Thongchai Jaidee's good run in the over-50 circuit continued on Sunday when he finished joint third at the Senior British Open.
The 52-year-old Thai shot a two-under-par 68 to tie for third on 272 with five other players -- England's Paul Broadhurst (71), Mauricio Molina of Argentina (65), American Doug Barron (65), Ernie Els of South Africa (68) and Steven Alker of New Zealand (70).
They were two shot behind winner Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland who made a two-putt birdie at the 18th hole to win the title at Gleneagles in Auchterarder, Scotland.
Clarke escaped Padraig Harrington's late rally by sinking the birdie to for a 69 to finish 10-under 270 for the week.
Harrington birdied six holes on the back nine to shoot a 67 and set the clubhouse pace at nine-under 271 before Clarke's finish.
Clarke, the 2011 British Open champion, took home US$432,204 in prize money.
Thongchai and the other third-placed finishers each got $105,832.
Last month, Thongchai, of Lop Buri, became the first Thai to won on the PGA Tour Champions with his success at the American Family Insurance Championship.
Clarke, 53, not only won his first senior major championship, but he also became the fourth player in history to win both the British Open and the Senior British Open, joining Gary Player, Tom Watson and Bob Charles.
"I feel very privileged to get my name on the Claret Jug and now to get my name on this one as well and go beside some legends of the game," Clarke said. "I feel very humbled and very honoured."
"When I've won some of my biggest tournaments -- the [British] Open, WGCs [World Golf Championships] whatever -- I've had a sense of calmness.
"And I don't know where it comes from, because if I'd been able to grab ahold of it a few more times in my career, I probably would've won a few more times. But this week I had that calmness again." bangkok post/reuters