Though it Was Tom Watson's Weekend, Open Champ Stewart Cink Deserved His Day

Yes, Tom Watson came within a hair of pulling off what would have been the greatest achievement in the history of sports.

Yes, Tiger Woods missed the cut last Friday while looking more like your average weekend hacker than the No. 1 player in the world.

And yes, Lee Westwood had one hand on the Claret Jug before bogeying three out of his last four holes and sinking England’s hopes and dreams of winning what has commonly been referred to as the "British Open" for the first time in 15 years.

But folks, what about Stew?

Did the 2009 Open Championship fall into Stewart Cink’s lap?

Did Tom Watson and Lee Westwood lose the Open Championship more the Cink won it?

Maybe, but that’s nothing new in golf; this type of thing has been going on for more than a hundred years.

The field came back to Jack Nicklaus at major championships on many occasions throughout his career.

Remember the 1986 Masters, which is still considered to be one of the greatest moments in the history of the game?

Sure, Nicklaus’ 30 on the back-nine at Augusta at the age of 46 was truly amazing, but what many people forget is that Seve Ballesteros, Tom Kite, and Greg Norman all let that tournament slip through their hands after Nicklaus had posted his score and was watching the conclusion of the event from inside the clubhouse.

What about Arnold Palmer?

At the 1966 US Open at the Olympic Club, Palmer squandered a six-stroke lead with just nine holes to play, which Billy Casper was very appreciative of.

How about the 2005 US Open?

Reteif Goosen had a three-stroke lead after 54 holes, with only the likes of Jason Gore, Olin Browne, and Michael Campbell chasing him down on the leaderboard.

Most would have thought the final round of the 2005 US Open to be a complete waste of time—just give Goosen the trophy on Saturday evening, and let everyone enjoy their Sunday afternoon without having to spend five hours glued to the television.

What happened?

Goosen went out and shot an 81 in the final round and Michael Campbell wound up walking away with the title.

Then we have the 2006 US Open.

Ogilvy posted a score while Furyk, Montgomerie and, of course, Mickelson all melted down.

And Tiger Woods?

Yes, Woods is 14-for-14 in major championships when holding at least a share of the 54-hole lead.

But, what many people tend to forget is what typically happens at those major championships on Saturday afternoon.

Very often when Woods wins a major, the only moving done on moving day is Woods posting a halfway-decent score while the rest of the field slowly but surely comes back to him, to the point where his name eventually appears atop the leaderboard after 54-holes.

On Sunday afternoon, we saw exactly why golf can be a cruel and nasty game. Watson lost the 2009 Open Championship, in large part, because he hit an eight iron too well on the 72nd hole.

Of course, Watson could have decided to hit a nine iron from the fairway and completely avoid any chance of the ball rolling towards that disaster zone just over the back of the green.

But it just wasn't meant to be for Tom Watson. His perfectly-struck eight iron flew literally two yards too long, rolled over the back of the green, and came to rest in the one area around that 18th green that made getting up and down extremely difficult.

Then, to make matters even worse, the shot Watson was left with to win the Open was the one shot that had been his Achilles heel for much of his career—a six-foot putt.

It was brutally cruel, and downright heartbreaking.

But that’s golf, and it doesn’t make Stewart Cink’s accomplishment any less extraordinary.

Cink birdied the 18th hole while Watson and Westwood were unable to do so.

Furthermore, Cink was one of only a small handful of players to break par on Sunday afternoon at Turnberry.

Twenty years from now, the only recognition Cink may get for his win at the 2009 Open Championship will be in the form of an answer to a sports trivia question—"Who did 59-year-old Tom Watson lose to in the playoff of the 2009 Open Championship?"

But once again, this is nothing new—Cink is just as deserving as anyone else who has their name etched into the Claret Jug.

He won the 2009 Open in a way that countless players have won majors throughout the history of this cruel—yet wonderful—game of golf.