of you in the future and we look forward to it."

Adding youth to the leaderboard

was a 22-year-old Dane.

CHEERING

Thorbjorn Olesen won his first event

on the European Tour three months earlier

and his confidence shone through

on the way to a 66.

-MAN:

-Get up! Get up!

CHEERING

Olesen entertained as,

of course, did Tiger.

He came to the 18th 5-under, very much in the hunt,

his every move the centre of attention.

Oh, went off to the left.

-CROWD:

-Aww!

He's still the biggest draw. He's compelling for other reasons.

There's still no-one more fun to watch. It's that simple.

Other players might post better scores, they're winning tournaments,

but he's capable of doing things

that others aren't.

Just those little, special, end-of-the-day moments.

That's why they can't take their eyes off him.

CHEERING

It's a fantastic thing to see, you know, when Tiger pulls off a

shot like that and, particularly, at that moment, at that place.

That's Tiger. I mean, you just expect that from Tiger.

We haven't for a couple of years. We're starting to see more of it.

But usually, when you see things like that, you're thinking,

"Boy, it's his week, isn't it?"

CHEERING

Tiger is one of a very small, select bunch that produces that

kind of moment that you take away as a memory.

Another is the great Tom Watson,

who needed to birdie the 18th to make the cut at the age of 62.

He thought that he'd missed out,

but he still gave one of those moments.

He always produces something at The Open.

Great favourite with the crowds.

CHEERING

The five-time Open champion was through to the weekend.

You know, Tom's the guy that I grew up idolising

and love the way he swung the golf club, the way he played golf, the

way he handled himself on the golf course and the way he won and lost.

It's a wealth of knowledge. The first thing he says is,

"You've got to get over here and have a great time.

"If you don't have a great time, you won't have any success."

Watson's wisdom didn't fall on deaf ears.

Snedeker's 130 strokes equalled the lowest 36 hole total

in the history of the championship.

This year, I did my best job with doing that, in trying to

heed his advice and enjoy it, embrace it.

Going to a local pub, seeing the people, having a few

pints at night, eating the local food and having a great time. You know?

Really embracing what the British Open really means.

Pretty neat moment to see your name on top of that leaderboard.

APPLAUSE

As Snedeker led by only one from Scott, Tiger was in third,

just ahead of McDowell, with Els seven behind the leader.

Day three was blessed with sunshine.

Conditions were ideal

and a young Dane was about to fulfil a long-held ambition.

Thorbjorn Olesen had earned the dream draw,

a round with his childhood hero.

I always wanted to play with Tiger.

It's been a dream for me since I was ten years old, or something.

I think that was the first time I saw him.

To get the opportunity to actually play with him was fantastic.

I don't think I've ever been that nervous on the first tee.

It was just like when you warming up and it was difficult.

All the movement, you could just feel it in the ground, almost.

It's good when you're nervous, I think.

Salvaging par on the opening hole

was a good way for Olesen

to settle down.

'I just tried to really focus on my own game.'

Hit a great par on the 1st, that really helped me.

Tiger was also scrambling for par.

He bogeyed the 3rd as well, and Olesen had overtaken his idol.

Adam Scott could have stumbled early in the round,

but his putter came to the rescue.

Saves are always crucial in a big tournament.

They keep the momentum going if you're going in the right

direction and, certainly, making a couple of putts early was important.

CHEERING

That was a great start to that round.

The galleries massed around the Tiger-Olesen match

and on the sixth, the world number two clicked into gear.

CROWD MURMUR

CHEERING

He also birdied the 7th,

where he witnessed the extraordinary

escape from the battling Olesen.

APPLAUSE

A crucial birdie maintained his presence on the leaderboard

at 3-under.

APPLAUSE

Two holes later, though, Woods put daylight between them.

When he birdied the 9th, Tiger stood 7-under.

After 40 holes without a blemish,

Brandt Snedeker made his first

bogey of the championship on the short 5th.

Having steered clear of all 206 bunkers at Royal Lytham

on Thursday and Friday, he finally succumbed on the 6th

and dropped another shot at the 8th.

'As great as the first 40 holes were, or whatever it was,

'you're going to have a stretch of nine holes

'where you don't play good. I don't care what anybody says.'

I was fully expecting that and prepared for it.

I was not under any illusion that I was going to

play 72 holes of perfect golf, cos it ain't going to happen.

Playing partner Scott took charge of the championship.

CHEERING

He parred the first six holes,

then birdied the 7th and 8th.

And when Snedeker bogeyed the 9th,

the Australian's lead swelled to 4.

Zach Johnson fought back into contention with a 66,

the lowest score of the day.

APPLAUSE

Having found sand, Scott had

an up and down on the 10th, to salvage a par.

'The save on 10 was huge in the scheme of things.

'I hit a pretty poor wedge shot in there,'

left myself not an easy putt from above the hole.

'Just dropped in the front and that was a big boost.

'It was a confidence builder, that par save.'

While the game plan of many was to keep their driver in the bag,

Scott used it often and well.

'I'm a good driver of the golf ball.

'I believe that's one of my strengths in my game

'and I felt Lytham was a perfect

'opportunity to use that.

'I didn't think it was an aggressive play or a risk.'

You know, I think the strategy was good for me.

I was playing to my strengths.

So was Ernie Els.

A round of 68 left him six adrift of Scott.

CHEERING

Playing really well from tee to green

And I did that in my previous two Opens at Lytham

and I felt I was really solid from tee to green.

I was hitting good putts,

but they weren't quite dropping.

-CROWD:

-Oh!

'I've been working on being a bit more patient,

'like I used to be when I was in my 20s.'

So it was just waiting for some putts to fall.

Halfway through his third round, Graeme McDowell was

stuck on 4-under and in danger of becoming detached.

APPLAUSE

I remember that back then on Saturday, I really did

feel like I clicked into a different level.

I was able to make a little bit of a late charge to be the guy

that maybe had a chance to look at him in the eye

on Sunday afternoon.

CHEERING

The putter was just in the groove

and, at that point, I thought, "Here we go."

Three birdies in five holes resurrected McDowell's championship.

'It really was just controlling the golf ball the way

'I wanted to be controlling it.'

I couldn't have played those last six or seven holes any better.

CHEERING

I guess the Donalds and the Westwoods and the Rory McIlroys

and the real home-grown stars were just kind of not firing

and I seemed to be the guy that was putting

myself on the leaderboard and they got right behind me.

APPLAUSE

'I felt great coming off the course.

'Got myself into the last group with Adam on Sunday

'and felt ready to go.'

Over the course of the back nine,

Tiger lost his momentum.

But a 70 kept him in the picture at 6-under.

APPLAUSE

He's a fantastic player and I was still amazed at the shots

he hit and the way he played.

I had a chance to shoot a better score than him,

but he still beat me by one nothing.

Snedeker signed for a 73, but his smile remained and, what happened

on the 18th green ensured the

feel-good factor carried into Sunday.

I'd watched that putt on 18 a couple of times

and seen how much guys were under-reading it

and it was breaking off the charge to the right and so I made myself

play a couple of extra inches of break

and I thought I hit it way too high.

'It was a good way to end the day.

'A day where I hadn't made any putts

'and really struggled from tee to green and I needed one.'

It was a long day, you know?

It was one of those days where anything at that point was welcome.

APPLAUSE

Scott didn't match Snedeker's birdie,

but a round of 68 meant a commanding four-shot lead.

With the most important round of his life ahead,

Scott was on the cusp of joining Peter Thomson, Greg Norman,

Kel Nagle and Ian Baker-Finch as an Australian winner of The Open.

On 11-under, he led by four, but with the menacing presence

of Woods and Els in striking distance, Scott wouldn't sleep easy.

The final day of the 2012 Open saw benign conditions

replaced by the first stiff breeze of the championship.

Adam Scott, though, was calm.

All the best, Adam.

Waking up at eight o'clock and having to wait till two to play,

I think I used all my nerves before I'd even gotten to the golf course.

Much excitement surrounded the arrival of the contenders.

-YOUNG GIRL:

-Hi, Tiger!

LAUGHTER

But under the radar slipped a three-time major champion,

quietly determined to end ten years in the wilderness.

You played great yesterday, Ernie. How excited are you now...?

'He's such a great player when the conditions get hard.'

He knew the wind was going to blow on Sunday

and I think that was what he wanted, you know?

Especially as far back as we were, to give us a chance.

For the chasers in need of encouragement,

a door opened on the 1st.

Scott dropped a shot

and his playing partner McDowell sensed an opportunity.

All of a sudden, I'm thinking, "I'll get this putt,

"just to start turning the screw a little bit here."

And it was nice, making that putt

and walking off to the 2nd tee box, thinking,

"Great, this is exactly what I wanted. This is the start I need."

But Scott's response could not have been more emphatic.

The Australian set up a birdie on the 2nd,

and despite dropping another shot on the 3rd,

didn't lose composure.

The bogeys early didn't rattle me too much.

Again, I was hitting good shots.

They just didn't quite pan out for me.

And no-one had come charging out of the blocks either,

so there was no need to panic yet.

As always, Tiger was creative.

APPLAUSE

Playing alongside him in the penultimate group,

Snedeker stayed 7-under with a battling 3 at the 5th.

APPLAUSE

The man from Tennessee was refusing to buckle.

Ernie Els bogeyed the 2nd,

and four holes later was staring at the prospect of another,

until saved by his short game touch.

APPLAUSE

Off at 9:25, Nicolas Colsaerts was an early starter.

His golf would be outstanding.

APPLAUSE

Everything just felt very smooth

and I was thinking very clearly on every shot.

The Belgian had sprung from the pack with a 65

to establish the clubhouse lead at 1-under.

I got into the recording,

and there was this guy in there who never smiled all week,

and I handed him my scorecard, and he checks the numbers,

looks at me, and goes...

So I'm thinking...

it was the first sign of a pretty good run of golf.

I got my first top 10 in a major.

While scoring was growing increasingly difficult,

Colsaerts had set the benchmark.

Scott led by 3.

Snedeker was holding firm and Woods lurked with intent.

On the 6th, Tiger had found the fairway.

Oh, stay straight!

Lucky.

Lucky.

-One yard.

-Yes.

'He had a great second shot,

'and then the wind took it just a little bit late,'

and he was in one of those bunkers,

and it's just a complete crapshoot, those bunkers.

-CROWD GROANS

-We walked around every bunker at the beginning of the week, and said,

"as long as you're in the middle of that bunker, you're OK."

You're never in the middle, you're always up against the lips.

He fought hard to get that ball out

and he did great to get it out in two.

APPLAUSE

And then he kind of compounded his mistakes by 3-putt,

and if he just makes double there and not triple,

you lose a shot, you lose a couple of shots,

that's going to happen, but triple is a killer.

It's just tough to get that kind of break on Sunday.

Woods plunged from 6- to 3-under,

his title aspirations dealt a crippling blow.

It was a fate about to be shared by Snedeker on the 7th.

I couldn't believe what had happened.

It was a swing you make and scratch your head and go, "What was that?

"I've never seen that before, can't remember the last time I did that.

"It is about as easy as it gets, what are you doing," you know?

And it just crept up at the wrong time on Sunday.

That is just what happens in majors.

They examine every part of your game.

As Snedeker ran up a seven,

Woods displayed the mental steel for which he is renowned.

APPLAUSE

Tiger's ambitions were still just about alive,

but Snedeker's died when another crooked tee shot on the 8th

ended up a second successive double bogey.

I hit a good shot down the right side,

and the wind grabbed it and took it straight left on that bunker,

and that's when you just can't hit it.

Any time you double holes in majors, you're giving up way too many.

You are double there, it's just a killer.

McDowell had parred the 5th, but having missed the green,

Scott faced a test of nerve to match his playing partner.

APPLAUSE

McDowell and Scott would bogey the 6th, but even so,

Scott remained where he had been overnight -

4 shots clear and the man to beat.

McDowell badly needed to apply pressure, and did so on the 8th.

APPLAUSE

Scott made only par,

presenting the Ulsterman with a putt to close the gap.

APPLAUSE

After a slow start, McDowell was finally building momentum.

Els, however, was in danger of surrendering it.

The bogey on 9 was a very soft bogey. I mean,

9 is one of the easiest holes on Lytham,

and I missed about an eight-footer there for par.

I still felt I was in the game for some crazy reason.

I just said, you know, I'm going to play this back now

as aggressive and as hard as I can.

6 adrift of Scott, Els had slipped back to 3-under.

APPLAUSE

Although it was a shortish putt,

those were the kind of putts that I had been missing.

APPLAUSE

'So, making the putt right in the middle with good speed,'

it gave me so much confidence.

Els parred the next before breathing even more life

into his revival on the 12th.

APPLAUSE

It came out perfect. It came out on the breeze,

up the bank, I mean, really close.

It's one of those putts you should make in your sleep,

but you know, under Open pressure, it's a whole different story.

The story had taken a new twist. Els now trailed Scott by only 4.

McDowell was 3 behind the leader, until the 9th.

I pulled the wrong club, probably. You know, I hit a nine iron,

trying to get a little baby cup nine iron in there.

In hindsight, it was a wedge shot all day.

I one-hopped it over the back and made bogey,

and it was a real momentum stopper.

As McDowell digested his mistake,

Scott was again in realistic birdie range.

He didn't capitalise, but it appeared not to matter.

The Australian remained 4 clear.

APPLAUSE

McDowell's error on the 9th was compounded

by another drop shot on the 10th.

Having come off bogeys on 9 and 10,

just tried to play the hole very aggressively.

Then, for some reason,

I just had bad pictures in my head of 11 all week.

I had this phobia of the right-hand side of this fairway.

I don't know why. And all of a sudden, at the last minute,

I had that swing on 11 on Sunday.

I just came straight over the top and just flat pole-hooked it.

Into the only few places on the golf course

where the ball is going to be unfindable and unplayable.

You know, my race was run, and all of a sudden,

there wasn't enough time left

for me to try and get back in the game.

Scott was keeping the challenges at bay with a succession of pars.

APPLAUSE

I was playing fairly conservative for most of the day Sunday,

and making sure I gave myself a couple of putts at par,

and par was never going to hurt me, because no-one was charging.

On the back 9, though, Tiger threatened to.

APPLAUSE

After a birdie at the 10th, another followed at the short 12th.

He was creeping closer to the lead.

APPLAUSE

Woods again felt it was game on, and so did Els.

But McDowell's hopes were fading.

Scott, though, stayed very much in command of his own destiny.

Royal Lytham's 14th hole can be a brute,

but with the wind helping,

Els gave himself a chance to move within 3 of the lead.

APPLAUSE

At the putt on 14, that was a big putt,

because there was another one just to keep a little momentum going.

APPLAUSE

You could just feel the energy raising all the time,

people out of the stands again.

I just felt the energy of the whole place,

where I was at that time, was just electrifying.

After par on the 15th,

Ernie's choice of driver on the 16th looked to have backfired.

Having ricocheted off a fence, he found the rough.

His hopes of a much-needed birdie diminished.

Back on the 14th, Scott was weighing up a putt

that would see him improve to 10-under.

Els chipped out, but he had to settle for a par,

missing a clear opportunity to make up ground.

Scott now had a putt to move 4 clear.

APPLAUSE

His grip on the title had never seemed tighter.

There are moments in championships which are key moments,

when you look back on them,

and it's almost as if the gods have got involved.

At that point, I think Scott, in his mind,

said, "OK, I am Open champion."

Tiger was now out of the reckoning

after making three consecutive bogeys from the 13th.

His fall left Scott and Els in a two-horse race.

With a closing round of 69, world number one Luke Donald

finished 2-under for the championship.

Donald was on the course for a top-five result.

So was Snedeker.

Els continued to prove stubborn, but Scott was almost there.

For him, pars were now priceless,

but on the 15th, a 4 is never easy to achieve.

Having found a greenside bunker, Scott chipped out,

leaving himself an eight-foot putt for par.

At those moments, where it is coming down to the wire

and you've got the lead and you've got to close the tournament out,

making a par putt like that is a huge momentum thing.

It is almost like a birdie at that point.

I saw Scotty walking over to the 16th tee,

and I saw he had his head down a little bit,

so I realised that he must have bogeyed 15.

Even so, there was no cause for panic.

Scott led by 3, and was safely on the 16th green for 2.

APPLAUSE

On the 17th, Els putted for birdie.

SOME GROANS

One hole back, Scott also putted for birdie.

While the first putt surprised me a bit,

that it kept breaking to the left at the end, I felt it was going

to stay very straight or even go to the right as it got to the hole

but it was a bit short and just kept breaking left.

I felt it was a left centre putt

with the wind blowing hard left to right

and I think I hit a fairly good putt and it just spun out.

The moment he bogeyed the 16th was the point

that everybody around thought, "Uh-oh, this could happen."

Now only two shots adrift,

Els had struck the ideal tee shot to attack the flag on the 18th.

I had only about 104 or 105 yards or something

but at that stage I had to give myself an opportunity to putt.

It was only once he'd hit the second shot, when we started walking up,

I looked at the board and said to him, "Ernie, look at the board."

All of a sudden Adam was going down 17 and he was only 18.

If Ernie can birdie the 18th, that makes those last two holes play

a little bit longer for Adam

and all of a sudden they stretched for miles.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I will never, ever forget that feeling when that putt went in.

I think it was the loudest roar of my career.

The ball just never left the hole.

The roar from the crowd was absolutely amazing.

There is no feeling like that and I just thought, "Well,

"there's still a chance, even in the play-off."

Wasn't thinking that was the putt that was going to win him the Open Championship.

Hearing the roar of Ernie, now it's fact.

I've got to make two fours to win the open.

I never really got super nervous. I felt I had everything under control.

It was important to now play the last two very solid.

Adam probably made his biggest long game mistake of the day on 17th.

The second shot to that left pin. He just did what you can't do there.

You can't miss that pin left.

His long game had been totally in control.

When I saw the ball in the air, the alarm bells started ringing in my head.

If Ernie had just buried the last, I'm thinking,

Adam makes a bogey here and the last is only going to be par

and it started to get tough to watch at that point.

That's the one I'd like to have over again out of them all

because my strategy for the hole was short and right,

and I hit the ball long and left.

It wasn't the worst shot. It was a bad shot given the circumstances.

Even then, a par would have maintained his one-shot lead.

As Els saw a play-off looming, Scott had this to stay alone at the top.

It never threatened.

Again, a little misread on that part.

It looked like it was coming down the hill to the right to me

but I think it was running so straight on the ridge, it just never moved right.

Scott and Els were now tied for the lead.

On the last green,

Snedeker had a putt to share third with playing partner Woods.

The 36-hole leader had supplied much entertainment

but so had Tiger who would occupy the top three in a major for the 24th time.

Back on the 18th tee, Scott faced a club selection dilemma.

Lots of people said to me that they were surprised

at Adam's club selection.

It's tough to know what to hit off that tee box.

There's no way to take trouble completely out of play.

It's not like I'm standing in the tee box going,

"Where's he going with this?"

He swung so well, it wasn't like alarm bells were going off.

He just needs to put a good swing on this.

To me, it wasn't a wrong club.

Wrong club or not,

Scott's ball came to rest in the worst place imaginable.

Reaching the green was now out of the question.

I was actually trying to call my wife and then the call came through.

It was Johann Rupert. He said to me, "He drove it into the bunker."

Then I thought, this could be a real turnaround.

At that point, you know what you have to do.

You just have to get it up and down.

It was falling down dead in line with the pin.

As it landed, it looked like it was getting the bounce up close but

maybe the wind was just starting a touch and it landed quite soft.

Still a really good shot under the circumstances

because at that point I've just got to give myself a chance

to make a putt to make the play-off.

The crowd's reaction was appreciation mixed with sympathy.

An hour before, Scott was set to lift the Claret Jug.

Now his fate hung on a single putt.

Ernie wasn't looking. He only needed to listen.

I was either going to hear

a Phil Mickelson roar of 2004 at the Masters

or hear the crowd when he missed the putt.

I knew the situation. This is a putt to get in a play-off at the Open.

Probably the biggest putt of my career.

It's a great moment. It's what you practise for, and the whole day,

I had such a calm feeling inside my body. It was strange.

I was very confident with what I was doing.

It felt like things were falling into place

and that's how I felt over that putt.

Less than an inch, and with it,

Adam Scott's dream of winning the 141st Open had gone.

I was...

disappointed.

I couldn't think clearly enough to understand what's happened

over the last four holes.

I let this tournament slip through my fingers, really.

I try not to live life with regrets or golf with regrets.

I wished I'd won the Open. I still can't imagine what that feels like.

But I believe more in my golf game than I ever did before.

It almost seems unfair that this is a player who played really hard

and really, really well

and it seemed as if his name was already on that Claret Jug,

and I think the class of Adam Scott

is the way he dealt with it afterwards.

He didn't have to come to the press interview but he did,

and that's a measure of the man.

That is a measure of the man.

Well...

It was a very sloppy finish by me.

You've got to play some good shots to win these golf tournaments

and I wasn't able to do that the last few holes.

Sure, I'm very disappointed.

He will go away, he will lick his wounds.

He's quite laid-back.

He'll probably go back home, get his surfboard out and go surfing.

I really do view the week as such a positive move for me.

For so long, I never even contended in majors.

The last two years I've really been a contender.

That's why I'm going in the right direction and this might be

the one last piece of the puzzle for me to get what I really want.

He posted three outstanding rounds in the 60s

but a closing 75 wasn't good enough.

Scott had been undone by four heartbreaking holes

and a superb back 9 from a veteran without a major title for 10 years.

A lot of the press, a lot of the media

and a lot of the people out there were like,

"He's done, he's washed up.

"He doesn't have it." He just proved a lot of people wrong.

It means everything because of where we were and I was really gone

and through a lot of work and a lot of perseverance, if you want to call it that,

a lot of help from a lot of people around me, a lot can be achieved.

The winner of the gold medal and the champion golfer of the year

is Ernie Els.

APPLAUSE

I first of all thought of Adam,

of being in a position where I've done exactly what he's done

and I know that feeling and it's not a great feeling.

First of all, I feel for my buddy Adam Scott.

He was genuinely feeling for me

although he must've been really excited to win the Open.

You're a great player, great friend of mine

and you're going to win many of these. You've got too much talent.

He was really kind in his words.

It's nice of him to do that in that moment when it should just be

elation for him and I was the guy to tone it down a little, I guess.

My other guy, Ricky Roberts, he's like a brother of mine

and without his help, I could never have done this.

I know he looks 60 but he's only 48.

I thought it was a bit cheeky, that!

I mean, he's not a spring chicken himself, is he?

It's just huge for him. Absolutely huge.

From where he was to achieve that. Absolutely phenomenal.

It's just given him such a belief that he can go on from here.

He's so talented, so gifted.

I still think he can win another three, four majors.

Proved to a lot of people that not just in sport but in life,

just keep fighting, keep battling and never give in.

You never know what's around the corner.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

Golf in all its glory.

The Open Championship starts Thursday 18th July across the BBC.