Stewart Cink Wins British Open 2009 Playoff

Stewart Cink, one of the nicest guys on British Open Tour, claimed his first major championship at Turnberry, defeating Watson in a four-hole playoff with clutch putting and solid iron play that was punctuated with a wedge on the last hole he stuffed to three feet for a birdie and the victory. Although, many expected for a Watson win but it turned out to be Cink who won.

Cink, one of those type of player you'd expect might break through in a major. Stewart, five time winner on the PGA Tour, the 36-year-old Cink has had his chances before. At the U.S. Open in 2001, Cink battled Retief Goosen all day, but missed a tap-in putt on the 18th green to miss out in the 18-hole playoff Goosen eventually won over Mark Brooks. Cink finished tied for third at the Masters in '08 and t-6 at this very championship in '06.

Although some might say he fell into the playoff with Watson, but you can't look past the clutch birdie he rolled in on the 18th green. Needing something good on the final hole, Cink hit a great second shot to 10-feet and coolly rolled in the birdie putt with a raised fist. He knew how important that putt was. It eventually won him the British Open.

Was the weather favorable with Cink? The playoff was fairly anticlimactic. Watson made bogey on the first hole, made an improbable up-and-down par on the second playoff hole but hooked his tee shot on the par-5 17th into high grass, needing two shots to find the fairway and eventually carding a double-bogey to Cink's birdie. The final playoff hole was a nice stroll for Cink, who made it seven wins for Americans at the British this decade.

It was close for Watson, his hands wrapped around the coveted Claret Jug but a shaky par putt on the final hole of regulation went begging. Everyone was rooting for that to go in. It would have been the sports story of the year, eclipsing Jack Nicklaus' Masters win in 1986 by miles. A 59-year-old had never won the British, and that stat will stay put.

Well, in a few years, you might think back to Turnberry and the image of Watson hitting solid drives and waving at the crowds will pop in your head. He nearly did it. Don't hang your head though, Tom. It was fun to see it one last time. What do you think went wrong with Watson?

Watch him over ESPN here...