The Agony and the Ecstasy

Lewine Mair's Open Championship notebook captures the highlights from a memorable week at Royal Lytham & St Annes, which saw Ernie Els claim his fourth major following Adam Scott's dramatic collapse.

Brandt Snedeker was singled out for his fast play “Legends make things happen,” said the award-winning Getty Images photographer, Ross Kinnaird, after he had watched first Tiger Woods and then Tom Watson finishing at the 18th on Friday night. Woods, after miscuing with his second, had just holed out from a greenside bunker to be six-under par and just four shots off the lead.

As for Watson, who was in the group behind, he took three putts at the 17th to slip to four-over-par before holing from all of 20 feet on the home green to put things to rights.

The old champion was there for the weekend, though there were moments on Saturday and Sunday when you had to suspect that he was half wishing he was sitting in his hotel with his feet up. He had the Senior Open at Turnberry ahead.

Curing the slow play problem seems likely to be a slow process even if, over Open week, Brandt Snedeker showed the way to go. This American plays at a rate of knots and when, in his Friday 64, there was a row going on at the 18th as spectators yelled at marshals who were in their way, he simply hit through the hullaballoo. To five feet, as it happened.

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