The Price is right at Turnberry
(Allsport)

Nick Price produced one of the most dramatic finishes in the history of championship golf to win the Open title at Turnberry tonight.

The 37-year-old Zimbabwean, runner-up to Tom Watson at Troon in 1982 and Seve Ballesteros at Lytham in 1988, seemed set to be bridesmaid again - this time to Swede Jesper Parnevik.

But after a birdie at the 16th, Price sank an incredible 75-foot eagle putt on the penultimate green and, having turned a three-stroke deficit into a one-stroke lead in the space of 15 amazing minutes, he parred the 432-yard last to grab the second major title of his career.

He played the last nine holes in just 31 for a one-stroke victory, finishing on the 12 under par total of 268 - one outside the record set by Greg Norman at Sandwich last year.

``I have waited a long time for this,'' said Price, the son of British parents who emigrated first to South Africa and then to the old Rhodesia. ``For 12 years I have been patient, but in the back of my mind I felt I would get another chance.

``When I needed to play well I did. I knew the only opportunity for me to win was to eagle the 17th. I couldn't believe it when it went in - I jumped right out of my skin.

``When you need to do it, and then do it, it's a great feeling. But I had to get my heart to slow down. My adrenalin was pumping so much.''

Price, who finally became a major winner at the 1992 US PGA and who last year topped the United States money list, added: ``I never felt the Open owed me it - I am just so happy. It's been a long, hard road but it's been worth it.''

What he did not know was that Parnevik had contributed to his own downfall by bogeying the last - because he thought he needed to birdie it.

The 29-year-old, finding himself in with a chance of winning a major for the first time, said: ``I thought I was chasing because there was screaming behind me.''

In fact, he had stood on the last tee three strokes clear and a par four, as it turned out, would have put him into a play-off - and would have piled even more pressure on Price.

But Parnevik made the same mistake that Ernie Els did at the US Open last month. Els did not check his position and bogeyed, but got a second chance in a play-off and took it.

Parnevik did not get that second chance and how he will regret firing at the final flag instead of the heart of the green. He came up short and went into the rough, chipped out to 12 feet and missed the putt.

Price could easily sympathise. He was three ahead with six to play 12 years ago, but inexperience cost him dear and let in Watson by the back door.

``Jesper has a great career ahead of him,'' said Price generously. ``You have to pay your dues in major championships. It's not often somebody wins at their first opportunity.''

It was only over the closing stretch that it became a two-man affair. With nine to play, there were five players tied for the lead - Price , Parnevik, Fuzzy Zoeller and Ulstermen Ronan Rafferty and David Feherty.

Already by then, Tom Watson's hopes of a record-equalling sixth title had crashed with double bogeys on the eighth and ninth. The 44-year-old eventually finished with a 74 and slid right down to joint 11th on four under.

Parnevik broke the deadlock with a hat-trick of birdies from the 11th, holing from 20, nine and seven feet and, when he recovered from a bogey at the short 15th by pitching from rough to two feet at the 17th for a birdie, he seemed certain to become one of the unlikeliest winners of the title for decades. He was 50-1 before the start.

But Price stuck in - and carefully monitored the position. ``I was looking at leaderboards regularly,'' he said. ``You have to base your tactics and strategy on what other guys are doing.''

He made a 12-foot birdie on the 12th, saved great pars from off the green at the next two and then mounted his spectacular burst for the tape.

``I couldn't wish to play the last three as well as I did,'' he said. ``It was a fairytale - the fulfilment of a dream.''

Zoeller eventually came third on 271 - nine under - with Feherty taking six at the 17th to fall back into a tie for fourth spot with playing partner Mark James, who finished even better than Price with an eagle and two birdies in the last four holes, and Swede Anders Forsbrand who shot a sparkling 64.

American Brad Faxon, joint overnight leader with Zoeller, managed only 73 and was seventh, while Nick Faldo, having started the week with a 75, closed it with a 64 to be joint eighth with Colin Montgomerie (69) and Tom Kite (69).

Final collated totals and four-round scores in the 123rd Open golf championship, Ailsa course, Turnberry, (GB and Ire unless stated)

(x) denotes amateur

268 N Price (Zim) 69 66 67 66 (£110,000)

269 J Parnevik (Swe) 68 66 68 67 (£88,000)

271 F Zoeller (US) 71 66 64 70 (£74,000)

273 A Forsbrand (Swe) 72 71 66 64, M James 72 67 66 68, D Feherty 68 69 66 70 (£50,666 each)

274 B Faxon (US) 69 65 67 73 (£36,000)

275 N Faldo 75 66 70 64, T Kite (US) 71 69 66 69, C Montgomerie 72 69 65 69 (£30,000 each)

276 R Claydon 72 71 68 65, M McNulty (Zim) 71 70 68 67, F Nobilo (NZ) 71 70 67 68, J Lomas 66 70 72 68, M Calcavecchia (US) 71 70 67 68, G Norman (Aus) 71 67 69 69, L Mize (US) 73 69 64 70, T Watson (US) 68 65 69 74, R Rafferty 71 66 65 74 (£19,333 each)

277 M Brooks (US) 74 64 71 68, V Singh (Fij) 70 68 69 70, G Turner (NZ) 65 71 70 71, P Senior (Aus) 68 71 67 71 (£12,500)

278 B Estes (US) 72 68 72 66, T Price (Aus) 74 65 71 68, P Lawrie 71 69 70 68, J Maggert (US) 69 74 67 68, T Lehman (US) 70 69 70 69, E Els (SA) 69 69 69 71, M Springer (US) 72 67 68 71, L Roberts (US) 68 69 69 72, P Jacobsen (US) 69 70 67 72, C Stadler (US) 71 69 66 72, A Coltart 71 69 66 72 (£7,972 each)

279 M Davis 75 68 69 67, L Janzen (US) 74 69 69 67, G Evans 69 69 73 68 (£6,700 each)

280 D Gilford 72 68 72 68, D Hospital (Spa) 72 69 71 68, J-M Olazabal (Spa) 72 71 69 68, S Ballesteros (Spa) 70 70 71 69, B Marchbank 71 70 70 69, D Clarke 73 68 69 70, J Van de Velde (Fra) 68 70 71 71, D Love III (US) 71 67 68 74, M Ozaki (Jap) 69 71 66 74 (£6,100 each)

281 J Gallagher Jnr (US) 73 68 69 71, D Edwards (US) 68 68 73 72, G Kraft (US) 69 74 66 72, H Twitty (US) 71 72 66 72

282 D Frost (SA) 70 71 71 70, M Lanner (Swe) 69 74 69 70, K Tomori (Jap) 69 69 73 71, T Watanabe (Jap) 72 71 68 71

283 P Baker 71 72 70 70, J Cook (US) 73 67 70 73, T Nakajima (Jap) 73 68 69 73, B Watts (US) 68 70 71 74, R McFarlane 68 74 67 74

284 G Brand Jnr 72 71 73 68, H Meshiai (Jap) 72 71 71 70, B Langer (Ger) 72 70 70 72, C O'Connor Jnr 71 69 71 73, P-U Johansson (Swe) 73 69 69 73, R Allenby (Aus) 72 69 68 75, W Grady (Aus) 68 74 67 75

285 L Clements (US) 72 71 72 70, M Roe 74 68 73 70, S Elkington (Aus) 71 72 73 69, C Mason 69 71 73 72, R Alvarez (Arg) 70 72 71 72

286 (x) W Bennett 72 67 74 73, W Riley (Aus) 77 66 70 73

287 S Lyle 71 72 72 72

288 C Ronald 71 72 72 73, C Gillies 71 70 72 75

289 B Crenshaw (US) 70 73 73 73, C Parry (Aus) 72 68 73 76, J Haeggman (Swe) 71 72 69 77

291 N Henning (SA) 70 73 70 78

292 J Daly (US) 68 72 72 80<