Duval wins Open by three shots

With a final round of 67, David Duval finally shrugged off the unwanted millstone of being one of the finest players never to win a major championship.

He claimed the Open title at Royal Lytham and St Annes with a total of 274 - ten under par.

Second place - and a guaranteed spot on the European Ryder Cup team at The Belfry in September went to 29-year-old Swede Niclas Fasth. He finished with a 67 for a seven under par score.

In joint third in a log-jam on six under were Ernie Els (69), Miguel Angel Jimenez (70), Darren Clarke (70), Ian Woosnam (71), Bernhard Langer (71) and Billy Mayfair (70).

Duval was relentless, firing most of his tee shots into the centre of the fairway, finding the greens with his approaches and holing vital putts.

It was a performance which brought the best out of Europe's top players but when it mattered most they could not find the birdies they needed to challenge.

Fasth from Gothenburg set the target of seven under par in the clubhouse but it was always going to be a shot or two shy of the winning mark.

Both Miguel Angel Jimenez and Darren Clarke got within striking distance at -8 but when Duval, after a birdies at three, six, seven and 11, got to ten under par with birdie at 13, the chasing pack fell away.

The gritty Ian Woosnam, from Wales, who was dealt a cruel blow with a two shot penalty on the second tee when it was discovered he had 15 clubs instead of the regulation 14 in his bag, had a chance to finish second when he birdied the 16th to go seven under.

But he misdirected his approach to 16 and took bogey. Earlier at the same hole Darren Clarke found Bobby Jones' bunker in the fairway, and another at greenside. He took double bogey six.

For Duval, clinching the Open Claret Jug is a dream come true and in his victory speech he belied his on course sullen demeanour, usually hidden behind dark glasses.

He told the 40,000 crowd thronging the final hole amphitheatre: "I have played in the Open for seven years and it has always been a wonderful experience.

"I played here in 1996 and walked away thinking ' what a great course. It is set up for me.'

"I putted well this week and on the first two days that was the only thing that stood between me and missing the cut. I found the bunkers penal but I learned my lesson."

And to warm applause he added: "I will do my best to represent this championship in a great fashion."

The tournament's early hot favourite Tiger Woods flattered to deceive. Three early birdies after a bogey at the first gave him momentum but he was unable to maintain it and finished on one under par.

Colin Montgomerie closed with a 72 to finish on -4, one behind Jesper Parnevik, Sergio Garcia, Des Smyth and Finn Mika Ilonen.