Turnberry (Scotland ), July 20 - Tom Watson added one more act to the already emotion-draining drama at the Turnberry Golf Resort when he missed an eight-foot par putt to send the 138th Open Championships into a four-hole play-off with Stewart Cink of United States.

The front-runner for last three days, the 59-year-old Watson, and the outsider, 36-year-old Cink, were tied at two-under 208 after 72 holes. They went into a play-off to be played over four holes.

It was yesterday once more, as Tom Watson strode like a colossus on the final green in an attempt to both re-live and re-write history at the 138th British Open at Turnberry. His fans and rivals at the Ailsa Craig Course's 18th green, which in the time to come, could well be re-christened the 'Tom Watson Amphitheatre', applauded as one, as he came to the final stanza of this beautiful symphony holding a one-shot lead.

Ready to birdie from the apron of green, all he needed was a par to win a sixth Claret Jug and etch his name in a bunch of history books. He left himself eight feet short, and then after holing all those 60 and 30-footer over the past 71 holes, he missed the crucial short one. He tapped in for a par, and added another act to the already emotion-draining drama, that this Open Championships had become.

Watson, starting the day at four-under and with a lead of one, finished the final round with a round of 72. Cink, who had opened the tournament with a 66, went out three groups ahead of the leader, and starting the day at one-under 209, shot a 69 to come to two-under 268.