American David Duval, who never lost faith in his ability despite all his disappointments, finally joined the ranks of major champions with as polished a display as you could wish to see at Royal Lytham.

But while the 29-year-old lifted the old claret jug and savoured becoming the 130th Open champion, Ian Woosnam was left to reflect on what might have been but for an astonishing blunder.

Duval, close at the last four Masters, collected the £600,000 first prize with a closing round of 67 for a 10-under-par total of 274.

Quiet, unassuming Swede Niclas Fasth was second three strokes back - a performance that catapults him towards the Ryder Cup - and then a shot further behind were Woosnam, Darren Clarke, Ernie Els, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Billy Mayfair and Bernhard Langer.

Colin Montgomerie finished only 13th.

Woosnam, though, will never the forget the day and nor will his Irish caddie Miles Byrne because of what happened at the start.

Not the glorious iron off the first tee that stopped six inches from the hole and made him joint leader, but the discovery on the next tee that he had 15 clubs in his bag. One more than is allowed.

"You are going to go ballistic," said Byrne, who has been Woosnam's caddie for only two months. "We have two drivers."

As a gaffe it was on a par with Robert de Vicenzo signing for a wrong score and losing the 1968 Masters by one and Hale Irwin having an air shot over a three-inch putt and finishing one behind Tom Watson at the 1983 Open.

"Team Woosie" had not spotted that after practising with two drivers both were still in the bag.

His opening birdie two was changed to a bogey four with the two-shot penalty and suddenly he was playing catch-up. He never got back on terms.

"I felt like I had been kicked in the teeth," said Woosnam. "It's hard enough being level with the world's best, but to give them a two-shot start... I was not feeling very enthusiastic about it. It took me a few holes to recover.

"I suppose I should have checked, but that's what you pay a caddie for. It's the biggest mistake he'll ever make, but I am not going to sack him. He's a nice lad and good caddie.

"It's the ultimate sin for a caddie. I am surmising that he's feeling as sick as a parrot."

Bryne said: "No excuses. The buck stops with me. End of story. If I knew how it happened it would not have been there."

Not that anything should detract from the coolness of Duval - hidden behind sunglasses as is his style whatever the weather - to achieve what he has been wanting to achieve all his golfing life.

"It feels so good," he said, "especially after last year when I had worked my way into the last group and shouldn't really have been playing (because of back trouble)."

He was world No 1 for a spell in 1999 after a round of 59 on the US Tour, but the major victory he craved eluded him time and time again - including last year's Open when he mounted the biggest challenge to Tiger Woods on the final day, but finished only 11th after running up an eight at the 71st hole.

Duval had warned the world's press after his third round 65 to think carefully before they labelled him a failure if he happened to fall short again.

"If I shoot another 65 and yet still don't win I suppose in some people's minds I have failed again," he said.

"But I don't see how that can be the case.

"You can say I don't have a killer instinct, but I don't think finishing second is failure. That sends the wrong message.

"I think I should have won the last four Augusta tournaments, but when you do your best it's not failing. I want to take the trophy home tomorrow, but I also want to play well.

"At times I have played poorly in the last round, but most times I have played well. I shot the lowest final round in this year's Masters (a 67) and apparently I blew it.

"I made everything except the putts on 16 and 18 and I do believe I can handle the pressure."

Now there is no need for him to plead the case. He has proved himself.

There was a four-way tie between Woosnam, Langer, Cejka and Duval at the start of the day, but Fasth, unaware of what had happened to the Welshman, went to the turn in 31 and then birdied the long 11th as well to lead.

By this stage Montgomerie - leader by three after an opening 65, still one in front when he added a 70 and only one behind despite his Saturday 73 - had bogeyed the third and fifth to leave himself too much to do, Mansfield's Greg Owen had double-bogeyed the second to take himself out of the picture and Tiger Woods had failed to make the charge he hoped for from his overnight 28th position, five behind. He finished only 25th.

Fasth was bunkered off the tee at the 14th and that brought Duval and Mayfair into the joint lead on seven under, a position Duval changed with two-putts birdies on both the sixth and seventh.

Fasth knew, though, that he was at the crucial holes, the finishing stretch, and his four pars for a 67 were good, but might have been even better in the event as a 60-footer on the 17th and 40-footer on the last both grazed the edge of the cup.

He was in at 4.15pm and there was over two hours for him to wait to discover his fate - Open title or near-miss. He thought it would be the latter and he was proved right.

Many players jostled their way into second place, but Duval seized the moment.

He holed from 12 feet on the third, two-putted the two par fives on the outward half - the sixth and seventh - and when he splashed out of a bunker to four feet for another birdie on the long 11th he was three clear.

It did come back down to one after he bogeyed the short 12th, but was to prove his last mistake and virtually nobody else could say the same.

His worst moment was probably the crowd scenes at the last - not as bad as St Andrews last year when fans stampeded and some either fell or were pushed into the Swilcan Burn before Woods finished things off.

Duval, having struck the perfect drive, had to back off his second shot as shouting continued, but he hit it to inside 10 feet and, with four putts for the title, took two of them.