Els wins Open after Scott’s four-hole meltdown

Ernie Els clinched his second Open Championship in dramatic fashion after overnight leader Adam Scott succumbed to the pressure on the final day.

The 42-year-old carded a final round of 65, which included a birdie at the 18th, to leave him 7 under par for the tournament, but Australian Scott, who had lead for the majority of the tournament, still found himself four shots clear at the 15th hole. The 32-year-old then went on to bogey the last four holes which ensured Els won his fourth major, ten years on from his last.

“I am just numb at the moment, I feel for Adam Scott, he is a great friend of mine“, said Els.

“We both wanted to win so badly, but I really feel for him. That is the nature of the beast, that is why we are out here.

“It was my time. I was hoping at best a play-off. A lot of people never thought I would win but I started believing this year, getting a lot of help from my family and the professionals around me.”

Els scoops a £900,000 prize for the event and moves from 40th to 15th in the world rankings following the victory. 14-time major winner Tiger Woods threatened to make a return to winning ways, but a triple bogey on the sixth all but ended his chances. While Scott’s playing partner Graeme McDowell settled for a fifth place tie with World Number One Luke Donald on two under par.

Dean Mears, Sports editor