The R & A's Flying Circus Monty tumbled? Tiger fumbled? The glass slipper fit, but rules officials did not acquit? Here's our report from one of the wildest British Opens ever

WINNERS

CINDERELLAS First Rich Beem, then Hilary Lunke and now Ben
Curtis. Have three major winners in the span of a year ever been
more unlikely than this charming trio?

ROYAL ST. GEORGE'S Yes, a couple of fairways were too extreme,
but this quirky gem provided links golf at its most
unpredictable, and enjoyable.

ROBERTO DEVICENZO Until now he owned golf's biggest scoring
blunder, having signed for the wrong score on the 71st hole of
the 1968 Masters, which cost him a spot in a playoff with Bob
Goalby. Now Divicenzo has company, thanks to....

COLIN MONTGOMERIE He had to withdraw after injuring his hand in a
tumble on his hotel's stairs. Klutzy, sure, but he wasn't going
to win the Open anyway. At least this way he got some sympathy.

KENNY PERRY Golf's hottest player left the comforts of home to
play in only his second British Open and was rewarded with a tie
for eighth.

IAN BAKER-FINCH The amiable Aussie was at his best calling the
action for ABC from the tournament at which he had his biggest
win.

ALEX CEJKA The German journeyman missed an exemption into the
Open by one slot on the Euro money list; instead he played at the
B.C. Open, tying for second to lock up a PGA Tour card for next
year.

BOB CURTIS Ben's dad was Sunday's most high-profile fan, a pretty
neat trick given that he was at home in Ohio.

LOSERS

SUPERSTARS Davis Love III and Sergio Garcia have a history of
Sunday folds, but to see gritty closers Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh
and Thomas Bjorn also come undone was stunning.

OLYMPIA FIELDS Two very different Opens--the British and the
U.S.--were a reminder that lushly manicured courses aren't always
better.

...MARK ROE The Englishman shot a career round last Saturday to
get into contention, only to be disqualified for using Jesper
Parnevik's scorecard. Bonus points, though, for quipping, "I
must've been distracted by Jesper's aqua-colored pants."

ERNIE ELS Such a strange year for Els, with amazing highs and
mortifying collapses. Coming off a rousing win at the Scottish
Open, he had a worse Thursday than Monty, opening the British
with an inexplicable 78.

SCOTT HOCH AND KIRK TRIPLETT Raspberries all around for the only
players in the World Ranking's top 50 who didn't show up in
England.

DAVID DUVAL The 2001 Open champ shot 83-78 to miss the cut and
extend to two years a slump that is now looking Baker-Finchian in
scope.

JOEY SINDELAR He earned a last-minute spot in the British at the
Western Open but instead opted to play in his hometown B.C. Open.
Given his 39th-place finish, maybe Sindelar should've tried
England.

JOS VANSTIPHOUT The controversial sports shrink was last seen
giving Bjorn a pep talk before the final round.

B/W PHOTO: NEIL LEIFER (DEVICENZO) Devicenzo's math cost him a tie at the Masters.

COLOR PHOTO: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP (ROE) Parnevik's pants cost Roe a shot at the Open.

COLOR PHOTO: CARL & ANN PURCELL/CORBIS (CONDOR)

COLOR PHOTO: CORBIS (STEAK)

COLOR PHOTOMONTAGE: DAVE MARTIN/AP (PUTTER)/CORBIS (FLAME)

COLOR PHOTO: ED BOHON/CORBIS (PASSPORT)

COLOR PHOTO: SCOTT HALLERAN/GETTY IMAGES (STADLER)

TRUST ME

Tiger Woods does have a flaw--he can't play from behind at the
majors. All of Woods's Grand Slam wins have come with a Sunday
lead, but his brand of prevent defense precludes comebacks.

THE NEW MATH Craig Stadler takes the B.C. Open a week after his
first senior win

[(RAYMOND FLOYD + 50 POUNDS) + HOT PUTTER + TWO TOURS = (CRAIG
STADLER TAKES THE B.C. OPEN A WEEK AFTER HIS FIRST SENIOR WIN)]