The South African stood at the tee with a two-shot cushion but his challengers were coming at him thick and fast - a par was essential.

And then he dumped his tee shot into one of the five cavernous bunkers lurking around the green.

It was the same bunker that David Park had taken eight shots to get out of earlier in the day.

But despite being wedged up against the sheer side of the sand trap, Els produced a breathtaking shot which cleared the high bunker lip and landed a couple of feet from the pin.

It left him the simplest of tap-ins for his par.

Muirfield's new hero
Gary Evans Englishman's remarkable up and down at the 17th

It was an emotional day for Gary Evans, and it all hinged on the 17th hole.

The Englishman was outright leader of The Open when his second shot on the 546-yard par-five 17th found the rough.

Worse still, an extensive search by players, officials and members of the public failed to locate the ball in the wild grasses of Muirfield and he had to take a drop shot back on the fairway.

With his six-under status under threat, Evans this time put his approach somewhere near the green, but he still had a great deal to do.

"That's for you mum" - Evans celebrates

His reaction was unsurprising then, as he sank a monstrous putt across the green.

He then high-fived just about everybody he could find and then mouthed the words "that's for you mum" into the BBC television camera.

Evans knew he had retained the lead in The Open - and that he had given viewers around the world a special moment with which to remember Muirfield 2002.