Sport

Left-hander Cochran keeps his nerve right to the end

SENIOR BRITISH OPEN: RUSS COCHRAN upstaged some of his more illustrious counterparts to become only the second left-hander after…

Mon Jul 25 2011 - 01:00

SENIOR BRITISH OPEN:RUSS COCHRAN upstaged some of his more illustrious counterparts to become only the second left-hander after Bob Charles to win the British Senior Open Championship.

The 52-year-old American saw off all-comers with a superb final round of 67 on a day of low scoring and high temperatures at Walton Heath Golf Club, in Surrey, to finish on 12 under par and prevail by two strokes from his compatriot Mark Calcavecchia.

The American duo of Corey Pavin and the evergreen Tom Watson finished a further stroke behind courtesy of respective rounds of 69 and 67, with England’s Barry Lane the highest European finisher on eight under par.

Cochran, who began the day as co-leader with South African David Frost and Calcavecchia, birdied the opening two holes and picked up further shots on the sixth, seventh and eighth holes to reach the turn in 31.

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Calcavecchia had been keeping pace with his compatriot after birdies on the second, third and sixth holes, but a double bogey five on the par three ninth hole, where he four-putted, ultimately cost him dearly. That left Cochran in charge of the tournament, and he came home in level par to follow in the spikemarks of Charles, who triumphed in 1989 and 1993.

The former US PGA Tour champion, who was tied third in last year’s British Senior Open at Carnoustie and was Rookie of the Year on the US Champions Tour in 2009, earned €220,961 for his valiant victory.

Cochran said: “The mindset I had today really helped me, because I haven’t been finishing off tournaments well this year. I feel like I should’ve won a couple of times, so it was starting to prey on my mind a little bit. But last night I thought of how Tom Watson plays when he’s in contention, and I tried to adopt his positive attitude.

“I was confident in my game all day, because I knew I’d been playing well. I was able to relax, and I got off to a good start by playing aggressively. After a few putts started to drop, my confidence just grew.

“It’s a wonderful feeling, and I really enjoy playing in Britain. I’ve always felt like my game is suited to the courses over here, and I enjoy meeting the challenge. I’ve always said my best chance of winning a Major was The Senior Open Championship . . . .”

Calcavecchia said: “The four whack on the ninth hole, those usually hurt you. The greens are tough here, but that was all my fault.”