Ernie Els; the Champion Golfer

We haven't yet watched the coverage of the final round of the Open Championship from MySky. But we already know that Adam Scott (with Steve Williams on the bag) snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, and South African golfer Ernie Els birdied the last hole to win the famed Claret Jug for a second time. The BBC reports:

Ernie Els clinched his second Open title after long-time leader Adam Scott spectacularly imploded at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

The 42-year-old South African birdied the 18th to end seven under as Australia's Scott bogeyed the last four holes to come second by one shot.

Els, who began the day six shots adrift, clinched his fourth major title and first since winning the 2002 Open at Muirfield.

The 1994 and 1997 US Open champion carded 68 to the 75 of Scott, who had led since the sixth hole on Saturday. 

The 32-year-old Scott was four shots clear on the 15th tee and needed to hole from 10ft on the last to force a play-off.

"I am just numb at the moment, I feel for Adam Scott, he is a great friend of mine," said Els, who picked up £900,000 in prize money.

"We both wanted to win so badly, but I really feel for him. That is the nature of the beast, that is why we are out here.

"It was my time. I was hoping at best a play-off. A lot of people never thought I would win but I started believing this year, getting a lot of help from my family and the professionals around me."

Scott will be rueing his missed opportunity, but time is on his side. On the other hand, most pundits had written the Big Easy off as being a Major contender again, despite a strong showing at the recent US Open. But in tough conditions as the wind got up, Els' experience was to the fore. 

Ernie Els won the Open Championship as much as Adam Scott lost it. On a day when most of the leading contenders went backwards, Els went under par in the final round, and made a clutch birdie putt on the final green to post a score that Scott could not match. For that he deserves all the credit.

Ernie Els is, in the great tradition of the oldest Major tournament, the Champion Golfer of 2012. He is also from all reports a champion bloke, and the golf cap we got with his autograph on it when we visited South Africa many years ago has just become a little more special! 

Congratulations Ernie Els; one of the greats of the game.

Footnote: Steve Williams' former boss Tiger Woods is getting closer to #15; he finished in a tie for third, four shots back. We reckon that Woods will win another major, and that when he does get that monkey off his back, the dam will burst.