None could catch Rory..

Final scoreboard http://www.theopen.com/en/TheCourse.aspx


Sergio shot 66, Ricky played solid (67), holing putt after putt, others flashed up the leaderboard in spurts then fell away, there were 65's and 66's on an ideal day by the seaside at Hoylake on Sunday, but in the end none could catch Rory.


66 66 68 71 -17, "the gold medal winner and champion golfer of the year" had the  hammer all weekend, he could see what he had to do,he had it all in front of him and of course he had those 2 par 5's playing downwind at 16 and 18 as insurance.


His final round 71 therefore was not as spectacular as the previous 3, but it didn't need to be. He had a beautiful ball striking week, an under control draw he could trust over and over and he putted beautifully,including several clutch par savers from 10 feet or more and a few bombs like the 45 footer on 14 on Saturday that turned his round around... if you know what I mean..


He says he's happy these days, the break up with Caroline stung, but it was mutual, his mum was there in person for the first time at a major and he dedicated it to her. He has now won 3 different majors and he's just 25.


Rory is a shy guy, you can see that, at a party he'd be the one sipping pints with his mates out of the limelight. The demands thrust upon him from the media because of his shocking prowess are things he has had to learn to cope with, not something he chooses or seeks.


He's hard not to like, both on and off the course. He and Ricky and Sergio etal played the game like gentlemen, their admiration for each other afterwards was evident, what a great example in these days of me, me, me athletes..By the way what a difference in Sergio as he walked up 18, the runner up again paying heartfelt tribute to his adoring crowd... a far cry from the whining Sergio from years gone by..


This Open had some bad weather, but mostly when there was no golf being played and apart from the breeze that came up on Friday, the guys missed a bullet this week.


Today the crews move in to dismantle all the scaffolding and tear down the tented village, it will be a few days before the residents of Hoylake get their normal lives back again.... but it will be a lot longer before they forget the week none could catch Rory...


Bryan Angus
















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