And what grade does Tiger get for his T-3 finish at Royal Lytham?
Updated: July 23, 2012, 4:42 PM ET
ESPN.comLYTHAM ST. ANNES, England -- Wow. Talk about a stunner.
Who would have imagined Ernie Els with his hands on the Claret Jug on Sunday night at Royal Lytham? The Big Easy captured his second Open Championship and his fourth major overall.
So what's next for the South African? Our experts in England break down all the happenings from the Open Championship.
1. Will we see a Vijay Singh-like post-40 turnaround from Ernie Els?
Michael Collins, ESPN.com senior golf analyst: Possible, but unlikely. The competition that is out on the tour right now is just too good for one guy over 40 to beat up on all year. Heck, other than Tiger, there are only three guys with two wins on tour this year and none of them are even sniffing 40. What we might see is Els getting two more wins total, maybe three, in his career but this was his last major. But, oh, what a good one it was.
Farrell Evans, ESPN.com senior golf writer: Probably not. Singh works on his game 350 days a year. Els is a philanthropist, humanitarian and family man who is not interested in the kind of single-minded strategy to win that much. But he'll be good in the tournaments that he does play.
Bob Harig, ESPN.com senior golf writer: It's hard to envision anyone having the kind of success Singh has had in his 40s. His career began later. Ernie's been a pro for 23 years. A few more wins, contending in majors occasionally, would be terrific.
Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN.com senior national columnist: After Sunday, anything's possible, I suppose. Give him this much: He predicted he was capable of doing something great Sunday -- and he did.
2. How does Adam Scott recover from this?
Michael Collins, ESPN.com senior golf analyst: Scott doesn't recover from this one. Unlike Rory McIlroy, who won the U.S. Open two years ago, Mr. Scott is 32 years old and now has lost majors two different ways. He got beat by Charl Schwartzel at the Masters and now has lost the Open Championship on his own. He's starting to look more like Sergio Garcia and less like McIlroy. If Scott wins a major, it'll be in a way like Geoff Ogilvy got handed one to him at the U.S. Open -- sitting in the locker room watching everyone else crash and burn.
Farrell Evans, ESPN.com senior golf writer: Scott keeps working. That's all he can do. This will sting for a while, but it's not the end of the world.
Bob Harig, ESPN.com senior golf writer: It's not going to be easy. It's bad enough to make a final-hole bogey to lose. But making four of them to lose by one? Scott is not a frequent contender as it is. He's won just once in the past year. He'll need some resolve to bounce back.
Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN.com senior national columnist: Therapy? He'll be numb for a while, but Els said he fully expects Scott to recover and go on to win multiple majors. Then again, they've been saying that about Scott for years.
3. What grade would you give Tiger Woods for his T-3 finish?
Michael Collins, ESPN.com senior golf analyst: C-. As with the U.S. Open -- where Tiger played two good rounds, one so-so round and one bad round -- his performance at Lytham will get him a passing grade but no trophies. He's got two issues: No trust in the driver and no touch with an iron under 8-iron. You're not winning any majors that way. And for Tiger, it's all about the majors.
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Farrell Evans, ESPN.com senior golf writer: B+. Perhaps he'll look back and say he should have been more aggressive earlier in the week, when the conditions were perfect for scoring.
Bob Harig, ESPN.com senior golf writer: B-. It's hard to knock a guy for finishing tied for third in a major championship, especially after he made a triple-bogey. You don't win majors doing that. And at the end, he was trying to force things as he attempted to make up ground. Still, Woods needs work on the short irons. They again are severely hampering his ability to make birdies.
Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN.com senior national columnist: B. I mean, he did finish T-3. But I think Tiger would admit that he had another legitimate opportunity to win a major -- and fouled off a pitch down the middle.
4. How would you rate Royal Lytham as a major venue?
Michael Collins, ESPN.com senior golf analyst: One of the best. All you have to do is look at the list of past champions and it will tell you all you need to know. No one can fake their way around this place. There are no shortcuts and sometimes playing defense will make you lose. I love it. I wouldn't want to play it from the tips, but I love it!!
Farrell Evans, ESPN.com senior golf writer: It's a quirky little golf course and 7 under won. That's respectable. The bunkers and the wind defended the course pretty well Sunday. I say keep it around.
Bob Harig, ESPN.com senior golf writer: It's excellent, and the proof was there again Sunday. The wind came up, and the golf course played completely different. What appeared to be a pushover all of a sudden turned brutal. That's the beauty of links golf.
Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN.com senior national columnist: Not enough bunkers. Kidding. Not postcard beautiful, but a totally underrated course.
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