Tiger Woods won an emotional 11th Major Championship title, equalling the record of Walter Hagen, when he captured The 135th Open at Royal Liverpool with a two stroke victory over Chris DiMarco. Now only Jack Nicklaus has won more Majors. And as the final putt dropped for a final round of 67 and an 18 under par 270, the World Number One broke down in tears.
It was Woods’s first win since the death of his father, Earl, on May 3 and as he tapped in his par putt at the last there was a great release of emotions as the tears flowed and he collapsed into the arms of his caddie Steve Williams.
“I guess the emotions were locked in there but at the end they came pouring out,” admitted Woods. “I miss Dad so much and this would have put a smile on his face. I wish he could be here with me.”
Ernie Els claimed third place after one under par 71 gave him a four round total of 13 under par 275 with Jim Furyk a further shot back after a 71 and Sergio Garcia sharing fifth place with Japan’s Hideto Tanihara on 11 under par.
Throughout the week Woods had given the golfing world a superb demonstration of control and shot making and none more so than on the final day. Starting out with a one stroke lead over Garcia, Els and DiMarco, Woods made a statement of intent with a stunning eagle on the par five fifth to pull two shots clear.
And throughout a fascinating final afternoon at Hoylake, back on the Open rota for the first time in 39 years, whenever Woods was asked a question, he had an answer.
DiMarco, in particular, put pressure on Woods over the closing stretch but just as he moved within a stroke of the defending champion, Woods stepped up a gear with three stunning birdies in succession from the 14th to put the Championship beyond doubt.
On the 14th, the hole on which he really took The Open by the scruff of the neck on the second day when he holed his second shot from over 200 yards, Woods hit another magnificent approach to seven feet for birdie. He converted from a similar distance on the 15th and then hit the par five 16th green in two.
DiMarco held on gamely making his own run with birdies on the 13th, 16th and 18th, but there was only ever going to be one winner.
“I hit the ball well the entire week and I felt like I had wonderful touch on the greens, except for the last nine holes yesterday," said Woods. "Other than that, I felt my strategy was sound. It was going to keep me out of trouble.
“This is a pretty sweet feeling. It’s an incredible Championship. The golf course we get to play and the shots you have to bring to this Championship are ones you never hit any other time throughout the year.”
Woods, Open Champion in 2000 and 2005, becomes the first player since Tom Watson in 1982-83 to successfully defend The Open and joins Hagen in the all-time list of Major Championship victories. He is also a step closer to Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 Majors.
Els started well but just as he needed to push on around the turn to put some pressure on Woods, he dropped a couple of shots with bogeys on the eighth and 11th.
“I let it slip in the middle there,” admitted Els. “But I really had a lot of fun this week, it was really great to start feeling the vibes again. I’m looking forward to the future. Obviously a win would be great but a top three is not bad.”
Garcia’s hopes faded on the front nine as he dropped four strokes to par in an outward half of 39 and although he rallied well on the back nine, notably with an eagle on the 16th has he closed with a 73.
“I can take a lot of positive things out of this tournament,” said the Ryder Cup player. “It’s a shame. That’s the way it goes sometimes. I didn’t play the way I should have. Nothing seemed to go my way.”
In total six European Tour Members finished in the top ten with Els and Garcia joined by Angel Cabrera, who came up short of his bid to emulate Argentine Roberto de Vicenzo’s Open victory in 1967 with a round of 73 to finish on ten under par, with Swede Carl Pettersson (69), Argentina’s Andres Romero (71) and Australian Adam Scott (72), a further shot back on nine under par.
