Neither of these fears were realised. The 149th edition of golf's oldest and most prestigious Championship went as smoothly as the tournament organisers could have hoped for. Restrictions were tight, well-managed and observed to the max by players, fans, officials and volunteers. The R&A deserve huge credit for their efforts, not just this week, but for the best part of 18 months. chiruca etnico 03 "This was a magnificent year," the former Lazio, Deportivo La Coruna and West Ham player said. "Winning the Copa, qualifying for the World Cup unbeaten. It was a dream." chiruca etnico 03 Week 11 was a continuation of steady improvement for a defense that was much-maligned earlier this season. Over the past four games - all wins - defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's group have given up just 11.8 points per game and held every opponent under 20 points. Kansas City were giving up an average of 29 points per game during the first seven weeks of the season. Now we need to see if that defensive form holds when it really matters. chiruca etnico 03 While Kane Williamson remained they were still relatively comfortable with the skipper content to bide his time, presumably with the hope of kicking on late in the innings. chiruca etnico 03