Darren Clarke became the oldest Open champion since 1967 on this day in 2011.
The 42-year-old Northern Irishman shot an even-par 70 on the final day to hold off the challenge of American duo Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson and win by three strokes at Royal St George’s, Sandwich.
It was an emotional victory as Clarke had lost his wife Heather to breast cancer five years earlier, with their two sons watching on at home across the Irish Sea.
“I’ve been writing this speech for 20 years now and it’s been a long bumpy road,” said Clarke, who had held the lead since the second day at the Kent course.
“This means a lot to me and my family and as you may know there is someone up there looking down on me as well.”
It was the third win for a Northern Irishman at a major in the space of 13 months after Graeme McDowell’s 2010 US Open success and Rory McIlroy’s victory at the 2011 edition at Congression Country Club, Maryland, a month earlier.
Clarke became the oldest Open champion since Roberto De Vicenzo’s triumph in 1967 at the age of 44.
McIlroy revels in 'awesome' 25th PGA Tour title alongside Lowry
Rory McIlroy said his 25th PGA Tour title was made all the more special by the fact it came alongside Shane Lowry after the Irish duo won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in a play-off on Sunday.
Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer were among the early starters in Avondale and set a target of 25 under by carding a nine-under 63 in the fourth round.
It went down to the wire as McIlroy and Lowry birdied the final hole to set up a play-off, which they won by making par after Trainer missed his par putt.
The victory took McIlroy to a quarter of a century on the PGA Tour, and he said lifting the trophy alongside a close friend made it one of his most memorable.
The world number two said: "To win any PGA Tour event is very cool, but to do it with one of your closest friends…
"Think about where we met and where we've come from, to be on this stage and do this together, it was just awesome to be able to do it alongside this guy."
Former Open champion Lowry, who now has three PGA titles to his name, added: "Rory brings a crowd, and people love him.
"We've got a lot of love this week in New Orleans, we've had just the best week. We went out there, we had loads of fun, and we won the tournament. You couldn't ask for a better week."
Chase outdone by opposite number Paudel as West Indies A suffer four-wicket loss to Nepal
West Indies A’s tour of Nepal got off to an unfortunate start, after they suffered a four-wicket loss to their host in a high scoring opening fixture of their five-match Twenty20 series at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur, on Saturday.
Set a formidable 204 by West Indies A, Nepal’s thrilling victory, which was set up by a captain’s knock from Rohit Paudel, etched their names in the history books, as they successfully got to their target at 206-6 with two balls to spare.
Paudel smashed a 54-ball 112, including 10 fours and two sixes to see his team to a 1-0 lead in the series, which West Indies Head coach Darren Sammy said offers his team a chance to define roles and personnel more clearly for their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup squad.
However, the Caribbean side’s all-round effort was found wanting, as only captain Roston Chase (74), Alick Athanaze (47) and Keacy Carty (38) offered any resistance with the bat, while only Obed McCoy (2-34) and Matthew Forde (2-49) had some semblance of success with the ball.
Scores: West Indies A 204-5 (20 overs); Nepal 206-6 (19.4 overs)
Asked to take first strike, after losing the toss, West Indies A suffered an early blow, as they lost Johnson Charles (zero) off the last ball of the opening over, with 16 runs on the board. Andre Fletcher (13) stuck two sixes off five balls, before he too departed via the run-out route, leaving West Indies A at 43-2 in the fourth over.
However, Athanaze went about business, striking three sixes and five fours in a 25-ball knock, as he put on 43 for the third wicket with Chase, prior to his demise. From there, Chase and Carty added another 60 runs in a fourth-wicket stand that defined the innings.
Carty’s 38 off 26 balls, included two fours and three sixes, while Chase, who anchored the innings with a captain’s knock, struck nine fours and two sixes in his 46-ball 74. Kadeem Alleyne, on 14, and Keemo Paul, one, were left not out.
No Nepal bowler took more than one wicket.
With runs on the board, West Indies A would have felt confident of wrapping up a win, even more so, after Forde and McCoy combined to remove openers Anil Sah (five) and Kushal Bhurtel (16) to have Nepal at 38-2 in the fifth over.
West Indies remained in the ascendancy when Fletcher and Charles combined to run out Kushal Malla (16), leaving their host on the ropes at 82-3 at the halfway mark.
However, Paudel showed class, in not only reviving his team’s innings, but pushed them all the way with some aggressive stroke play, assisted by wayward bowling from West Indies A attack at times. Dipendra Singh Airee (24) offered support to his captain in getting Nepal across the line for a famous victory.
'I wish you all the best..': Narine officially shuts door on Windies comeback for T20 World Cup
The hopes of Sunil Narine's pursuers and cricket enthusiasts at large were dashed, as the player has shut the proverbial door on coming out of retirement, thereby ruling himself out of selection to represent West Indies at the upcoming ICC Men's Twenty20 World Cup.
West Indies captain Rovman Powell and Cricket West Indies vice-president Azim Bassarath were among those hoping to convince Narine to make himself available for one last hurrah at the June 1-29 global showpiece to be hosted in the Caribbean and United States. However, the decision that fans awaited with bated breaths came recently when Narine confirmed that "that door is now closed" despite his stellar form for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.
Narine, 35, is currently leading the tournament's MVP standings after a remarkable run of form, including a magnificent 56-ball unbeaten 109 against Rajasthan Royals last week, his maiden T20 century. He is also KKR's joint-leading wicket-taker, taking nine at 22.11 with his offspin, at an economy rate of 7.10.
That rich vein of form is what initially resulted in Powell's pursuit, as the Jamaican admitted that he had been "whispering in [Narine's] ears" over the previous 12 months, ahead of what will be West Indies' first home World Cup campaign since 2007.
Narine, who retired from international cricket in November 2023, having not played for West Indies since 2019, insisted he was not about to change his mind.
"I'm truly flattered and humbled that my performances recently have moved many people to publicly express their wish for me to come out of retirement and play in the upcoming T20 World Cup," Narine wrote in a statement issued by KKR,
"I have made peace with that decision and whilst I never wish to disappoint, that door is now closed, and I will be supporting the guys who take the field in June for West Indies. Guys who have worked hard for the past few months and deserve to show our wonderful fans that they are capable of winning another title - I wish you all the best," he added.
The Darren Sammy-led West Indies, who won the 2012 and 2016 edition, will be hunting a third title overall and first with Sammy at the helm as coach.
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