Sunday 28 July 2019 21:16, UK
Bernhard Langer defied the cool and wet conditions at Royal Lytham & St Annes to land a record fourth Senior Open title with a two-shot victory over Paul Broadhurst.
Langer closed with a high-quality four-under 66 and could even afford to bogey two of the last four holes as he posted a winning score of six under par to secure his 11th Senior major title in 57 appearances among the over-50 ranks.
Tournament officials gave the all clear for the final round to begin several hours later than scheduled due to persistent rain throughout the morning, and play finally got underway at 1:30pm with the field going out in threeballs off a two-tee start.
Langer, who turns 62 next month, trailed Broadhurst by three shots overnight, but he found himself in the outright lead when he carded four birdies over the front nine while the Englishman bogeyed the third for the third time in the tournament before hitting back with his third two of the week at the short fifth.
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Broadhurst got into trouble at the long 11th and ran up a bogey-six, and Langer seized his chance to open up a commanding lead as he birdied the 13th and 14th to move to eight under par.
The German offered a glimmer of hope to the chasing pack when bogeys at 15 and 17 halved his lead, but Broadhurst was finding birdies hard to come by and a par at the last effectively put the result beyond doubt with the 2016 champion needing to hole his second to the last to force a play-off.
Broadhurst would have to settle for a seventh straight par at the last for a 71, although that was enough to claim outright second place on four under ahead of Senior Open debutant Retief Goosen and American Tim Petrovic.
Goosen made a big early move with four birdies in six holes from the fifth, but the two-time US Open champion was unable to better par over his final eight holes as he posted a 66 to set the clubhouse target at three under.
The South African was later joined in a share of third by Petrovic, who was briefly tied for the lead after an outward 30 before back-to-back bogeys at 11 and 12 left him with too much to do to keep pace with Langer.
Darren Clarke gave himself a great chance to mark his debut in the event with a win when he followed six opening pars with an eagle at the seventh which got him to three under, but he faltered after the turn and slipped back to level par for the tournament as only nine players completed 72 holes under the card.
