Unheralded American Bruce Vaughan clinched victory in the Senior Open Championship after countryman John Cook fluffed his lines.
Cook's nerves let him down once again
Unheralded American Bruce Vaughan clinched victory in the Senior Open Championship after countryman John Cook fluffed his lines at Royal Troon.
Cook, who threw away golden opportunities to win the Open and USPGA Championships in his heyday back in 1992, had the tournament at his mercy at the turn but a double-bogey at the 11th and another dropped shot at the next left the door open.
The 51-year-old still had a putt to win on the last but it stayed out as he came home in four over par, and with playing partner Vaughan holing out for par the pair were set for extra holes.
Both found the green with their approaches to the 18th but it was Vaughan who holed out from 15 feet, while Cook's eight footer again failed to drop, handing victory to the journeyman who had led after the first two rounds.
The pair had done well to withstand the challenge of an illustrious bunch, with playing partners Bernhard Langer and Greg Norman, Tom Watson and Eduardo Romero all coming up short.
Romero couldn't get anything going and was still level for the day standing on the 14th tee, but he birdied two of the next three holes to get within a shot of the lead.
However, he sliced his approach to the final hole and left himself a near-impossible up-and-down - a disappointing bogey leaving him a shot out of the play-off.
Norman was still in the hunt after burning up the front nine in 32 shots, but after failing to birdie the par-five 16th he saw his chance slip away with a double bogey at the next, after failing to extricate himself from a greenside bunker.
Langer's finish was untypically messy, failing to get up-and-down at the 17th and again making a hash of the final hole after driving into the left-hand rough - a four foot putt for bogey giving him a 68 and a four under par total.
Watson, too, couldn't quite land a blow. He picked up two shots as he went out in 34 and although he recovered a dropped shot at the 12th with a birdie at the next, at wasn't his day and a bogey at the par-five 16th ended all hope.
