Open championship: Proud of Paul Dunne

The home of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St Andrews in Scotland is used to seeing history being made and, for a while, it looked like yesterday would be no exception.

Featuring as many twists and turns as a John Grisham novel, the last day of the British Open Golf Championship offered a nail-chewing finish that bore witness to the joy and heartbreak of sport. Not since the legendary Bobby Jones raised his third Claret Jug in 1930 has an amateur won this oldest golfing championship of all.

At the start of yesterday’s final round, it looked as if Irish amateur Paul Dunne would snatch victory from the professionals. That is no mean feat for a 22-year-old who began the tournament with odds to win as high as 1,500-to-one.

His quiet confidence was disarming. “If we were playing an amateur event here, I wouldn’t be too surprised by the scores I shot,” Dunne said. “It’s just lucky that it happens to be in the biggest event in the world.”

In any event, he did us proud, displaying a laudable maturity — both on and off the course — that belied his years.