Thrilling victory by Els a major triumph for golf

AS Tiger Woods flew back across the Atlantic last night, Ernie Els was marvelling starry-eyed at his own name etched into the famous Old Claret Jug.

And you couldn’t help thinking after one of the most thrilling final days to The Open in the tournament’s history that the sport of golf had been the biggest winner. That might sound like a cliche, but it happens to be true.

For a sport which was in danger of being strangled by the sheer flawless majesty of Woods, the extraordinary happenings on the final day of a compelling Open championship were like an injection of lifeblood.