When then inevitable questions about likely winners arose on Sunday morning few gave much thought to the 1998 champion, Greg Chalmers.

He had played well enough in America this year, and no more than that, but he is a grinding player likely to make fewer mistakes than the rest. If nothing else, his Sunday putter is more reliable than that the 54 hole leader, John Senden who holed everything on Saturday but barely anything at all over the critical front nine on Sunday. The elegant Senden's lead was gone well before the turn, forcing him to make a mad rush over the closing nine to revive his chance.

The West Australian won here in no small part because of a brilliant middle iron into the par three, 15th green. That green falls away to the back from the front and with the pin cut into the front right corner he hit the perfect shot to within kick-in distance and scrapping pars out of the greenside bunkers at the 16th and 18th holes saved his neck in the clutch.

Tiger Woods came with a rush at the end when, after making a ridiculous mess of the short par-four 13th, he holed out a chip from the back of the next green for an eagle. A towering second iron that landed just in the right place in front of the 17th green gave him a decent chance at another eagle that would have pressured Chalmers but he missed and three was all he could do at the last. Woods was terrific for three rounds here but the wild tee shots and the resultant 75 on Saturday was too much to overcome.

Senden started off with a par then three bogeys and he added another at the 7th to be out in 39. No one has ever offered any satisfactory explanation for the phenomenon of following an incredible round with a mediocre one but Senden's 63 on Saturday was a striking contrast to his opening nine. Seemingly out of it by the turn, he tore into the back nine with birdies at the three long holes as well as one at the short four down the hill that derailed Woods earlier.

The Lakes members - well, many of them anyway - would have us tear that hole up and do it again but for me the wild variety of shots and scores showed that it is often the short holes that pros wind up messing up because they are never quite sure what to do from the tee.

Senden came to the 72nd tee needing a two to tie and while the tee shot was not nearly good enough to give him an easy putt he almost holed from 13 metres for the tie.

Tied for fourth were the impressive group of Geoff Ogilvy (65), Adam Scott (68), Nick Watney (72), Nick O'Hern (72) and Jason Day who could only do 74.

Ogilvy was particularly impressive but with no pressure in terms of winning it is not so hard for a player of his talent to tear flags out and hole putts when the mood is right. He will look back at shots frittered away over the opening rounds with some frustration - but forward to Royal Melbourne with anticipation.

Chalmers won at a brutally difficult Royal Adelaide in 1998 and he played well enough to finish fourth in the Tiger Woods-Bob May USPGA championship at Valhalla in 2000. He looked to be away but quite bizarrely he lost his players card a couple of years later and was forced to earn his way back onto the main tour. He has played solidly enough - as he said at the start of the week ‘just well enough to keep my job' - but this will be of some encouragement.

There were some awfully good players stacked up behind him and despite Greg Norman's very odd early-week assessment that this week was not as important as next, this has been a significant Open. The crowds were fantastic, the golf excellent and the course has always made for interesting watching because so much can happen on the back nine holes around the water.

The President's Cup will come and go but The Open will endure and this week showed what a great event it can be - and needs to be.