TROON, July 18: American outsider Todd Hamilton held off the challenge of some of the game's biggest names before beating Ernie Els in a four-hole playoff for the 133rd British Open on Sunday.
The pair had finished level at 10-under 274, Hamilton bogeying the last for a 69 and Els making three birdies in the final six holes for a 68 at a blustery Royal Troon. Both players parred the first two extra holes before Hamilton went ahead at the 17th, Els missing the green to the left on his way to a bogey-four.
The pair then produced matching pars on 18 for Hamilton, world-ranked 56, to clinch the title. The American, who considered quitting the game until he won his PGA Tour card last December, appeared to have the title in his grasp when leading by a shot with one hole remaining in regulation play.
However, the 38-year-old from Illinois pushed his tee shot on 18 into the right rough and then hit his second well left, just short of the the public grandstand, before running up a bogey-five.
Els, who seemed to throw away his own victory hopes when he double-bogeyed the par-four 10th, had bounced back with birdies on 13, 16 and 17. The big-hitting South African then had a chance to seal victory at the last, but he narrowly missed his birdie attempt from eight feet.
US Masters champion Phil Mickelson had held the outright lead by one with seven regulation holes to play after Hamilton bogeyed the 10th. However, the American left-hander lost momentum after dropping on 13 and, despite a birdie at the par-five 16th, had to settle for third place at nine under with a closing 68.
Britain's Lee Westwood birdied two of the last three holes, including a 40-foot putt at the last, for a 67 and fourth place at six under. A further stroke back in a tie for fifth was 1997 US PGA champion Davis Love III, who holed his approach at the last for an eagle-two and a matching 67. Level with Love was Frenchman Thomas Levet, after a 72.
Tiger Woods, without a major title since the 2002 US Open, shared ninth place at three under with Canada's Mike Weir, after dropping three shots on the back nine. Final round scores (Britain unless stated, a-denotes amateur):
274 - Ernie Els (South Africa) 69, 69, 68, 68; Todd Hamilton (US) 71, 67, 67, 69 (Hamilton won four-hole playoff).
275 - Phil Mickelson (US) 73, 66, 68, 68.
278 - Lee Westwood 72, 71, 68, 67.
279 - Thomas Levet (France) 66, 70, 71, 72; Davis Love III (US) 72, 69, 71, 67.
280 - Retief Goosen (South Africa) 69, 70, 68, 73; Scott Verplank (US) 69, 70, 70, 71.
