CRUEL IN THE SUN; THE 138TH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP THERE'S NO REPEAT OF '77 AS WATSON'S FAIRYTALE IS CRUSHED: Old Tom misses his shot at history and Cink sinks the dream.

Byline: NEIL McLEMAN

FOR nearly four days and 277 shots, Tom Watson defied the years and played like a man half his age.

But faced with an eight-foot putt to win his record-equalling sixth Open title and write one of the greatest stories in the history of sport, the American finally looked his 59 years and 318 days.

His weak putt staggered away from the cup lamely and his chance to win again at Turnberry, 32 years after he triumphed over Jack Nicklaus in the Duel in the Sun, had gone. Along with the hopes and prayers of golf fans, young and especially old, across the world.

Stewart Cink then ruthlessly restored reality in an anticlimatic fourhole play-off by six shots to win his first Major title.

There is no doubt the 36-year-old American, the 11th Open victor from the United States in the last 15 years, was a worthy winner.

The world No.33 is an experienced Ryder Cup player who has won five times on the US Tour and recorded seven top-ten finishes in Majors over the past decade.

After missing short putts on 16 and 17, the 6ft 4ins Cink nailed a brilliant 12-feet birdie putt at the 72nd hole for a closing 69 to make the play-off.

And he played like the matchplay specialist in his mano-a-mano showdown with Watson, culminating a pitching wedge to four feet at the final hole. But like Greg Norman at the 1996 Masters and Jean van de Velde at the 1999 Open, it will be the runner-up who will be best remembered from this Major championship.

Ten months after a hip replacement, the man ranked 1,374 in the world came within a greying whisker of becoming the oldest Major winner in history by 11 years.

On the testing Turnberry course - where only four players finished under par - his simple gameplan of keeping his ball out of the rough and then making the odd putt worked perfectly for 71 holes. But it was not to be.

The flat end to the 138th Open was not in keeping with an electric week featuring the the Lyle-Montgomerie spat and world No.1 Tiger Woods missing the cut.

The final round, which started with Watson a shot clear, also produced more great drama.

Ross Fisher birdied his first two holes - including chipping in at the second - to be three shots clear after three holes before a quadruple eight at the 5th ended his hopes.

Lee Westwood was then two shots clear of the field when he eagled the seventh hole but three bogeys in last four holes saw the Worksop wonder miss out again.

Last year's top amateur Chris Wood would have been in a play-off if he had not bogeyed the 72nd hole in a superb final round 67.

Britain's ten-year wait for a Major champion continues. But the fairytale finish everyone wanted was Watson as the winner.

Greg Norman had been a similar feelgood story last year but the Aussie bogeyed his first three holes in the last round to drop out of contention. Watson also dropped shots at the first and third holes yesterday but refused to go away.

And with his second birdie of the day at the par-three 11th, he was back in the joint lead at three-under par. When Westwood bogeyed the 16th hole, he was leading at twounder with three holes to go before Cink joined him on two-underpar 278.

Watson approached the 72nd hole needing just a par to win his ninth Major a mere 26 years after his last Open triumph. But his 8-iron rolled

past the pin and through the green and his first putt from a fluffy lie left him too much to do.

The play-off was then almost too painful to watch as Watson ran out of steam. At the first hole - the 5th - both men found fairway bunkers off the tee but only Cink could save par to go a shot up.

Watson pushed his tee shot way right at the par-three 6th but escaped with his par after a brilliant chip onto the raised green. But at the par-five 17th, he pulled his drive into deep rough to require a search party to find his ball and took two hacks to get out while Cink made a birdie to open up a four-stroke lead. At the final hole, further embarrassment was spared when Watson first got a free drop after spraying his tee shot into the crowd and then slashed into more rough, and only another fine recovery shot enabled him to card a bogey. Cink then rolled home his second birdie putt to play the extra holes in two under.

It was somehow fitting he would finally win his first Major this way after hurriedly missing an 18-inch putt at the 72nd hole at the 2001 US Open at Southern Hills which would have seen him return for a next day 18-hole play-off.

Watson said: "I congratulate Stewart. I just didn't do it on the last hole. And in the playoff, the swing just wasn't there. I didn't feel like I ran out of gas but it just looked like it."

All about Stew 1973 - Born May 21, Huntsville, Alabama.

1995 - Turns professional. 1996 - Wins three tournaments on the second-tier Nationwide Tour in America.

1997 - Joins PGA Tour and wins Greater Hartford Open in his rookie season.

2000 - Wins MCI Classic and plays on US Presidents Cup team.

2001 - Finishes third in the US Open. 2002 - Member of US Ryder Cup team beaten by Europe at The Belfry.

2004 - Wins MCI Classic and the WGC NECInvitational, but is again a Ryder Cup loser. 2006 - Suffers another Ryder Cup defeat. 2007 - Finishes sixth in the Open at Carnoustie.

2008 - Wins Travelers Championship and is part of the USA's winning Ryder Cup team. 2009 - Wins his first major title: the Open.FOUR HOLE PLAY-OFF HOLE 5 6 17 18 PAR 4 4 5 4 TOTAL CINK PAR PAR -1 PAR -1 WATSON +1 PAR +2 +1 +4

CAPTION(S):

JUBILANT Cink is relieved and delighted after his play-off victory at Turnberry last night saw him claim his first Major TASTES GOOD Cink with Claret Jug and (above) with his wife Lisa and children Connor (right) and Reagan. Left, Cink celebrates crucial birdie on 18 WAT A SHAME Watson's putt at the 18th for victory never looked like going in and it was Cink who ended up consoling him (inset) after a play-off PICTURES: ANDREW STENNING