Another 63? Don’t count on it

GOLF LATEST Wild Thing stole Claret Jug and my ice cream

BY EUAN McLEAN BAD enough that John Daly snatched the Claret Jug from under his nose but for the Wild Thing to steal his ice cream the week after left a bitter taste for Costantino Rocca.

But this summer the Italian reckons he’s got it licked as the pair prepare to renew their old rivalry when the Senior Open comes to the home of golf.

Rocca is, by his own admission, the most famous runner-up in golf thanks to the dramatic birdie putt he holed from 65 feet to take the 1995 Open to a nail-biting play-off, eventually won by Daly.

So it was a nice nostalgic moment yesterday when Rocca, 61, recreated that magic moment from the Old Course’s infamous Valley of Sin.

Same putter, same spot but sadly a different outcome as he could only shave the hole at the 22nd attempt. Rocca said: “I’m the most famous runner-up in the world!

“John beat me but he is very nice. The week after St Andrews we played in the Dutch Open and one night we were both sent a huge box of Haagen-Dazs ice cream.

“It was 12 o’clock at night when it was delivered so I said, ‘I don’t need ice cream at this time of night, I’ll get it tomorrow.’ So the next morning I went to them and said ‘Do you have my ice cream?’ They said, ‘No, John took it.’

“He’d eaten it all! I said to him, ‘You beat me in the play-off, you’re lucky. But now you steal my ice cream?’ But we are good friends. Maybe this year I’ll buy an ice cream for him.”

● The Senior Open presented by Rolex takes place from July 26-29. Tickets starting at £13.50 per day are available at www.senioropen championship.com