Jul 19 2009
Cink Outlasts Watson in Open Playoff
Stewart Cink birdied the difficult closing hole at the Open Championship Sunday to post a 72-hole score of 278. The two-under result seemed to be enough for only third place. However, British hope Lee Westwood bogeyed three of the last four holes to finish at one-under par. Tom Watson, posed to become the oldest-ever major champion and possibly the biggest upset ever in sports, couldn’t seize his sixth Claret Jug. Once his par putt came woefully short of the hole and was tapped into the cup for bogey, one was reasonably sure what would happen in the upcoming playoff.
Unlike the 18-hole Monday playoff used by the U.S. Open or the one-hole format used by typical pro tournaments, the Open Championship uses a four-hole system. Cink managed the four extra holes in two-under par. Watson slogged to a four-over par. By the middle of the third playoff hole–the par-five 17th–the 59-year-old Watson was clearly exhausted and unable to fulfill the dream so many had for him. Instead, the unassuming, 35-year-old Cink clinically clinched his first major title.
Alberto Cantador took control of the Tour de France Sunday by winning the 15th stage in grand fashion. Cantador broke away from the pack in the final five miles. Lance Armstrong, Cantador’s teammate, improved to second place overall. However, the lead–which had been a handful of seconds for more than a week–is now 97 seconds. Monday is an off day before racing continues in the Alps Tuesday.
Bo Van Pelt won his first PGA Tour with a birdie on the second playoff hole to defeat John Mallinger in Milwaukee. The Canadian Open–the third-oldest national championship–is slated for next week.
