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Duval becomes a Major Champion
REVIEW OF THE OPEN 2001:
By David Prior, PA Sport
Quote of the Championship - "Ian, you're going to go ballistic
here, we have two drivers in the bag" - Ian Woosnam's caddie on discovering
fifteen clubs in his man's bag on the second tee in the last round of the Open.
 On
a day of high drama, David Duval finally won that elusive major title, with a
comforatble three shot margin of victory Royal Lytham.
Of the early starters, Davis Love III set the pace, reaching the
turn in just 30 strokes. With a birdie at the 11th, the former US PGA Champion
moved to five under. Love finished with a 67 and a final total of 281, three under
par.
Tiger Woods looked ominous in the early stages of his round, recovering
from a bogey at the first to fire a hat-trick of birdies from the fourth. But
any slim chance for Woods finally evaporated with a disastrous triple bogey six
on the short 12th.
Sweden's Niclas Fasth was the first to make a move through the
congested pack. The 29-year-old birdied the first, third, sixth and seventh to
surge to seven under and the take lead on his own.
 Overnight
joint leader Ian Woosnam began the day in stunning fashion, firing to within 12
inches of the hole on the first for an opening two to join Fasth in the lead on
seven under.
But in an astonishing incident on the next tee the Welshman was
handed a two-shot penalty for having over the allotted number of 14 clubs in his
bag.
The penalty dropped him back into the cluster on five under but
Woosie responded well with a steady par, despite his obvious annoyance.
David Duval, after a steady two-par start, holed a 25-foot putt
for a birdie on the third to make his first move, closing Fasth's lead to one
at seven under. He was enjoying some fortunate breaks in his front nine and maintained
his seven-under score with a run of pars. He was joined by compatriot Billy Mayfair
however, who after a steady start birdied both par fives on the front nine, the
sixth and seventh, to move to seven under.
Ulsterman Darren Clarke, after a dropped shot at the third, put
himself back into contention at six under with an eagle three on the sixth. Woods'
challenge ended with a whimper, with birdies at the 16th and 17th coming too late
and the American relinquished his hold on the trophy with a 71 for a one-under
total of 283.
Vijay Singh, who has already won both the US PGA and US Masters,
was enjoying his best round of the week and after an eagle at the sixth, birdies
at the seventh, eighth and 14th moved him to within a stroke of the lead on six
under. But the Fijian failed to maintain the momentum and a double bogey on the
last consigned him to a four-under total of 280, well out of the running.
Duval was continuing a fine round however and went two shots clear
with a birdie on the long sixth. Ice-cool Fasth meanwhile, after a bogey on the
14th, finished his round with four straight pars to assume the clubhouse lead
on seven-under-par 277. Woosnam was bravely recovering after his early aberration,
and after a superb eagle at the long sixth he parred the 11th and 13th to move
to seven under and very much in the picture again.
Duval, after a fourth birdie of the day at the 11th had moved
him to 10 under, finally made his first error of the day at the short 12th. After
finding a greenside bunker, the American could only splash out to 10 feet and
then pulled the return putt left of the hole to fall back to nine under.
Almost immediately Jimenez bogeyed to move him back to seven under,
meaning that with six holes to play Duval stood two clear ahead of Fasth, Jimenez,
Woosnam and Clarke. Another bogey sent Jimenez back into a tie for fifth on six
under, and Duval's grip on the Claret Jug appeared to be tightening as the other
challengers fell away.
Clarke became the next to submit his hold on the top prize, flirting
with two bunkers on the way to a double bogey six to fall back to six under. A
par at the last ensured a final round of 70 for Clarke and a six-under total of
278. Langer, after picking up his first birdie of the day on the 14th, faltered
at the next as a long par putt failed to break enough and so the German dropped
back to five under.
Duval was still steadiness personified, picking up another shot
at the 13th and parring the 14th to stand on 10 under with four holes to play.
Further, inevitable pars on the next two holes kept Duval on 10 under as he moved
onto the final two holes, but Langer holed from six feet on the 16th to move back
into a tie for fourth at six under.
Woosnam meanwhile saw another long putt for par just slip by the
hole on the 17th to drop him from a tie for second. Mayfair and Jimenez saw their
respective challenges end with pars on the last for totals of 278, six under par.
Woosnam bravely holed a five-footer for par on the final hole to finish on six-under.
Duval, meanwhile, was coasting to his first major victory, his only minor scare
coming on the penultimate green when a two-foot putt ringed the entire hole before
dropping in for a par, meaning that Duval had the luxury of a three-shot lead
playing out the final hole of the tournament.
After safe drives from both playing partners, Langer played his
long iron to the heart of the green before Duval, with the shot of a champion,
landed his second shot to within 15 feet of the hole. Langer played his putt to
within a foot of the hole and tapped in for a round of 71 and a tie for third
place on 278.
Duval putted to the side of the hole to guarantee a par four for
a round of 71 and a three-shot victory on a total of 10-under 273, and Duval duly
became the 130th Open champion.
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