February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Rumford grew up in Perth, the third-windiest city in the world, which prepared him well for the task in Louth. Despite his large lead in the final stages, he admitted to butterflies.
“I was feeling the pinch coming home,” Rumford said. “Your stomach just grinds the whole day. There is not a stage out there you can relax and feel you have the tournament in the bag. Even with five shots standing on the last tee, you have funny thoughts running through your head and when you run through your routine you try to stay in the moment as much as you can.”
Rumford finished 14 under par for 72 holes at 274 (66-71-70-67). Harrington rang up 278 (70-70-71-67) to share runner-up honors with Raphael Jacquelin.
Harrington had gone two months without contending for top honors, enduring a change of caddies and a nagging neck injury in the interim. He now has two second-place finishes in 2004.
Harrington got off to a fast start on Sunday with birdies in four of the first six holes. A bogey on 7 set him back and he played level over the next four holes. Despite not winning, he was exuberant over the outcome.
“Three birdies in the first three holes kept the crowd with me,” Harrington said. “They supported me all the way, carried me all the way, to be honest, and it was nice that I could give something back. So many times I have played the Nissan Irish Open or the Smurfit European Open and been a little in the doldrums. It was nice to be up there in contention and giving the crowds what they want. It will be another one of those second places but it is a good one.”
Paul McGinley also acquitted himself well, sharing fifth place at 280 (73-71-66-70). Graeme McDowell got back on track, tying for 11th place at 282 (73-69-70-70). Farther down the leaderboard came Gary Murphy, tied for 26th place at 285 (71-73-71-70), Peter Lawrie, tied for 31st place at 286 (67-73-75-71), Damien McGrane (71-71-73-72) and David Higgins (68-73-72-74) among 10 players sharing 39th place at 287, John Dwyer, tied for 49th place at 288 (72-71-71-74), and Darren Clarke in joint 64th position at 292 (70-71-78-73).
After getting through the first two rounds with only three bogeys, Clarke fell apart on Saturday, picking up seven bogeys and one double bogey. Sunday started off inauspiciously, with a double bogey on the first hole. He would take another double on 13.
SENIOR BRITISH OPEN
America’s Pete Oakley became the first qualifier to win the Senior British Open when he sank a 12-foot putt at Royal Portrush in County Antrim to beat Tom Kite and Eduardo Romero by one stroke. Oakley, 55, of Rehoboth Beach, Del., finished four under par at 284 (73-68-73-70). He mixed six birdies and four bogeys in Sunday’s finale.
The unheralded Oakley, needing par on 18 to win outright and avoid a playoff, sent his second shot into a greenside bunker. But he blasted out and nailed the 12-footer to claim the trophy. His previous biggest victory had been the 1999 PGA Senior Club Pro Championship in Florida. The winner’s part of the purse at Portrush came to