The 00’s have officially passed us by and with it goes one of the most memorable decades in major championship golf history. The dominance of Tiger Woods was a hallmark of the past ten years and while the great man did produce some of the most impressive golf in major history there were other players on the major stage that who shone brightly as well. That being said, here are my top ten major memories from the last ten years.

1. Tiger Woods – 2000 U.S Open at Pebble Beach- It was by far the most dominating performance in the history of professional golf- there is not even a second place. Only one player in history had ever reached double-digits under-par in the U.S Open before (Gil Morgan ten years earlier at Pebble Beach), and Woods not only reached that number- he stayed there. When he eventually finished his domination for the field he had finished at -12 for the tournament and won by and astonishing 15 shots, relegating runners-up Ernie Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez to merely a trivia question in golf history. Such ruthless dominance may never be seen again.

2. Y.E Yang – 2009 U.S PGA Championship at Hazeltine National- While the decade was defined by the dominance of one man with a part-Asian heritage, the last major of the decade would see the first Asian, a South Korean, ever take down that same champion in dramatic fashion. It may take years to really see the impact of Y.E Yang’s victory at Hazeltine, but when we look back at the landscape of golf over the next ten years, this victory may be the one that changed everything.

3. Phil Mickelson – 2004 Masters- It took a while. Actually, it seemed like it took half a lifetime. Phil Mickelson’s first major win was followed by a collective sigh of relief from the golfing world and finally made a major champion out of “Lefty“. For Mickelson, it was akin to getting not just a monkey, not even a gorilla, but King Kong off his back.

4. Tiger Woods – 2001 Masters- It had never been done before and it may never be done again. It was not achieved by Hogan, or Snead, or Nelson. Not by Palmer or, Watson, or Player. Not even by Nicklaus. By winning the 2001 Masters Woods became the first man to hold all four major championships at once and stamped his place among the greats of all time.

5. Geoff Ogilvy – 2006 U.S Open at Winged Foot GC- Despite Ogilvy chipping-in on the 71st hole, the 2006 U.S Open will always be remembered for “the massacre” that followed. First, Padraig Harrington topped his approach into the 72nd hole, dropping himself from contention.  Then Colin Montgomery made double-bogey from the middle of the fairway and Jim Furyk missed from five-feet, both on the 72nd hole. Finally, Phil Mickelson puts the icing on the cyanide-cake by hitting the wildest drive ever hit on the final hole of the U.S Open, ultimately taking double bogey. Ogilvy, it turned out, was the last man standing.

6. Padraig Harrington – 2008 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale-  The next two majors make my list not because of the winner, but because who almost won. Ten years since he last made a serious run at a major Greg Norman almost became the oldest part-time golfer to ever win a major.  Ultimately he was trumped by the spectacular eagle Harrington made on 71st hole, one of the greatest clutch shots of the decade and the only reason I have placed this tournament ahead of the next one.

7. Stewart Cink – 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry- Like the previous entry, this Open Championship may have been the story of the decade if it had turned out a little different. Sexagenarian Tom Watson captured our hearts for four straight days at Turnberry, but eventually he ran out of steam, or mojo, or pars- which ever way you want to look at it, and succumbed to Stewart Cink in a playoff. With 99.9% of golf fans pulling against him Cink went ahead and accepted the Claret Jug, and his gracious response to the victory and to Watson himself should not be understated- a more deserving major champion may not exist.

8. Shaun Micheel -  2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill CC- Micheel’s win was the second consecutive come-from-nowhere victory in the majors following Ben Curtis at the 2003 Open Championship. Micheel’s win trumps Curtis and makes the list because of the dramatic way in which he won. Clinging to a one-shot lead and with the entire golfing world watching Micheel drew a 7-iron and hit the ball so close to the hole a beginner could have made the putt for birdie and not sweated it. It was simply jaw-dropping.

9. Tiger Woods – 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla GC- There were some great duels down the stretch over the past decade but none can match the one where a journeyman pro took on the greatest player of recent times- and almost won. Over the stretch of six hours that Sunday Bob May gave Tiger Woods all he could handle. That Woods came out on top was not a surprise- that May never once blinked was.

10.  Padaig Harrington – 2007 Open Championship at Carnoustie GL- It was supposed to be Sergio Garcia’s Open Championship. He led after all three rounds and looked to have the tournament locked up before he was caught by Steve Stricker, then by Andres Romero, and finally by Harrington. All four players tried valiantly to lose the tournament and at one stage it looked like nobody wanted to take the Claret Jug home with them. Despite two trips to the burn on the 18th hole Harrington prevailed in a playoff and somewhere the ghost of Jean Van de Velde smiled just a little bit.

If he hadn’t done so already at last month’s British Open, Ireland’s Padraig Harrington sealed his status as a true golfing heavyweight with his epic and draining victory at the USPGA Championship at Oakland Hills.

Battling through 36 strength-sapping holes on the final day, and then scrapping with Spain’s Sergio Garcia in a tussle reminiscent of their 2007 Open play-off, Harrington won his second straight major title by two strokes.

Rain had washed out most of Saturday, which meant the players had to fight through two rounds on Sunday.

Harrington went into the third round seemingly out of the reckoning, having shot a 74 in the second round to follow up his opening 71.

However, he saved his best for last with successive four-under-par 66s to complete the 72 holes in three-under 277, two ahead of Garcia and former Open winner Ben Curtis.

Colombia’s Camilo Villegas and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson were tied for fourth at one-over 281, with Steve Flesch along on 282.

Phil Mickeslon and Andres Romero both ended on 284 for joint seventh. India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, the first-round leader, and Korean Charlie Wi, who emerged as a contender on the final day, had to be satisfied on 285, along with Alastair Forsyth and Justin Rose.

But the day belonged to Harrington, who has done what no other European has achieved since Scotland’s Tommy Armour in 1930, and that is lift the Wannamaker Trophy, to go with the two Claret Jugs that he has already won.

Harrington himself was totally mystified by his ability to overcome his Open “hangover” and claim two straight major titles, last achieved by Tiger Woods in 2006. He said in a RTE Sports article:

“It is totally different to The Open. I was very confident in The Open. Here I hit some of the wildest golf shots ever hit on a golf course on Friday. In the end it was a lot of sheer willpower.”

Just as he had at Carnoustie in 2007, Garcia played a major role in ensuring an enthralling conclusion to the 90th PGA Championship.

That won’t make him feel any better, though, as the end result was the same, with Harrington all smiles and Garcia dejected, having come so close again to winning his first major title.

Garcia effectively lost it at the 16th when he hit an approach into the water. Still recovering, he missed fluffed an easy putt on the 17th to allow Harrington to take control. Said Garcia:

“If a couple of things had gone differently, we would have been talking differently. But they went Padraig’s way, not mine.”

Still, it would have taken some courage to beat Harrington. These were not easy conditions and two 66s was an amazing feat, even for the absent Tiger Woods.

Also, it was more than just a two-man race with Curtis, the 2003 Open champion, going into the fourth-round with a one-stroke lead over Stenson and American JB Holmes, who had put himself into contention at the halfway stage.

And indeed, Curtis appeared to be blowing away the opposition as he went four under after only six holes. But he came back down to earth around the turn with three bogeys that brought he field back.

Harrington was fairly subdued in the early holes of the fourth round following his sizzling third-round 66.

A bogey on the fifth was followed immediately by a birdie. It was after the turn that he really started to come to life.

He fired birdies on the 10th, 12th and 13th to stride alongside Garcia at three under as the tournament took on a matchplay feel.

Then came the decisive 16th, where Garcia’s ball fell in the drink with his second shot after it bounced off the green. Harrington fell into a greenside bunker and then blasted 25 feel past the hole.

The Irishman then holed the as Garcia bogeyed and both players were involved with a three-way tie with Curtis.

Garcia then lipped out on the 17th as Harrington nailed the putt, while Curtis fell one behind. On the final hole, Harrington, putting first, parred to ensure victory and Garcia, knowing the title was beyond reach, only managed a bogey.

There is something about injuries and winning a major this season. Padraig Harrington was only 75 per cent confident of completing 72 holes of a brutal British Open at Royal Birkdale because of a wrist injury.

In the end, it was not percentages but sheer guts, talent and determination that not only allowed him to last all four days, but helped him win his second straight Open title.

As for the wrist? Well, that was strong enough to raise the Claret Jug, having earlier helped him to a final round of one-under 69 for a total of three-over-par 283 and what turned out to be a comfortable four-stroke victory over England’s Ian Poulter, who also shot 69.

There was only going to be one fairytale at a windy Birkdale and the story of Greg Norman, attempting an unlikely major at 53, faded in the first three holes of Sunday’s fourth round as three straight bogeys wiped out his overnight two-shot lead.

Norman finished tied for third on nine over with Sweden’s Henrik Stenson after closing with 77. Stenson had a 71.

Jim Furyk and English amateur Chris Wood tied for fifth on 10 over, two ahead of a group of nine on 12 over 292. This included South African Ernie Els, whose closing 69 made him the only golfer apart from Harrington to shoot under par more than once in the tournament.

It was only an opening round 80 that stopped Els from being a contender.

Harrington became the first European in more than 100 years to win back-to-back Open titles, having enjoyed his first taste of major success last year at Carnoustie.

While Norman was a sentimental favourite, there was no lack of applause and kudos for the 36-year-old Irishman, who said in an AP article:

“I did say to him (Norman) coming down 18 that I was sorry it wasn’t his story that was going to be told. I did feel that, but I wanted to win myself. In this game, you have to take your chances when you get them. Obviously, winning a major puts you in a special club. Winning two of them puts you in a new club altogether.”

The Australian, a two-time Open champion, is only a part-time golfer these days, devoting more time to his course design business and his sometime appearances on the Senior Tour.

He also recently got married to former American tennis great Chris Evert. The last time he was in contention for a major was in 1996 when he famously collapsed in the last round at the US Masters, losing a six-shot lead and allowing Nick Faldo to sneak his sixth major.

As everyone knows, this is not the first time Norman has fallen in the final round with a major within his grasp. Will this go down as a choke? Maybe.

But more likely, it will be remembered as a time when Norman turned back the clock to entertain thousands on the course and millions watching on television. He said:

“I walk away from here disappointed, but with my head held high, because I hung in there. Where does it rank in those? Probably not as high as some of the other ones. Quite honestly, I’m sure I surprised a lot of people.”

Despite having a two-shot lead going into the par-five 17th, Harrington knew it was a great chance for Norman to get back into it with an eagle. As it turned out, Harrington nailed an eagle himself thanks to a glorious five-wood that stopped four feet away from the hole.

That gave him a four-stroke lead and pretty much sealed the title. Harrington admitted before teeing off on Thursday that his wrist injury would have forced him to withdraw from any other tournament. On the contrary, it turned out to be an excellent red herring for him, removing the pressure of being the defending champion.

“It was a great distraction for me. It took a lot of pressure off me. It took a lot of stress off me. The fact that I didn’t play three practice rounds like normal for a major was a big bonus. I was very fresh going into the weekend, and this 36 holes was a real battle.”

It has been a momentous past few days for Asian golf in a variety of ways. There were celebrations for the continent’s new number one, China’s Liang Wen-chong, while Asia’s women were on a high after victory over the Rest of the World in the Lexus Cup.

Meanwhile, Frenchman Jean Van De Velde, who came within a ill-fated driver of winning the 1999 British Open, said he was trying to qualify for next year’s Asian Tour.

And to cap it all off, Asian Tour officials say they have made peace with the European Tour over next year’s controversial Indian Masters.

First, Liang. The 29-year-old finished the season with a total of $532,590 in winnings to beat Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat by more than $90,000.

He became the first Chinese golfer to end up as Asian number one and his effort has earned him a place in the line-up for next year’s British Open.

At the Asian Tour’s year-ending awards in Bangkok, Thailand, Liang also won the Lowest Stroke Average title with 70.41 and the Players’ Player of the Year Award.

He replaces India’s Jeev Milkha Singh as the Asian number one.

There were also awards given out in Europe with Ireland’s Padraig Harrington winning the 2007 European Tour Golfer of the Year title, thanks largely to his victory at the British Open in Carnoustie.

It was Harrington’s first award, beating out stiff competition from Argentina’s US Open winner Angel Cabrera and England’s Justin Rose, who finished top of the European Order of Merit standings.

In Perth, Australia, Asia’s women withstood a strong fightback by the international team to win the Lexus Cup 15-9 at the Vines Resort and Country Club.

The Asian team were led by South Korea’s Pak Se-ri, who was pitted against Swede Annika Sorenstam.

After the first two days, Asia were always looking like they would win the tournament having taken a 9 ½ to 2 ½ lead from the fourballs. On the first day, Asia stormed to a 6-0 lead in the foursomes.

However, the internationals fought back and won most of the singles match-ups on the last day but the Asian’s held firm to hold on the title they won last year in Singapore.

Back to the men’s side of things, and Van de Velde could be the new high-profile name on next year’s Asian Tour.

The 40-year-old is this week taking part in the Asian Tour’s final stage qualifying school in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia with high hopes of winning his card.

Van de Velde now makes his home in Hong Kong and told the Asian Tour website:

“My life is taking me to Asia as my wife and my two year old baby are now based in Hong Kong. The Asian Tour is where I want to play and I would like to focus my game in this region.

“The Asian Tour is going to keep growing and become stronger every year. In the past five years, we have seen the prize money increase, the quality of the game improve and the interest rise and I would really love to be part of this exciting growth here.”

Van de Velde memorably suffered a meltdown at the 1999 British Open, having teed up at the final hole in Carnoustie with a three-stroke lead.

However, he used a driver instead of playing safe and after a series of comical shots, blew his lead and ended up in a play-off. The title was eventually won by Scotland’s Paul Lawrie.

More good news for Asia, and it looks like the controversy over the $2.5 million Indian Masters, to be held next year, has been settled.

The Asians were unhappy because the European Tour had organised the tournament unilaterally and were accused of golfing “colonialism”.

However, tour officials now say that relations are back on track and that the event is likely to enjoy joint sanction from both oorganisations.

The parties held talks during the recent golf World Cup in China and reports indicate it is all systems go for the Indian tournament.

However, a similar problem over an event in Korea has yet to be resolved, though there was no indication as to whether the two sides have addressed the issue.

A recent article on the European Tour website highlighted the “record number of European Tour members” competing at this year’s US PGA Championship, the final Major of the year at Tulsa, Oklahoma.

It claims to have 48 golfers due to take part at Southern Hills Country Club from August 9-12 but some of those names have a distinctly Asian flavour to them.

And being a great supporter of Asian golf, we are claiming these guys. They include Indians Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa and Chinese golfer Liang Wenchong.

Korea’s YE Yang is also part of the crew, no doubt keen to link up with his high-flying compatriot and PGA Tour member KJ Choi, who had a top-10 finish at the recent British Open and is also an Asian.

Asian golf has made huge strides over the past few years. However, the reality is, that golfers from this part of the world will not be taken seriously until one of them wins a Major.

Ignoring the fact that Tiger Woods is, in fact, half Asian, there does not appear to be many golfers from the world’s largest continent who can make that Major breakthrough.

Choi definitely is one of them. He has won six PGA Tour titles, including two over the past few months, and has the game and the mental strength to triumph in one of golf’s most prestigious tournaments.

Jeev, himself, said that Choi’s performance at the Open in Carnoustie was an inspiration to other Asian players. He was quoted in a Reuters article as saying:

“There is a lot of talent in Asia and I think in the near future you will see a lot more Asians winning worldwide in the big events. They feel that players like KJ and others who are doing well on different tours can do it and therefore why not them? It’s a good thing to have that in yourself, to believe that if someone else can do it, why not me?”

Jeev, who has had some notable victories in Europe over the past year, is also one of those golfers who could give Asian its first Major winner.

Golfers such as Jeev and Choi were groomed on the Asian Tour. Fijian Vijay Singh, many years back, also once used Asia as a base from where he honed his skills.

However, it’s time for less talk and more action. Asia has some of the best and most spectacular golf courses in the world. It’s time we can say the same about our golfers.

As young Patrick Harrington asked his daddy if he could put ladybirds in the Claret Jug he had no idea that eyes of the world were on him.

But as daddy celebrated, one man knew only too well that he had strode onto a global stage and blown his lines. Sergio Garcia looked like he wanted to put the ashes of his dreams inside that famous trophy. And then throw it into the Barry Burn.

Afterwards Harrington spoke of the prospect of defeat, of being unsure if he could have played again. On the 72nd hole he had stared down the barrel of a “Van de Velde.” Somehow he had managed not to pull the trigger. If nothing else Harrington deserved every last rumble of applause, every last chorus of a rather slurred Molly Malone for the dogged determination that dragged him through his wobble into the water.

But, and whisper it in the clubhouses of Ireland, did the right man win? I respect and admire Harrington. I am genuinely delighted for him and hope he wins more majors. Still though I hear an evil voice whispering niggling doubts about what happened to European golf in that thrilling dénouement.

Before the Open began Colin Montgomerie spoke of the need for a European world beater to come along, win a major and open the floodgates for sustained European success. In short Monty was calling for another Seve.

For all his talent, his desire, his dedication, his charm, does Harrington fit the bill? Or is it the mercurial, frustrating, delightful, unpredictable Spanish Ryder Cup warrior that would be the more fitting heir to the great Ballesteros. Does Harrington, the highly skilled artisan have the spark to light a powder keg of European glory? Or would a flash of Sergio’s artistry have been more likely to begin a sustained period of major success – both for himself and for Europe?

Time will, of course, be the only measure of this theory. But how painful Harrington’s words must have been for Garcia. He had led for the majority of the tournament. Harrington thought he had blown it on the final hole. Most thought Garcia had won it by the time he teed off on day four. If Harrington had worried that he may never have recovered how does Garcia feel now? Another major, another chance. But, in the end, he wilted in the heat of the battle.

Where does Sergio go from here? Tiger Woods is not alone in feeling that Garcia should have won majors by now. But with each disappointment the final hurdle becomes harder to negotiate. Will it be easy to forget Carnoustie in 2007 the next time he leads a major?

Harrington has his place in history. Garcia must now prove he can forget and recover. If he can’t, then his own shot at immortality will be missed as surely as he missed that ten foot putt on the final hole.

Golf is a game of fine margins – when the chance comes, shaving the hole is no better than missing by a foot. Now is the time for Sergio to show that he will not be content with the career of a nearly man – few people remember the men that only shaved the hole when faced with the prospect of greatness.

Sports and marketing. The curse of the modern era. The English Premiership is the “Greatest Show on Earth!” Lewis Hamilton is the “British Tiger Woods.” So it was inevitable that the last month would be Scotland’s “Summer of Golf!”

No matter that any use of the word “summer” is somewhat ironic with the weather pretty much remaining the meteorological equivalent of a slap in the face with a wet fish. Or that every season in the – marketing lingo again – “home of golf” is dominated by the game.

But let’s forgive the gurus at Visit Scotland. Because the golf, unlike the weather, has been unforgettable.

If we could write our own scripts? Well, we can’t – and please allow me a bit of US bashing here – but it’s gone the way a lot of us would have liked to imagine it if we were in the business of penning romantic fantasies.

First Loch Lomond. Gregory Havret, not even a household name in his own chateau, stares down the great Mickelson on the bonny banks and beats him at the death. How he deserved to drink the champagne that was poured over him on the final green.

Then Carnoustie, the course rehabilitated in the eyes of the golfing world, and another play-off. This one even more special:it’s two Europeans. Irish eyes are smiling, Spanish eyes are crying but the Europeans are coming.

Then down the east coast. Muirfield, and this time the US roars back. But Tom Watson is a legend in these parts anyway. Almost an honorary Scot in fact.

And now we are back over the Forth Bridge, our summer of golf apparently as endless as the task of painting that Victorian wonder, for the Women’s Open. Played for the first time at the most famous links in the world.

Early reports suggest we’re in for a cracker. The players seem to be drinking in the history, the atmosphere of St Andrews firing them up to give Scotland’s glorious golfing extravaganza the perfect send off.

And when it is finally all over, all we will be able to say is “thank you and haste ye back.”

The names were big enough for a Major tournament. Tom Watson, Mark O’Meara and Nick Faldo were among the star elements who took on Muirfield in the Senior Open Championship.

Faldo, at 50, was making his debut and was the co-leader after the first round. In the end, it was American links ace Watson who triumphed, capturing his 13 Major in regular and senior tours and his third Senior Open title.

Watson, who was battling O’Meara and Stewart Ginn over the final round, emerged victorious by one stroke after closing with a 73. That gave him a four-round total of level par 284.

Only one from the top three managed to break 70 all week, and that was Ginn, who scored 69 in the third round.

The Australian finished tied for second with O’Meara, who shot 72 on Sunday. Faldo, who scored 68 in his opening round, finished tied for 14th with Japan’s Kiyoshi Murota at eight over par.

Watson, who raised the trophy in front of a record crowd for a Senior British Open, admitted in an article on the European Tour website that he drew inspiration from his Muirfield victory in 1980. He said:

“A lot of the same thoughts came back. The tee shot at 12, the tee shot at 18. I birdied the 11th in 1980 and again today. That gave me a lot of breathing room. In ’80 it gave me a five or four shot lead, and today it gave me a three shot lead. It was a big deal.”

As a journalist, the one and only time I came across Watson was at the 1997 Dunlop Phoenix tournament in Miyazaki, Japan.

He won the tournament and then gave a horde of local and international journalists a rollicking time in his press conference. Watson came across as courteous, erudite and confident.

He had that certain look in his eye … the look of someone who has earned respect rather than demanded it. And indeed, the respect he has earned has come not only from his golfing prowess but his personality.

One young golfer fast earning respect is Argentina’s 26-year-old Andres Romero, who triumphed at The Players’ Championship of Europe at Gut Kaden for his maiden title on the European Tour.

Romero, who came close to winning the Open Championship at Carnoustie, has rocketed to 29th on the world rankings from 114 in only two weeks.

Romero, whose compatriot Angel Cabrera won the US Open last month, won by an impressive three strokes, scoring 19 under for the tournament. Denmark’s Soren Hansen and England’s Oliver Wilson were tied for second.

In Markham, Ontario, American Jim Furyk won his first PGA Tour title of the season when he successfully defended his Canadian Open title.

Furyk struck seven-under-par 64 in his final round to edge Vijay Singh by a single stroke, having trailed the Fijian by three shots after the third day’s play.

His final round included a hole-in-one at the 13th hole, the third ace of his career after earlier birdieing two of the first three holes.

As an 18-year-old, Nick Faldo was awestruck by Tom Watson and the way the American would hit the ball during the British Open at Carnoustie.

More than three decades later, the relationship between the two golfing legends have changed significantly. No longer is Faldo the inspired kid and Watson the role model.

This week, they are peers, fellow pros and playing partners at Muirfield, the place where Faldo won two of his Open titles and the course where he makes his debut at the Senior British Open.

It is more than 10 years since Faldo last won a Major title, the US Masters, and at last week’s British Open in Carnoustie, he failed to make the cut.

The 50-year-old doesn’t do much playing these days, with his expertise usually more sought in the commentary box, designing golf courses or helping to groom the next generation of golf stars, be it from Britain or Asia.

As such, he is not confident about his chances of becoming the new kid on the block, as far as seniors are concerned, anyway.

As he said in an AP article:

“I have been busy with TV and course design visits across Europe and America.This my longest season of golf – two weeks – in the year. I can go on memories, but I still have to hit the golf ball. These guys have played probably 20 tournaments this year. I have played two weeks.”

Still, if it’s memories he wants, there’s no better place to look than Muirfield. In 1987, Faldo made 18 straight pars in the final round to win the tournament. In 1992, he beat John Cook for another Open title.

The emotions stirred by Major tournaments in golf can be intense to the extreme. How a pro performs under pressure can not only change his life but also his character.

Such was the weight of a three-foot bogey putt in the British Open play-off that Irishman Padraig Harrington faced on the 18th at Carnoustie, a course that once reduced Frenchman Jean Van De Velde from a confident, driver-wielding potential champion to a shoeless comedian who had lost his way, probably forever.

Harrington knew that chances to win the British Open at one of the tournament’s most unforgiving courses come just once in a lifetime, And that to only a select few. He had the chance to be the chosen one on this day, even though Spaniard Sergio Garcia, was in a position to take it away from him.

As Harrington was quoted by AP as saying:

“I know it was only a short putt, but the emotions of it … I couldn’t believe it as it was rolling in from right in the middle of the hole, and I’m thinking, ‘The Open champion’. If Sergio parred the last and I did lose, I think I would have struggled to come back out and be a competitive golfer. It meant that much to me.”

Indeed, it would to anyone when it comes to winning a Major during the era of Tiger Woods, the champion in 2005 and 2006 who dropped out of contention after the second round.

Harrington was forced into the play-off after a double-bogey on the 18th, which included two shots that ended up at the bottom of the famous Barry Burn that Van De Velde almost dared to wade in when the Open was last played at Carnoustie in 1999.

Harrington became the first Irishman in 60 years to win the Open and also ended Europe’s long drought in the tournament.

For Garcia, his defeat was Van De Velde-esque in slow motion, because it came over 18 holes rather than one. The Spanish hope held a three-stroke overnight lead but saw it disappear.

He closed with a 73 for a total of seven-under-par 277, same as Harrington, who had 67. Argentina’s Andres Romero, who at one time held a two-shot lead, finished alone on third after his closing 67 gave put him one stroke behind the leaders.

Tied for fourth on 279 were Australia’s Richard Green, who finished with a brilliant 64, and South Africa’s former champion Ernie Els (69).

Harrington had virtually won the play-off at the first hole when he took three for birdie while Garcia needed five.

The pair matched each other for the next two holes with three and four and, although the Spaniard made par on the final hole, Harrington’s bogey was enough for a one-stroke play-off victory.

Garcia, who burst on to the scene as a teenager, now needs to go away and get his head straight. He has too much talent to let the mental anguish of squandering a big lead at the British Open affect his career.

A true champion is one who embraces disappointment. Harrington, though, will be happy enough to embrace the Claret Jug.

This week, for the first time since I’ve been watching golf, the British Open teed off without Seve Ballesteros (My all-time favorite player).

By now, most golf fans are aware that earlier this week Seve announced his retirement – an announcement that officially ends one of the most exciting careers in the history of golf. I know, I know — some will argue that Seve’s career was over a long time before this announcement. And it’s been years since Seve played the type of golf that could be considered “competitive.” But I, despite Seve’s lack of performance, always held out hope for one last piece of magic. You know, the kind of magic Jack Nicklaus summoned at the 1986 Masters, where he willed all his talent and experience into one prolific 9 holes.

For me, it’s almost like Beatles fans, and how they must have felt the day John Lennon was killed. Back then, there was the obviousness sadness that came with his death — but also the sadness that came with knowing a possible comeback would never happen.

But alas, Seve made it clear earlier this week that he no longer wants to play competitive golf. At his press conference announcing his decision, he was quoted as saying on the BBC Website:

“I don’t have the desire any longer,” he said. “I have worked very hard from morning to night and put all my energy and effort into the game, focused 100% and I felt that was enough.

“I have a number of good years left and I’d rather spend time now with my three children and my companies and friends.”

Seve Ballesteros with companies? This just doesn’t seem right to me. Seve was born to be on a golf course — not a board-room. Seve was born to use that world-class imagination around the greens — not for profit margins.

I think in some ways, this has led to Seve’s alleged unhappiness the last few years. There’s always going to be something missing in a person’s life when they’re not doing what they’re born to do. And Seve was born to play golf — even if that golf has not been good lately. He has been so unhappy — he had to come out recently to deny an apparent suicide attempt. As reported by Josh Sanburn at GOLF.com, Seve came out with this statement a couple weeks ago:

“Due to increasing rumors centered on me that are being spread out mainly by the tabloid press, I wish to distribute this release to declare and confirm that I am doing perfectly well,” Ballesteros said. “In the past, falsehood about me was let out and I never answered back because I do not speak about my private life. If I do now it is because different twisted statements about my state of health have been circulating.”

Again, Seve shouldn’t be forced to make these kind of statements. Instead, Seve should be making birdies from parking lots or pumping his fist at St. Andrews.

In the late 70′s and early 80′s, Seve almost single-handedly lifted the European Tour on his shoulders and brought world-wide respect to its brand. His play made it possible for Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam and Bernhard Langer to believe — they too could take on the world.

Also, without Seve’s inspirational golf, the Ryder Cup would not be the spectacle it is today. And it surely wouldn’t be something that causes American fans to wonder — how can we win the cup back? This flow of great players from Europe and belief in their ability as world-beaters — is directly related to Seve’s influence.

Jose Maria Olazabal, His Ryder Cup partner, had this to say when hearing about Seve’s retirement.

“It a very special day,” said Olazabal, who with Ballesteros won 11, halved two and lost only two matches against the Americans, “because what Seve means for golf, in Europe mainly, nobody from a later generation will understand. He has been a real inspiration for me, the best friend I’ve had in my career,” he added. “He was really the master.”

I wonder if younger players really know just how good he was. I wonder if they know how much they owe him for what they take for granted on Tour. I wonder, because Seve was basically done playing world-class golf after 1988, if they understand that for about 10 years, there may have never been a brighter star in the history of the game — except maybe Bobby Jones and Tiger Woods.

This has been somewhat of a sad week for me — because I knew, even though Seve would probably not play well — I would at least get a chance to see him. The BBC would always at least, out of respect, show him hit a few shots. And those few shots would be enough to rekindle some great memories. But of course, with Seve’s announcement, there were no shots of him swinging this week. No more inprobable chips or putts.

And with that announcement, officially comes the end of an era.

No longer will I, an American golf pro, secretly root for the Europeans in the Ryder Cup. No longer will I, as much as I respect Tiger Woods, have a hero in the game.

I should have known the end was near, when a couple years ago I had to put my German Shepherd to sleep after a long fulfilling life. My dog’s name was of course — Seve. Truly the end of an era.

I’ll miss you Seve.

The British Open buzz in Asia is all about KJ Choi and his great performance so far at Carnoustie.

South Korean Choi has been billed as the Asian most likely to win a Major, and he has certainly shown he can slug it out with the best during his career.

Recently, he won his fifth title on the PGA Tour, and whether or not he goes on to achieve anything at Carnoustie this weekend, there is still a lot Choi can offer in the future.

One man who believes this is Scot Andy Prodger, who once caddied for former Open winner Nick Faldo.

Prodger said on the Asian Tour website:

“KJ is becoming a very, very good golfer. He’s become a better player than before. He changed his swing and his technique is 10-fold better. His mind feels he can win a major. He has the skill to win this tournament, that’s for sure.”

Ignoring the fact that Tiger Woods has an Asian mother, the continent is still waiting for their first Major winning.

The closest was Taiwan’s Lu Liang Huan, better known as “Mr Lu”, who battled Lee Trevino over the final holes of the 1971 British Open but finished second by a stroke.

Choi grew up in the island of Wando, where there was no golf. His first passion was powerlifting but he switched to golf when his guru gave him a Jack Nicklaus instructional video.

Apart from Choi, there was little cheer for Asia at Carnoustie.

Indian hope Jeev Milkha Singh missed the cut. His second round of 73 was four strokes better than his first round but his eight-over total of 150 too large to get him through to the weekend.

There was disappointment also for Singapore’s Lam Chih Bing as well. He totalled 153 over two rounds to exit the tournament.

At 6:30 this morning Joe Durant had the honour of being the first player to play the opening shot of this year’s Open Championship. You can imagine despite days of practice, the realisation that this shot is for real and counts, must make even the most confident pro nervous. It’s a whole different ball game to the practice days when the players get the chance to experiment with different shots, have a laugh with their playing partners and sign autographs whilst they play.

I had the pleasure of walking around Carnoustie Championship Links two days ago, a day of summer sunshine sandwiched between the downpours of Monday and Wednesday. It certainly must have kept the players guessing what clothing to pack in their golf bags – ultimately you need everything for Carnoustie.

Below I have displayed five videos from my day at Carnoustie:

360 Degree View From Behind The 17th Green

A 66 second video recorded at the top of the grandstand behind the 17th green. The video shows the Par 4 17th hole called Island at 461 yards and the Par 4 18th hole called Home at 499 yards. Footage also shows a complete view of the course in all directions.

360 Degree View From Beside The 18th Green

A 54 second video recorded at the top of the grandstand beside the 18th green. The video shows the 18th hole, the hotel and town as it pans 360 degrees.

Panned View From Beside The 18th Green

A 21 second video recorded at the top of the grandstand beside the 18th green. The video shows the 18th hole green and hotel before panning the length of the hole.

Panned View of the 18th Green and 1st Tee

A 20 second video showing the 18th Green, then panning to show the hotel and 1st tee.

Panned View of the Practice Range

Short 19 second video panning the practice range

I’m sitting staring out the window prevented, by a deadline, from enjoying this rare blast of sunshine out on the fairway – or out on the sun terrace, chilled drink in my hand.

It strikes me, however, that this is the weather that I associate with the Open – the weather that accompanied long hours in the back garden trying, with plastic balls and cut off clubs, to recreate the genius of Sandy Lyle or Greg Norman.

Or the weather that accompanied that first, awe inspiring trip to the final day of practice at Muirfield. Or the long hours, and mind bending wages, of a week spent marshalling a car park in Gullane.

Or, later, the weather that accompanied the long hours following Montgomerie, Woods or Els around the links, then the long hours enjoying the beer gardens of East Lothian or Fife.

The record books will disagree with me but hot days and the Open always seem to go hand in hand. And the excitement, the build up of enjoyable tension from the newspaper supplements on the weekend of the Scottish Open to the final, spine tingling, walk of the Open champion down the last fairway, remains undimmed throughout the years.

Why? The World Cup, perhaps because it is only every four years and has come to represent the bloated world of football, has lost its lure. Wimbledon – for all its protestations – is now no different from the other tennis ‘slams’ and is no longer a spectacle. And yet the Open remains, its spirit intact.

Partly this is because the Open, even when it is played in England, always feels like a Scottish event. The thrawn, stubborn links courses could be a striking metaphor for the Scottish character. This is a world class, modern golf tournament, but somehow it remains true to the aims of those hardy pioneers at the links of Prestwick and Musselburgh.

In part it is the unpredictability of the tournament. The Open remains open – even in the Tiger era, a plucky artisan like Paul Lawrie or an unknown apprentice like Todd Hamilton can make their mark and steal the glory.

And there remains the lingering feeling that this, far more than the manicured beauty of Augusta or the lengthy test of the US Open, remains golf. For just one week we can all become purists, dedicated to preserving the game as it was meant to be played.

We can nod knowingly as the latest big name from America struggles or shake our heads and wonder why more Brits can’t learn on the links courses that decorate our coast line. As spectators we are knowing and appreciative, sharing in the ups and downs of the professionals. Somehow, when we smell the sea, we are all, players, galleries and pundits, equal in the face of the true champion – links golf itself.

And so Carnoustie welcomes us this week. There will be tears and tantrums, genius and joy. And, for one more week, an ageing Scottish links will rule golf. This is how it has always been and how it always will be. For, more than anything, the Open provides the comfort of certainty. It is there, so all will be well.

The end, when it eventually came, was anti-climatic, messy, an affront to the irresistible force of the career that came before.

Seve had finally held his hands up and acknowledged that nobody, not even him, could fight off the ticking of the clock. In reality we knew it had been over for some time. Out of contention for over a decade, not for Ballesteros the gentle decline of the seniors circuit.

For Seve, perhaps more than any other golfer, it was all or nothing. His game, his body, had nothing left to give. His heart, monitored and probed on a hospital ward, finally had to be ruled by his head.

At the press conference announcing the end Ballesteros seemed bereft. Golf, for sure, seems a more desperate place without him.

Ken Schofield, who as chief executive of the European Tour guided the million pound industry that the Seve factor created, called him “our Arnold Palmer.”

It is a fitting comparison. Like Palmer in America, others would come in Seve’s wake and match or better his feats. But, like Watson and Nicklaus and Woods in the States, Faldo, Lyle, Langer et al would perform on a European stage that Seve built. Arnie’s Army never lost their passion for the man who started it all: in Europe, for all the applause that greeted Faldo, Woosnam or Montgomerie, the galleries still pined for a flash of the genius that began it all.

Faldo would out major Seve. But it was the temperamental Ballesteros who seemed to talk to us more. In his pomp Faldo’s genius was to never play a bad shot. Seve’s genius was to do the impossible to recover from the wayward drive that would have tamed lesser men. Faldo was the functional 1960’s Coventry Cathedral, Seve was the beauty, romance and flaws of Gaudi’s unfinished Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.

Woosnam, Lyle, Faldo, Langer. Greats all. But none of them learnt the game on the beach using a stick as a club. Seve offered something exotic as well as genius, as if we could never quite relate to the immortal that walked among us.

We can imagine Jack Nicklaus admiring the flawless iron play of Faldo, the laid back artistry of Lyle or the competitive fires that burnt in Woosnam. But surely it is only Seve that could ever have left the Golden Bear purring over the “greatest golf shot ever” as he was at the 1983 Ryder Cup.

Europe won 19 majors from Seve’s seminal victory in the 1979 Open to Paul Lawrie’s play off triumph at Carnoustie in 1999. Seve claimed five of them. Other players have won more, yet Seve had the wizadry of an artist, an innate ability to astound and astonish that perhaps defies any measure of quantity.

Would it not have been better for Seve to finish at Carnoustie? To have exited stage left with applause ringing in his ears, to have, like Nicklaus, that one last taste of acclaim and worship. Perhaps. But, in truth, the ghosts of his brilliance will forever tread the greatest stages in golf. Seve wrote his own scripts, finally he has chosen to fade to darkness. All we can do is applaud the genius that God gave him and he, in turn, gave us.