Obviously, Hazeltine 1970 was one of the great weeks of my life. To in- crease your lead over such a high-class field on every day of the US Open and eventually win by seven, had to be very special. It was the sort of thing that doesn't happen very often in major championships.

By any standards, it was a fantastic occasion for me, right from the start. Indeed looking back over a long career, it was probably the best performance of my life, all things considered.

The opening round was played in winds of up to 40mph but I managed to shoot a 71 against an average for the field of 79.1. So, with a two-shot lead over Julius Boros, Mason Rudolph and Chi Chi Rodriguez, it became a matter of playing great golf and keeping my head from then on.

Now, 29 years later, it surprises me to some degree that I remain the last European to win the US Open. But having said that, there aren't many who have gone over to the States and played full-time there, like I did in the '60s.

Sure, we've had some great, world- class European players, but generally they have chosen to stay in Europe and go to the States only a few weeks before the majors. The different nature of the courses, the way they're set up and the general standard of play over there, is bound to make it more difficult for players making the odd raid.

When I went to Hazeltine, the US was my circuit. But there were other elements which became important, like the fact that the weather wasn't particularly good for the first two days. As it happened I got off to a great start while half the field were blown away.

Not even the great ones escaped. Arnold Palmer had a 79; Gary Player shot an 80 and Jack Nicklaus shot an 81, the highest score of his US Open career.

But I just minded my business and got on with what I was doing. A second round of 70 increased my lead to three strokes over Dave Hill at the half-way stage and I had another 70 to be four strokes clear of Hill with one round to play. And for good measure, I finished with a 70.

I remember missing short putts which led to bogeys at the seventh and eighth on the final day, but luck was with me on the ninth. My long-range birdie putt smacked into the back of the hole and popped up a few inches before dropping into the cup. That settled me down.

Eventually, going up the 18th for the last time, I knew this was as good as it was ever going to get. I remember hitting a good drive and then a four-iron second shot to about 20 feet short of the hole. Next thing I was standing over the putt and thinking "holing this would be a helluva way to finish."

Then, as I was thinking it I was doing it. And the ball dropped. And it was just a wonderful moment. I was the first English winner of the title since Ted Ray, back at Inverness in 1920.

My success in the Jacksonville Open in 1968 had enabled me to take the heat of winning the British Open at Royal Lytham the following year. And in many respects, the British Open set me up to win the US Open, certainly where handling the pressure was concerned.

At the end of the day, pressure is what we're talking about here. At the level of a major championship, golf is very much a mind game. And ultimately, it comes down to whether you can handle the heat.

Of course you've got to be fortunate as well and I was lucky at Hazeltine in that I opened up such a strong lead that I didn't really need too many favourable bounces. Then there was that birdie on the ninth which gave me priceless confidence coming down the stretch. Soon it was all over. I'd done it.