Cink Beats Watson in Playoff, Wins British Open

One putt from 8 feet was all that separated Tom Watson from a moment no one imagined possible until he was close enough to make it happen with one final stroke.

Tom Watson of the US, right, is seen aboard a golf cart with his wife Hilary, left, following a...

Tom Watson of the US, right, is seen aboard a golf cart with his wife Hilary, left, following a press conference after his third round of the British Open Golf championship, at the Turnberry golf course, Scotland, Saturday, July 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

(AP)

On the verge of becoming golf's oldest major champion, Watson finally showed his 59-year-old nerves.

The par putt never had a chance. An hour later, neither did Watson.

"It would have been a hell of a story, wouldn't it?" Watson said. "And it was almost. Almost. The dream almost came true."

Turns out this British Open was too good to be true.

Stewart Cink, who made a 12-foot birdie on the final hole of regulation that only looked good enough for second place, overwhelmed a weary Watson in the four-hole playoff to win the British Open on Sunday.

Cink posed on the edge of a pot bunker with the claret jug. Watson walked into the press center and quickly sized up the mood.

"This ain't a funeral, you know," he said.

Watson stood on the 18th tee one last time, trailing the playoff by four shots, blinking away tears. He wasn't alone in his sadness. Thousands of fans who filled the grandstands for the first time all week sat in stunned silence.

Rarely does a major championship end like this one — to polite applause from a gallery of long faces.

Cink, who was never atop the leaderboard all week until Watson missed the winning putt, was flawless in the playoff. He opened with two pars, finished with two birdies and won by six, the largest margin in this format.

Cink and Watson finished at 2-under 278, the highest winning score in the four Opens held at Turnberry.

Gazing at the fabled trophy, he paid his due to the modern-day King of the Links.

"My hat's off to him," Cink said. "He turned back the clock. Just did a great job. I speak for all the rest of the people here, too."

Indeed, he did. The loudest cheer was for the player who won the silver medal.