ESPN Golf

He finished hours before the leaders, but as the day wore on Fred Couples' name became more and more prominent, thanks to the struggles of every golfer but Tiger Woods. He started the day in 22nd place, but finished in a tie for third with Jose Maria Olazabal at 8-under 280. Of any of the top-10 finishers, Couples' Sunday 68 was the best.

It also was Couples' best finish in a major championship since a tie for second in the 1998 Masters and his best British Open performance in 14 years.

"I had a great day. It could've been a heck of a lot better," said Couples, 45. "With a little bit of luck, I could've been a couple better and had a better finish. But I'm done now. Standing here, my feet are ready to break off. I've been playing a lot recently."

PGA Tour victories: 44
Majors: 10
Including U.S. Amateurs: 13
Top-10 finishes: 116 in 178 events
Total tour prize money: $51,745,402
Average amount earned per event: $290,704.51
When leading a major after 54 holes: 10 times, 10 wins
Largest margins of victory in majors: 15 strokes, 2000 U.S. Open; 12 strokes, 1997 Masters; 8 strokes, 2000 British Open; 5 strokes, 2005 British Open.

Stroke average (all players, all rounds): 72.675 (par 72)
Stroke average (final round): 72.568
Percentage of tee shots that were in the No. 1 fairway (all players, all rounds): 99.6. (Colin Montgomerie hit it into the Swilcan Burn on Thursday)
Number of eagles: 39
Number of eagles on par 4s: 21
Easiest hole: 18th (3.539 stroke average)
Hardest hole: 17th (4.628 stroke average, 19 birdies)
Number of players who averaged better than 300 yards off the tee for all four rounds: 77 (longest was Tiger Woods at 341.5 yards)
Number of players who didn't: 3 (shortest was John Bickerton at 291.1)
Putting leader: Tie -- Woods, Mark Hensby, Luke Donald and David Frost (1.67 average strokes per hole)

Lloyd Saltman, 19, of Craigielau, Scotland, won the Silver Medal as low amateur after shooting 5 under for the tournament with a 71 on Sunday, edging fellow Scot Eric Ramsay. Saltman needed a birdie on the final hole to earn the honor and finish in a tie for 15th. He will play on the 2005 Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team and said he has no plans to turn pro in the near future.

"I knew I had to birdie 18 and I was delighted when I did," he said. "I'll stay amateur, enjoy the Walker Cup, hopefully do my bit for the team. Then maybe look at the pro game at the end of next season and assess it then."

Five-time British Open winner Tom Watson, 55, finished the tournament at 1 under after shooting an even-par 72 on Sunday. In 98 rounds heading into this week's event, Watson's stroke average was 72.41.

"When you play St. Andrews and there is not a lot of wind, that putter is the one stick that is going to win you the golf tournament," Watson said. "I made a lot of mistakes on the greens. My game this week was good. My putter just didn't allow me to be in the golf tournament."

A record 223,000 fans attended the tournament, including 46,500 for the final round. Although there were five streakers arrested on the course when the Open was played here in 2000, there were no streakers on the course this week.

Sergio Garcia and Vijay Singh needed to play near-flawless rounds on Sunday to have a chance against Woods, but both played terribly. Garcia shot a 1-over 73 and Singh shot an even-par 72. But the worst performance came from Olazabal (74), who needed to make a 10-foot par putt on the final hole to avoid falling out of a tie for third. Olazabal was within one shot of Woods on the fourth hole, but fell six shots behind his playing partner.

Nick Faldo rolled in a monster putt from 23 yards out through the Valley of Sin for an eagle on 18. The roar from the crowd could be heard throughout the course. His 6 under performance put him in a tie for 11th. "That matched anything I heard when I won here in 1990."

Bernhard Langer was on his way to a top-three or top-four finish when he flubbed an easy pitch shot into a bunker and made double-bogey on the 15th hole. He finished 7 under for the tournament and in a tie for fifth. A par at 15 would have meant a second-place finish.

Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell shot a 5-under 67, including a 31 on the back nine with birdies at 12, 13, 14, 16 and 18. His 6 under finish for the tournament left him the leader in the clubhouse for the first half of the day, but he finished in a tie for 11th.

"If you take out the eight I made on 17 [Saturday], I am right back into this golf tournament," McDowell said. "It hurt me, but a couple of pints of Guinness last night took the pain away."

"It might have affected my energy levels a little bit. To be subjected to that much emotion, all the crowd's energy, might have taken it out of me a little bit. But I should be strong enough to not let that affect me."
-- Luke Donald, on playing with Watson and Nicklaus. Donald finished the Open at even par.

"It's crazy how I looked at that putt from behind the hole and I thought, 'I fancy this one.' I haven't fancied a putt all week, to be honest. And I knocked it in, dead center. It doesn't make any sense. So I'm chuffed. Birthday tomorrow. Beautiful present."
-- Faldo, on his eagle on the 18th hole Sunday.