.
Would you like to see a city given over,
soul and body to a terrorizing game?
If you would, there's little need to be a rover,
for St. Andrews is the abject city's name.
It is surely quite superfluous to mention
to a person who has been here half an hour
that golf is what engrosses the attention
of the people with an all-absorbing power.
.
July the 19th, 1984,
a hundred years since the poem.
And what's different? Not a lot.
St. Andrews is again given over,
a flock in to share the obsession in such record numbers
that the royal and ancient will dip into its pockets
and increase the prize money,
even while the championship is being played.
.
The traditional role of surprise early leader
was filled fittingly by a Scot.
Bill Longmure, starting in the still air of mourning,
returned to 67.
A score later emulated by Greg Norman,
who'd just lost the US Open in a play-off,
and Peter Jacobson from the States.
.
On the second day, the crowds waited for Longmure to crack,
and eventually, though not finally, he did,
at the infamous 17th, the road hole.
He came to it nine on the par
and left it with a treble bogey seven.
.
Longmure and company gave way to Ian Baker Finch,
a young and little-known Australian,
and, of course, we all expected him to collapse.
Well, he stood ten on the par,
and then he came to the 17th.
And he's in the notorious road bunker.
.
Third shot.
.
And well played.
That bunker that's caused so many problems over the years,
but young Baker Finch with a very holeable putt
.
So Baker Finch pars where these first two days
312 golfers will play,
and 223, over two-thirds of them,
will bogey or fare even worse.
Remember the 17th.
It's clear it'll be a potent factor in this championship.
Well, young Baker Finch soldiers on.
.
Final hole of this second round, his second shot.
.
And pitches in the face and goes back into the hollow
they call the Valley of Sin.
And if he gets down in two from there,
even though the flag's on the front of the green,
he'll have done well.
But two putts he needs for a 66,
and what a cracking round that would be.
Up the bank she comes, looks to be a good speed.
.
Very good indeed, but still four feet or so from the hole.
.
Now can he escape with another fighting par four?
This for a round of 66.
.
Yes, fine putt to 66.
.
Six under par on the day,
ten under for the first two rounds in the championship,
and at the halfway stage he leads by three.
.
And what a tribute that board is to the internationalism
of this championship, an Australian, an American,
a Spaniard, an Englishman and a Scot, all in the first five.
.
The third day dawns calm,
and the early starters capitalise,
for one Jack Nicklaus,
for another Sam Torrance.
.
Nicklaus at the 16th, par four, just 382 yards,
one of the features here at St Andrews, of course,
the huge double greens.
.
Jack Nicklaus, who received earlier this week
an honorary doctorate of law from the St Andrews University.
.
On the green,
but really not threatening from such long range.
.
Opened up with a round of 76, which was very un Nicklaus-like,
then a 72, so started the day four over par,
now only one over.
.
Well, well, well, well, he's done it.
.
And that takes him back to level par for the championship.
.
Nicklaus will finish in 68.
Torrance the Scot has a putt for a 65.
He was out in 30 this morning.
.
Just skims by, but that'll be a simple tap in
and a fine round of 66 for Sam Torrance,
even if he did have a bit of luck with the weather early on.
.
But now, as the leading contenders prepare to go out,
the turn of the tide brings a fresh breeze,
and it'll blow behind them as they progress outward to the Eden estuary.
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And playing the first hole, it's the defending champion, Tom Watson.
.
370 yards of par four.
Watson's second shot, he's five under and sharing sixth place.
.
Playing a sand iron, needs to hurry if he's going to get over the water.
.
Oh, well.
.
That bounced over the swelkin burn,
the little stream running in front of this green,
and Watson escapes with a minor miracle at the very first hole.
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Now, playing with Watson, and already just on the edge of the green,
Jaime Gonzalez from Brazil, four under par.
.
Out of the little hollow, up and over the top.
.
Very well judged indeed, and that's a certain par four.
.
Now, Watson for a birdie three.
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And straight away, Watson goes to six under par, just four behind the leader.
.
At first, Watson's birdie seems no big deal,
because this opening hole was played easily today.
But the wind brings difficulty,
and none among the two pairs who follow can emulate him.
And now, the penultimate pair.
.
Served by Osteres, the champion in 1979,
and Lee Trevino, winner in 1971 and 72.
Both seven under par.
.
By Osteres' second shot.
.
A real punchy shot.
Looking for this ball to grip on about the second or third bounce now,
but it doesn't.
It's on a little hard bit, a little down slope.
.
Not what Dr Trevino ordered at all.
.
And he'll be well pleased to roll this close to the whole side.
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Which he does quite beautifully.
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Trevino, four.
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Now Seve.
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Now, always on the low side.
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So just a little tap in for Seve.
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For his par four.
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And they both remain seven under par.
.
And they are succeeded at this first hole by the leader,
Ian Baker Finch, the young 23-year-old from Queensland, Australia.
Astonishingly, he's ten under par.
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Fairly slices that club face under the ball in an effort to get backspin.
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Playing with young Baker Finch, we have Britain's Nick Faldo.
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Sharing second place at seven under par.
Downwind, ground hard.
.
How hard it is to get close to this first flag.
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The wind freshening.
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Meantime, let's go ahead to the third hole and catch up with Tom Watson.
We saw him birdie the first, he's just dropped a stroke at the second.
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Second shot from Watson.
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And that's mighty fine indeed.
.
He's back to five under.
.
But he has a very holdable putt for a birdie three.
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Birdie, bogey, birdie.
And once again, Watson is six under par.
.
We'll go back to the first to watch young Baker Finch.
All the pressure's on him now.
Everyone waiting to see if he cracks.
.
Crack indeed.
Not so.
A birdie, 11 under par, and now leads by four strokes.
.
Faldo's putted up from the back of the green and now has this for his par.
.
Oh, no, no, no.
.
A five for Faldo, a miserable start.
That mess from no more than 16 or 17 inches, and that puts him back to six under par.
Faldo will drop four strokes to par on this outward nine, but others begin to progress.
Notably Lanny Watkins from the States,
Fred Couples, the American tournament player's champion, by hysterics eventually,
and Bernhard Langer, the West German, most emphatically.
A fine putt indeed, and the first birdie of the day for Langer at the fourth hole.
And as for Watson, he just surges on.
Second shot at the par four seventh, sand wedge.
.
And another Watson special.
One par, one bogey, and five birdies.
And now with three in a row, he goes nine under par.
And Baker Finch, 11 under, back at the par four fourth hole.
.
And would you believe it, another birdie.
And that puts the young man from Australia, 12 under par.
At the long fifth, the young Australian gets another birdie.
He turns in 33 at 13 under par.
Yet ahead, Watson was out in 32.
And now in the inward half, he's had two more birdies,
stands 11 under par, and is only two strokes behind.
.
So Watson looking very good at the 13th.
And this young man, Bernhard Langer, going extremely well.
Here he is on the 11th tee.
He's eight under par.
He birdied three holes in a row in the outward nine.
And this one looks on target.
.
Yes, indeed, he's on the right side of the green
to give him an uphill putt.
Good chance of a birdie from there.
Now playing with Langer, Fred Couples.
Six under par, this hole 172 yards.
.
These two are really going at it hammer and tongs.
Two splendid shots here at the 11th.
Just Langer to putt first.
.
Little bit of slope, maybe just right of centre.
No, wandered away.
But that's a simple little tap in for his par three.
.
Off he goes.
Now Fred Couples with quite a holeable putt for a two.
Could be a shade of movement on this.
.
So young Couples making quite an impression here
playing in his first open championship in Britain.
And he goes to seven under par.
Now Watson at the 14th, this for a birdie four.
Chance gone, only a par five.
But even a par at the 14th is for Watson almost a bonus.
Because this hole, where on the first day the 1981
champion Bill Rogers took 12, is for many a graveyard.
Langer bogies it, Watkins bogies it, Trevino bogies it,
Couples double bogies it.
And today only Langer will recover.
Now a fine putt by Langer at the 15th.
That's a birdie, and that gets him back to eight under par.
And now Baker Finch bogies the 14th.
In short, this today is one of the two most
dangerous holes on the links.
The other, of course, is the 17th.
And now it confronts the champion.
Just short of the green, he must get down in two more
if he's to get his par four.
Hit it.
Oh, lovely touch.
Virtually stone dead, and a certain par four for Watson.
And suddenly there's only one stroke in it.
Watson still 11 under.
Baker Finch, 12 under.
Back at the 16th hole now, we catch up with Seve Biasteris,
who's nine under par.
Yes, a birdie three.
Well, he's had a long run of pars, but he's now 10 under,
going to the 17th.
Meantime up at the 18th, Tom Watson studying his
second shot.
354 yards this hole, par four, with the green tucked
almost under the very windows of the RNA clubhouse.
On line.
Looks good.
Oh, almost pitched in the hole.
Here he goes, no more than eight, nine feet from the hole.
Huge crowds gathering to see whether Watson can finish
with yet another birdie for a round of 65 strokes.
No, not to be a 66, but surely that must be one of the
best rounds of his career.
Seven birdies, 10 pars, one bogey.
205 for Watson, and an 11 under par total for the
three rounds played.
Behind Watson, the 17th has been Biasteris down four
for the third day running.
He takes five and finishes the day nine under,
tying with Langer.
Couples is off the board, humiliated again by the 17th.
And now that fiendish hole threatens Baker Finch.
And the young man with a real problem here, you can see
he's well short of the green, and this will be his third shot.
A real pitch and run, trying to use the humps and hollers
and swing it round off the bank, and it nearly goes
onto the road, but not quite.
But he'll have that to save his par.
This for a four.
A good try, but it doesn't disappear, and that's a five,
a one over par five for Baker Finch.
And the young Australian is now tied with Tom Watson
with just one hole of this, the third round left to play.
He fires his drive away up this vast shared fairway
here at the 18th.
By Osteros and Trevino vacate the green as Baker Finch
surveys his second shot.
In the second round, he just under clubbed a little bit
and got into that valley, that hollow, known as the Valley
of Sin in front of this green.
Still trying to slice right under the ball, trying to get
maximum backspin as he pitched it up far enough.
Oh, it's coming back, it's coming back into the same valley
that caught him out in the second round.
How can he salvage a par four from there as he did then?
Just look at that bank facing him.
Third shot.
Oh, that's mighty fine indeed from there.
His playing companion Nick Faldo, well, he's had a bad day.
Began seven under, now only three under.
All eyes have switched from Faldo to Baker Finch.
This for a four to keep a share of the lead.
Very well holed indeed, a round of 71 and a total of 2.05
and despite those setbacks on the inward nine,
there he is still tied for the lead and still a day to go.
Sunday, July the 22nd, perhaps a day for history
because Watson's won five opens.
One more will tie the 70-year-old record of Harry Varden
and he's now, in most of our minds, the favorite.
Yet the presence of Baker Finch at his shoulder is evidence
that nothing is certain and two shots played in front of him
at this first hole serve as a reminder that this,
as the poet said, is a terrorizing game.
The first comes from Lanny Watkins, the American.
Overnight four under par and seven off the pace.
And the second comes from Langer, the German.
Nine under and just two behind the leaders.
And playing with Langer today,
there's always Ballesteros to reckon with.
Well now Seve, we saw him play pretty well yesterday.
Fourteen pars, three birdies, just that one five at the 17th.
This from about ten feet for a birdie three at the opening hole.
And that must be considered an opportunity gone.
He does not like it.
But he has to remain nine under par.
Bernard Langer now ten under as they move off the first green
and make way for the leaders.
The wind a touch more variable today.
Ian Baker Finch first.
And that has to hurry.
Carries the bird, spins back.
And that's desperately unlucky.
And that's going to be a penalty stroke.
Now Tom Watson's second shot.
Watson going for his third open championship victory in a row.
And that hasn't been done since Peter Thompson in the mid fifties.
Now Watson safely on him too.
Well, Baker Finch about to sadly pick the ball from that watery grave.
Keep that point between him and the flag.
There's the adjudicator saying that's where it crossed.
You must drop and chip back over the water.
You don't drop it on the green side, dear.
No, you come back here.
And the ball dropped not near the hole.
But this is his fourth shot.
Prettily done.
And that virtually assures him of a five.
It might have been a lot worse.
But how costly is that second shot going to be come close of play tonight.
Now Watson for a birdie three.
Well, a nice opening putt.
He just tapped that in for his par four.
And that's good enough for Watson to take the lead because young Baker Finch still has this little putt.
For one over par five.
So immediately Tom Watson leads the championship outright.
And down on the bottom there, the name of Lanny Watkins will be here.
In fact, he's now gone six under areas at the six putting for a three.
And in it goes.
Three birdies in the first six holes.
Seven under.
Nice start for Watkins.
And behind him at the fifth we have Ballesteros.
This hole a par five.
Seve's third.
Nips it up and lets it ease down the hill towards the hole.
And that's a sweet little chip shot from Seve.
He's had four straight powers today.
Langer playing with him.
Bogey the third and is now back to nine under.
Meantime back at the par four fourth hole.
Tom Watson still eleven under.
Baker Finch ten under.
Baker Finch's second shot.
And that's going to be a long way from the hole.
Trouble for young Baker Finch here.
Back to the fifth now and Ballesteros.
Tricky little putt.
Starts to swing.
Oh yes.
First birdie of the day and Seve goes to ten under par.
Now Langer.
But this putt is for his par five.
No.
So that'll be a six.
And after that brilliant opening birdie he slipped back after five holes to just eight under par.
Ballesteros ten under.
Tying now for second place with Baker Finch.
Who's gone well past with his first putt at the fourth.
So has this for par.
So that's his second lapse in four holes.
And when he's tapped this in he will have dropped a stroke and gone back to just nine under par.
Now Watson.
This also for a par.
No Alfie Files.
Tom's caddy can't believe it.
Tom drops a stroke.
And suddenly he and Ballesteros are tied for the lead.
Back on the leaderboard down there at five under Nick Faldo.
But in trouble at the short eleventh hole.
Plays a very fine shot indeed.
Well 76 yesterday but going well today and once more looking as if he's going to be Britain's best in this year's championship.
At the top Baker Finch's heroics are sadly over.
And a double bogey at the sixth confirms it.
Watkins who began the day seven off the pace is attempting what seems impossible.
Langer struggles on the greens.
But both still lack waiting for Watson and or Ballesteros to crack.
Around the loop of holes at the far end of the links come significant developments.
Ballesteros at the par three eighth.
Oh beautiful stroke.
What a chance for a birdie too.
Langer.
Into the breeze 178 yards.
Also a superb tee shot.
Langer had a few putting problems early on.
In fact as we look at him lining up this part we see he's gone to the reverse grip.
And that was a bit short and a bit quick and it's not in.
Not really anything to do with the line I think that time Bernard struck it poorly.
Now Seve.
No mistake at all and Seve takes the lead possibly for the first time since he won the championship back in 1979 at Royal Liverpool.
And down there at six under Greg Norman playing well ahead of the others here at the 18th the final hole.
A marvellous round going for him today.
Now if he can hold that one he'll finish at seven under par and that will surely give him a high place finish.
This for a 66.
Oh clumsy.
A 67 which should have been a 66 but that's a finish of 282 six under par.
And this young Australian who recently lost in a playoff for the US Open well I'm sure he's still going to finish here in the top six at St Andrews.
And out at the far end of the course round the loop it's getting tighter and tighter.
This is the par 3 11th 172 yards with a deep bunker named Strath lying across the front of the green as the players pitch up to it.
On the tee it's Langer.
Just birdied the 10th as indeed did Lanny Watkins.
And another gem of a shot from Langer.
Now Sevvy can he match that shot of Langer's.
An eight iron.
Downwind of course but Sevvy does not give it enough.
He doesn't make it up the hill and I feel sure he under club there it goes back down the slope.
Still going.
What's he going to do is he going to putt it chip it try and use the slopes.
He puts it look how long it takes to get up but is it going to make it only just.
Still Sevvy's turn.
This now for a par three.
Tried hard but that's a four a one over par four and that must be.
Well must go down as a costly error.
And a chance for Langer.
This for a two.
Will it keep its line.
No just falls away.
But he'll get his par three.
And Biosteros now once again in a tie with Watts.
Who's at the 10th now this hole measures three hundred and forty two yards and under this.
Downwind conditions Watson's driven the green as Biosteros had before.
Sevvy then three putted.
Now don't tell me that could drop in for an eagle too.
No but it's a certain birdie three and how quickly the fortunes of golf can change.
Minutes ago Biosteros was riding high leading Watson by one now suddenly he's one behind.
Second shot to the 12th.
Just a nine iron for Seve at this hole measuring three hundred and sixteen yards and right at the pin.
An immediate chance to get that stroke back he dropped at the 11.
But first Langer from below the ridge playing three.
This a short par four hole.
The wind is freshening though against and across the players on the homeward route.
That's how it's been for Bernard over the last few holes.
They're not just dropping.
That's a par four.
Now Biosteros for a birdie three.
And that really could be disaster for the young Spaniard.
A real chance gone the begging.
That's how they stand.
But even as we look we hear that Watson's now in trouble at that same 12th hole.
A rather over ambitious if not too wild a drive has put him into the bushes.
It's unplayable.
He's got to pick a spot where he can drop it.
Going to cost him a penalty stroke.
And he'll be playing three.
I really don't know what Watson's thinking was here with a driver.
And his third shot goes scampering to the back of the green.
Well a long putt now for Watson if he's going to salvage a par four and that's asking a lot.
I wonder what his thoughts are.
Good line.
But woefully weak and still a bit to do.
A five for Watson where he should really have got a four.
And would you believe it this championship is again tied at the top.
Wadkins beginning to slip away.
Baldo finishes six under like Greg Norman.
And we've just heard that Fred Couples has birdied the last hole to finish seven under.
And the amazing computers which monitor the open also tell us incidentally that Fuzzy Zeller,
the U.S. Open champion, has finished three under.
And Ben Crenshaw, the Masters champion, two under.
Now back out on the course.
What a situation.
Watson with a putt for a birdie at the 13th by Osteros with a putt for a birdie at the 14th.
Watson first.
Oh, touche. Would you credit it. Two putts, two birdies still tied at 11 under par.
With such heady goings on at the top on this hazardous homeward nine,
it's easy to overlook the efforts of the near missers and the also Rams.
Lee Trevino at the final hole.
And one last brilliant iron shot from Trevino who's been on the fringe of contention
almost throughout this championship but never quite made it.
Three under par.
The veterans and the youngsters.
Ronan Rafferty, 20 years old, from Ulster.
Putting for a final birdie.
Oh, not quite. A 71 and what a fine championship he's had.
Two eight four total, that's four under par and assuredly a place in the top ten.
And behind inevitably the tension mounts.
By Osteros at the 16th.
With a putt that if hold would have regained him the outright lead.
Lanny Watkins, the 14th and 17th undid him but he has a 69 for seven under and a share of fourth place.
And now possibly a crunch because the 17th confronts by Osteros.
Well he's been over par at this hole every day so far.
461 yards, a par four and what a daunting drive over the outline of the old black railway shed.
You can go as far right as you dare towards the new golf and country club.
That's a safe line, way to the left.
He's been over there the three previous rounds.
Probably okay.
But in the rough I think.
Now Langer.
Much more to the right but safe and true.
So they're now approaching one of the most formidable second shots in golf.
In the very shadow of the old course golf and country club.
To this green with the bunker in the front and the road behind.
All right for some up there on the country club balcony but down here, well, Langer second.
Down the right side.
Has he hit it too hard? It could go on the road.
No, stopped very quickly on the top of the bank and that'll leave him a long putt.
Now Seve ponders, lying all right but not a very good line in over the bunker if he's going to go right at the pin.
And of course the road and the stone wall waiting for him behind.
Back on the tee, Tom Watson arrives and waits to drive.
Seve's shot about 200 yards.
And believe it or not, that was a six-iron smashed with every sinew in his body.
It digs in, it runs forward.
It stops and that's a bit of magic.
A six-iron from there is quite incredible.
But first it's Langer to putt.
Oh a lovely pace, beautifully judged and virtually certain of getting his par for it.
Meanwhile back on the tee, 461 yards behind, Tom Watson prepares to drive.
And that's a brave or foolish line indeed, could be out of bounds.
Oh dear, oh dear, is it in or is it out?
Am I going to play three off the tee?
No, he's all right.
And up at the green, Seve prepares to putt.
It mustn't take more than two.
A smooth stroke indeed.
Right to the whole side.
A little tap in, a casual tap in.
A par four and Ballesteros stays 11 under.
And as Langer prepares for his par four, Seve looks back up the fairway and sees that Watson, having thought he might be out of bounds,
is in fact in the perfect spot down the right-hand side of the fairway.
He's got a two-iron in his hand.
Very tying for the lead.
But Watson seems uncharacteristically indecisive.
And I fancy if he's going to take a two, he needs to play this very flat, pitching 60, 70 yards short of the green,
using the ground and letting the front of this 17th green swing the ball up towards the hole.
And that's a full-blooded hit from Watson, and he looks slightly agitated.
Oh, disaster for Watson.
That's over the road, up against the wall.
Both features are integral parts of the old course, and there's no free relief from there.
He'll have to play it as it lies, and that could be the end of Watson.
The biosterous, oblivious of Watson's plight as he walks up the final hole to survey and play his second shot.
Just a pitch over the Valley of Sin.
Fairway's a very dry, bone-hard.
Seve nips it up beautifully.
Oh, a gem of a shot, a chance for a three.
Seve's been having a bit of a lean time of late for him,
but surely now he must have a slight scent of victory in his young nostrils.
As back at the 17th, Watson has this desperately difficult third shot to play.
Just a jab and a punch and across the road and skips up the bank, and it could come back off that slope.
But not really, and he'll have to hold that putt if he's to stay tied for the lead with biosterous.
Seve at the 18th for a birdie three.
A putt that will swing from right to left.
Oh, what ecstasy.
A birdie three, a 69, 12 under par, a total of 276.
A new record aggregate for an open championship on the old course at St Andrews.
And it's surely going to make Seve the champion, but we'll have to wait a moment and see.
Langer, also for a birdie.
This for a 71.
A fine birdie three, a total of 278.
Well, Langer's never won a major championship, and he won't win this one.
He finishes two strokes behind biosterous, but what a great effort.
So he'll go from nine to tenon.
And now, Watson. He must hold this long putt to have a chance of forcing a playoff with Seve.
This for a four.
No, it's still in view, and so that's a five.
Well, what a dramatic swing. A few minutes ago, he was tied with biosterous.
Now all of a sudden, he's two behind.
You could, I suppose, see it's the end of this entire gripping 113th open.
Watson's lone hope is for a miracle, or to be more specific, an eagle two at the 354-yard final hole.
In today's conditions, he can't drive the green.
So, knowing the man, one senses a dent at his mind.
The rest will be formality and informality.
Well, amazing crowds this week. More than 193,000.
That's 50,000 more than the previous record, and for the first time, ticket sales topped a million pounds.
The prize money, an unprecedented 451,000.
Watson walks all the way to the pin to survey this second shot,
because the only thing that can save him now is if he can miraculously put this shot right into the hole.
But not today.
And now it really is all over, as far as winning and losing and records are concerned.
For Watson, though, it still isn't quite the end.
He needs to hold this for a birdie three to take second place alone.
No, it's not to be. A final round of 73 for Watson and a total of 10 under par.
Two-seven-eight and a great reception.
He looked likely to keep his championship for much of the day,
but at the end he shares second place with Bernard Langer, and Varden's record still stands.
And now the final putts of this year's open from young Ian Baker Finch.
And he only needs one.
What a superb finish, this young Australian, who gave us such excitement on the first three days as the last word.
Ends up with a rather sad 79 for a total of four under par and a share of ninth place.
We will always remember that 66 of his in the second round,
commemorated there by the traditional crown jewelers' silver scorecard,
presented every year to the man who first scores the lowest round in the championship.
As for the higher placings, there they are.
And the winner of the gold medal and champion gopher for the year with a score of 276, Sebriano Ballesteros.
Sebriano Ballesteros is 27.
Five years ago he won the open audaciously.
This week he's triumphed by strategy, control, temperament and skill.
St. Andrews in 1984 witnessed his maturity.