No it wasn't Tom Watson, who was finally human at Turnberry shooting 69 to finish T10 269
and it wasn't Bernard Langer who had the lead before slipping to 75 -2 278. It was evergreen Freddie Couples, never really a factor during his PGA Tour career at the Open who closed with a 67 -9 271 to beat Gary Hallberg by 2 shots to make his final night at the Turnberry Hotel as inexpensive as ever !!
Couples birdied Turnberry’s closing two holes to seal a dream debut victory in The 2012 Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex, finishing two shots clear of compatriot Gary Hallberg following a dramatic final round.
Couples, who had trailed overnight leader Bernhard Langer by one shot going into the final round, took advantage of the German’s slip on the back nine to capture the title with a closing round of three under par 67.
The pair had traded blows before the turn and were tied for the lead when Couples birdied the 11th hole, before the vital swing which came at the next hole when Langer found trouble from the tee.
He hit a second shot into a bunker and was unable to advance, before then two putting from 25ft to card a double bogey six. Meanwhile Couples birdied the same hole after a glorious five iron approach to six feet to seize the outright lead.
Although he dropped a shot on the next hole, the United States Ryder Cup Assistant Captain produced a stunning finish to pull clear of Hallberg, who had birdied the 17th himself to set the clubhouse target of seven under par 273 following a superb four under par 66.
Taking a one shot lead on to the final hole, Couples knew he needed to avoid dropping a shot to clinch the title, and the 1992 Masters Champion showed his class, sinking a majestic 20 footer to clinch the 26th Senior Open Championship in style with a winning total of nine under par 271.
“It was a very fun day,” said Couples. “Being paired with Bernhard, you've got to play great and for a long time there, we were neck and neck.But for me I felt like I was hitting the ball very strong, very solid and I was really lucky that it didn't rain because I'm not very good in the rain! I don't wear a golf glove; I had two gloves in the bag that were all‑weather gloves and I was scared to death to ever put those on.
“That was a big birdie on 17 to make 18 play easier and then when I hit the last putt, the hole got in the way and I won by two. I'm very happy and excited to have won this.”
Couples, who finished in the top ten at The Open Championship on nine occasions, said that the victory more than compensated for those near-misses.
“It’s the next best thing for all of us,” he said. “Obviously I never won The Open. I came close. Last night I really thought about the golf course. I knew I needed to play it well, and this is my biggest Senior Tour win, by far, winning on a truly great, great golf course
Bryan Angus
final leaderboard click here http://www.europeantour.com/seniortour/season=2012/tournamentid=2012860/leaderboard/index.html?showLeaderboard=Y
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