Ernie Els wins the 141st Open Championship, with a fantastic finish, on the wings of four birdies on the second nine holes. Big easy returns to victory, even in the grand slam and adds the fourth major to his collection.
The great South African player finished the round in 273 strokes, -7, with a decisive birdie on the 18th hole of the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, Lancashire, on the west coast of England. But in addition to a winner The Open 2012 includes a loser: Adam Scott.
The thirty-two year old Australian has the tournament in hand until the 15th. With 4 holes to go, he still dominates at -10 and can win with some peace of mind. His pursuers more or less "committed suicide", overwhelmed by the bunkers and by the wind of the fearsome English links. Tiger Woods runs into a triple bogey on hole 6 and is no longer able to worry the top of the standings. Graeme McDoweel does not enter the ball and continues to lose shots, as well as Snedeker, however supported by a splendid game on the greens. Scott seems to have no rivals, even if Els, 43 years old, climbs up several positions thanks to birdies on holes 10, 12 and 14. The distance is still abysmal even after a bogey on the difficult 15th: -9 Scott, -6 Els. The turning point is at the Australian's 16: a putt just over a meter long to make par.
Scott, while waiting his turn, seems calm, twists a leather bracelet around his wrist and probably already savors the Claret Jug. Never let your guard down! Perhaps he putts a little too relaxed, the fact is that he misses the hole, just as Els pots his shot on the 18th green. Now the distance between the two is only one point. Scott is at 17 and probably starting to get scared, he loses the accuracy he's been sporting for four days and does another bogey. At the 18th tee he is tied with Els, yet he can still win or at least go to the playoffs and hope to bring home his first major. Luck, however, at the least opportune moment, turns its back on him. The first shot is in the bunker, but with an excellent strategy he makes a short exit and then lands a splendid third shot in the flag. It's a star player's reaction and he has a 2-metre putt for the playoffs. That "whore" who has given him so much satisfaction in recent days has to make one last effort: Adam rests him against his chest, against his heart that is pounding. He shoots well, but misses by a few centimetres. A huge mistake.
Sergio Garcia has not yet recovered from a similar experience. Hopefully Scott can handle it. It is on these occasions that golf shows its meanest grin, because what puts a strain on are not the muscles but the brain.
Nice victory instead for Els, who this year couldn't even go to the Masters because he is out of the top 50 players in the world. Many gave him up for dead: Els, perhaps distracted by family life (he has an autistic son) no longer seemed to be on the ball on the greens and for some years now has been showing major problems on putts under two meters, a typical symptom of the decline of a champion. In Lytham, a field that suits him (here he also boasts a second and third place) silenced everyone. A great redemption and a satisfaction for his fans, who always admire his splendid swing. At the awards he has words of praise and encouragement especially for Scott.
Thirty-ninth position for Francesco Molinari. The performance of world number one, Luke Donald, was also good, closing at -2. Third position for Tiger Woods, never in the game, but who ends up with an honorable -3 tied with Brandt Snedeker.
