Brilliant Lefty shows he’s made of the right stuff

The final round of the 142nd Open Championship was billed as Lee Westwood’s date with destiny, a time for him to emulate the victorious achievements of Justin Rose at last month’s US Open and give English golf a rare back-to-back Major success.

Winning was his opportunity to finally step out of the shadows of others and cast away the tag of nearly man. If he won at Muirfield, it would have been the icing on the cake, made all the more special by the pedigree of its past champions.

For the first three rounds, his golf had been impressive. He had made his share of errors but then so had everyone else and a two-shot lead represented a very significant advantage, given the sharpness of his short game and his patient, relaxed mindset.