O'Meara lets score record slip away

"YOU'RE the man." The tones of adulation came, not from a spectator behind the ropes, but from his opponent as Mark O'Meara rolled in yet another birdie putt during the Alfred Dunhill Cup over the Old Course at St Andrews yesterday.

Ryder Cup player Costantino Rocca knew it wasn't going to be his day from a very early stage. O'Meara was on fire and, as one putt after another found its desired target, the Italian, sensing his plight was desperate, decided to join in the fun.

"It was all a bit comical, at times," said O'Meara, who fired eight consecutive birdies in covering the outward stretch in an amazing 28 strokes. "Rocky just kept saying things like, `you're the man' or `your unbelievable'."

And, for a time yesterday, O'Meara was pretty remarkable as he seemed poised to conquer the Old Course and break the course record 62 set by his compatriot Curtis Strange in 1987. When O'Meara added further birdies at the 11th and 12th holes, to move to ten under par, that target seemed quite achievable.

"I've never had eight straight birdies before and I was conscious of Curtis's record. It was in my mind for the entire back nine," said O'Meara. However, just when it appeared he was destined to find a place in the history books, the Old Lady struck. The "Road Hole" spared the Old Course's blushes and confined O'Meara to a fate experienced by numerous other golfers.

O'Meara's five iron approach - "I actually thought it was quite a decent shot, I was a little unlucky with the way it finished," he said trickled over the back and down on to the road, from where he opted to use his putter. However, he failed to get the ball up the bank and, then, took a further three putts to get down. A double bogey six to spoil his card.