By Mark Garrod, Press Association Golf Correspondent

Australian Ian Baker-Finch, twice guilty of cracking under the final day pressure of the Open, marched majestically to his first major title at Royal Birkdale.

On the links where his fellow countryman Peter Thomson grabbed two of his five titles, the 30-year-old Queenslander turned what had been the widest-open Open ever into a one-man show.

Baker-Finch went to the turn in a quite sensational 29, only the eighth in Open history, and from being joint overnight leader was suddenly six strokes clear.

All he had to do on the homeward run was hold his nerve - the thing that had deserted him at St Andrews both in 1984 and 1990 when he also went out in the final group - and that he did this time, even when the chasing pack rattled in birdie after birdie to close the gap.

Baker-Finch had the luxury of being able to take a double bogey six down the last and still win. As it was, he took a bogey five for a 66 that gave him a slice of golfing history. His closing 36-hole total of 130 equalled the record of Tom Watson at Turnberry in 1977.

``I have proved myself a champion today,'' said the bespactacled player. ``What can I say except I feel fantastic. I knew what I had to do and I did it.''

Baker-Finch's total aggregate was 272, eight under par, and to make the celebrations Down Under even sweeter, his compatriot Mike Harwood came second, winning £70,000 to Baker-Finch's £90,000.

Harwood's final 67 pushed Americans Fred Couples (64) and Mark O'Meara (69) into joint third at five under, with Ireland's Eamonn Darcy alongside two more Americans, Bob Tway and Jodie Mudd, two strokes further back.

Mudd equalled the Open record with his 63, but Darcy had to be disappointed with his 70, having gone into the final round only one off the lead.

No European has won at Birkdale in six previous Opens and, with Seve Ballesteros falling back rather than taking over as many expected, Darcy was the only man who had a hope of making it seventh time lucky. But it was not to be.

Nick Faldo, the defending title-holder, and Ian Woosnam, the Masters champion, could not catch light all week and both finished on one over par 281.

Baker-Finch, who dropped to ninth with a closing 79 seven years ago and to sixth with his 73 last July, was unquestionably helped by having Pete Bender carrying his bag. The caddie was also with Greg Norman when he won at Turberry in 1987.

``He has been there,'' he said. ``I think he's the best caddie in the world and the first tournament we were together for last year we finished second in.''

It was the start that decided things, of course, and Baker-Finch said: ``The best visualiser in the world and couldn't visualise that. I had to keep pinching myself.''

He birdied the second, third and fourth from distances of 15, eight and seven feet and then added two more at the demanding 473-yard sixth and short seventh from eight and 12 feet.

One more birdie in the next two holes would have given him the Open record of 28 for nine holes set by Denis Durnian over the same stretch of eight years ago. But while he did not achieve that, he knew the famous claret jug was his for the taking.

Bunkering his drive off the tenth tee might - in his younger days - have been the start of a collapse and he admitted: ``I thought then that I had better not stuff up here or I would really cop it. It was the only negative thought I had and I soon got rid of it.''

He might have found more sand at the 15th, but the ball bounced kindly and the string of pars continued until the 18th, by which time he was home and dry.

``The Open to me is the most special event in my life,'' he added. ``To play in the Open is great, to do well in it is a thrill and to win it a dream. I feel I am in dreamworld right now.

``Today erases all the memories of the last two chances I had. But the memories made me stronger and made this even more sensational.''

Harwood knew his own chance of victory went when he failed to make birdie or eagle at the long 17th. He said: ``I had to put my drive on the fairway and didn't do it; that's why I came second.

``Ian obviously blew us away over the opening nine holes and I never really had a proper chance to win. There's nothing like winning, but coming second is not bad at all.''

Harwood, who used to tour regularly in Australia with Baker-Finch some years ago, added: ``I know him very well and I think he has probably been the best in the world over the last year.''

It was a one-two for Australia for the first time in a major championship, but their success story did not end there. Scottish Open champion Craig Parry sank a bunker shot on the last for eighth spot on three under, one ahead of Norman.

O'Meara, who shared the overnight lead at four under, failed to live up to his playing partner's genius over the outward half.

Back on the course where he sank two seven-irons for eagle twos in winning the 1987 Lawrence Batley International, 34-year-old O'Meara, who had nearly pulled out of the event because of a back and rib injuries, could only stand and watch someone else in similarly inspired mood.

For a while, the American challenge was taken up instead by Jodie Mudd, Bob Tway and Couples, but O'Meara came back with birdies with 15th and 17th to catch Couples.

Mudd scorched to a course record 63 - only the fifth in Open history - but having started at four over par, it was still not enough to put Baker-Finch under greater pressure as he burnt up the front nine himself.

Tway, who sank a bunker shot to win the 1986 US PGA crown, resumed three strokes closer and, after a bogey down the first, burst on to the leaderboard with six threes in his next nine holes. That was two under, but a birdie on the 15th was his only other move forward.

Couples, best remembered for making a hash of the final hole in his Ryder Cup battle with Christy O'Connor Jnr two years ago and for also blowing his chance to win last August's US PGA championship, started for home with four successive birdies to reach five under and only three behind.

He had to make four at worst at the 17th to have a chance, though, and he failed to do so. His second was bunkered, he came out superbly to five feet, but missed the putt.

A four at the last gave the American Ryder Cup points table leader a 64, but this was a week of Australian rule.

Ballesteros, who strode on to the first tee wearing the blue sweater which is his trademark on the final day of the Open, was never a factor from the moment he bogeyed the first and third. He managed only a 71 for a one under aggregate of 279, set earlier by Greg Norman (66) and Bernhard Langer (67).

Faldo and Woosnam could not fight their way back into contention either. Faldo ended as he had begun with a 68, but the rounds in between of 75 and 70 left him virtually no hope of a successful defence. ``I gave it 101% all week, but nothing came off,'' he commented.

Woosnam was in no mood to talk after finishing with a double bogey six - his second in six holes - for a 70. At the 13th, he found two bunkers, then he drove close to a fence down the right of the 18th and hacked his way forward before rolling in a 25-footer for his six.

Darcy was top home player and between him and the two superstars of British golf came Kent's Roger Chapman and Woburn's David Williams on level par. Williams is the son of former world speedway champion Freddie Williams and ex-Olympic gold medal-winning ice skater Patricia Devries.

Chapman had a 69 and Williams a 67 to tie with Australian Rodger Davis and Swede Magnus Sunesson on level par 280.

Final totals in the 120th Open golf championship at Royal Birkdale (GB and Ire unless stated), (x) denotes amateurs:

272 I Baker-Finch (Aus) 71 71 64 66 (£90,000)

274 M Harwood (Aus) 68 70 69 67 (£70,000)

275 F Couples (US) 72 69 70 64, M O'Meara (US) 71 68 67 69 (£55,000 each)

277 J Mudd (US) 72 70 72 63, B Tway (US) 75 66 70 66, E Darcy 73 68 66 70 (£34,166 each)

278 C Parry (Aus) 71 70 69 68 (£27,500)

279 G Norman (Aus) 74 68 71 66, B Langer (Ger) 71 71 70 67, S Ballesteros (Sp) 66 73 69 71 (£22,833 each)

280 R Davis (Aus) 70 71 73 66, M Sunesson (Swe) 72 73 68 67, D Williams 74 71 68 67, R Chapman 74 66 71 69, V Singh (Fiji) 71 69 69 71 (£17,100 each)

281 C Beck (US) 67 78 70 66, L Trevino (US) 71 72 71 67, N Faldo 68 75 70 68, P Senior (Aus) 74 67 71 69, P Broadhurst 71 73 68 69, B Lane 68 72 71 70, I Woosnam 70 72 69 70, A Sherborne 73 70 68 70, M Mouland 68 74 68 71 (£10,055 each)

282 T Watson (US) 69 72 72 69, W Grady (Aus) 69 70 73 70, C Montgomerie 71 69 71 71, E Romero (Arg) 70 73 68 71, M James 72 68 70 72, M Reid (US) 68 71 70 73

283 S Richardson 74 70 72 67, P Stewart (US) 72 72 71 68, C O'Connor Jnr 72 71 71 69, M Miller 73 74 67 69, G Brand Jnr 71 72 69 71, G Hallberg (US) 68 70 73 72

284 A Forsbrand (Swe) 71 72 73 68, (x) J Payne 72 72 70 70, N Henke (US) 77 71 66 70, P O'Malley (Aus) 72 71 70 71, C Strange (US) 70 73 69 72, M Poxon 71 72 67 74

285 S Torrance 72 76 70 67, D Smyth 71 73 73 68, T Kite (US) 77 71 68 69, S Elkington (Aus) 71 68 76 70, R Gamez (US) 71 72 72 70, N Price (Zim) 69 72 73 71, G Marsh (Aus) 69 73 72 71, J Nicklaus (US) 70 75 69 71, F Allem (SA) 70 72 71 72, J Spence 70 73 70 72, D Love III (US) 71 72 69 73, D Hammond (US) 70 75 67 73, C Rocca (It) 68 73 70 74

286 G Levenson (SA) 72 73 73 68, H Irwin (US) 74 70 73 69, T Simpson (US) 72 72 72 70, S Simpson (US) 74 72 70 70, G Player (SA) 75 71 69 71, J Rivero (Sp) 74 73 68 71, A Magee (US) 71 74 69 72

287 G Morgan (US) 72 74 74 67, J D Blake (US) 75 73 72 67, S Pate (US) 73 72 74 68, M McLean 71 75 72 69, S Jones (US) 70 77 71 69, M Martin (Sp) 71 75 71 70, M McNulty (Zim) 76 71 70 70, A Oldcorn 71 67 77 72, D Clarke 79 67 68 73

288 F Nobilo (NZ) 74 74 71 69, (x) P Mickelson (US) 77 67 73 71, L Wadkins (US) 71 75 71 71, M Gates 67 75 73 73, P Jacobsen (US) 75 72 68 73, T Johnstone (Zim) 69 74 71 74, B Ogle (Aus) 73 75 66 74

289 M Jimenez (Sp) 74 74 72 69, F Zoeller (US) 72 72 75 70, D Silva (Por) 73 71 75 70, M Mackenzie 71 73 74 71, B Crenshaw (US) 71 75 72 71, J Bland (SA) 71 76 71 71, M Brooks (US) 73 74 70 72, D Mijovic (Can) 70 72 74 73, S Luna (Sp) 67 77 72 73, J-M Olazabal (Sp) 74 67 74 74, H Clark 71 69 73 76, D Gilford 72 67 73 77

290 B Marchbank 72 73 75 70, R Gibson (Can) 73 75 70 72, P Teravainen (US) 71 72 72 75

291 P Hall 77 71 72 71

292 J Hoskison 74 73 74 71, P Hedblom (Swe) 74 74 73 71, A Webster 73 74 73 72, P Allan 70 71 75 76, C Suneson 69 77 69 77

294 C Moody 74 71 78 71, M Persson (Swe) 77 71 74 72, C Stadler (US) 77 71 74 72, J Morse (US) 73 71 77 73, T Weiskopf (US) 74 74 73 73, J Sluman (US) 71 71 75 77

295 S McAllister 79 69 70 77

297 R Mann 73 74 75 75, E O'Connell 74 74 74 75

299 J Oates 77 71 76 75, P Mayo 71 74 71 83

300 N Briggs 73 74 77 76