Newspapers mourned the end of a dream on Monday after Tom Watson failed in his bid to become the oldest major winner in history, falling at the last hurdle to hand Stewart Cink the British Open.

The Financial Times summed up the mood by describing Cink, who claimed his first major title at Turnberry on Sunday, as "the man who shot Santa Claus".

The 36-year-old holed a 15-foot birdie putt on the final green before playing the four play-off holes in two under par, while Watson — bidding to win his sixth British Open title at the age of 59 — fell apart.

"Enough to make your heart cink," said the Sun.

"Stewart ruins the dream," headlined the Daily Mail tabloid, while acknowledging that Cink was the better player and that Watson's defeat marked "arguably the most anti-climactic 60 minutes in history".

"On his face as he walked down the fairway was the saddest expression you'll see in sport this year. He had grown old before our eyes," it said.

"Sadly there was not more talk of Major Tom. Instead, the 138th Open had disappeared into a Cink hole."

A commentator in The Guardian praised Cink for a "wonderful performance", even if it was not the favoured result.

"It was a victory of reality over fantasy or, to put it another way, it was a crushing disappointment for those who prefer their sporting occasions steeped in romance," he said.

Watson, who was fitted with an artificial hip nine months ago, has nevertheless ensured his place in the history books, commentators said.

"Any golfer turning in Watson’s performance after his 59th birthday would have captured attention," said an editorial in The Times.

"But the public reaction to Watson, the romance of his comeback, only reached the intensity it did because it reminded viewers of his extraordinary skill, his mastery of the sport.

"Before his heroism this week, Tom Watson was a master. Now he is a legend."

AFP

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