STILL best known in these parts for that extraordinary 60 foot birdie putt from the Valley of Sin which propelled him into a play-off which he lost against John Daly at the Old Course in 1995, Costantino Rocca saved the best for last at Royal Troon yesterday when he took advantage of the benign conditions to post 67 for 285 and clamber into the top ten at the Senior British Open.
Rocca, 51, is ambitious to end the sequence of American successes in the only senior major held outside the USA. "I didn't win the Open, though I went very close at St Andrews, and this is a new chapter in my life," he reflected. "I don't know if win
ning the Senior Open would ever make up for missing out at St Andrews, but it's a great challenge. The Senior Tour is now very strong, with so many great players. Even if it takes me four or five years, this is now my main ambition." With his teenage son Francesco on the bag – the 18-year-old's hands became tense as his father compiled seven birdies – Rocca savoured the experience of the best staging yet of the Senior British Open as he overcame a bogey at the first to reel off six 3s in eight holes.
"Francesco enjoyed it and so did I," he smiled. "We had a good week together. The difference today was that I holed a few putts and felt good about my game," said the Italian. "It was frustrating to drop a few shots as well as make all those birdies, but this is a golf course which tests every aspect of your game.
"Every day the wind has been different here and as the course dried out it became difficult to control distance. You needed to concentrate very hard. The most dangerous holes were the 11th, 13th and 14th, and even the 17th, where I made 2, wasn't easy. "
Now recovered from a finger injury which restricted his appearances earlier in the season, Rocca promised he would be back in Scotland for the Scottish Seniors at Dalmahoy in September. He would not dispute, however, that the Senior Open, which returns to Scottish linksland at Carnoustie in 2010, is the tournament he now prizes above all the rest. "I have a new life in golf and, for this championship I can be patient," he said.
