It took until Monday to wrap up the British Open. High winds delayed the second round, pushing it into Saturday. The R&A officials weighed their options and concluded that an 18 hole final round on Monday was the best option. Yes, for those who follow links golf a "high wind delay" does seem a bit odd.
Close But No Cigar
The lead on Monday's final round was shared or tied by nine different players at various points in the round. Even more players were close to the lead.
Adam Scott was close to the lead until missing an 18 inch putt which derailed his mojo. Once tied for the lead, Scott limped home in the final nine holes with a 40 which put him in a tie for 10th place.
Dustin Johnson was the leader after the first two days at -10, but lost his birdie ways in the final two rounds with two 75's. He would finish in a tie for 49th.
Jordan Spieth was the biggest news item coming into the Open, having won the Masters and the U.S. Open this year, along with two other regular PGA Tour wins. A chance for the grand slam, winning all four majors in one season, was historic. Spieth's performance was nothing short of spectacular, but it was something short of winning. One shot in fact. Spieth's bogey on the 17th Road Hole after making a mega-long birdie putt on 16 meant he would have to birdie the final hole to join the playoff. To most viewers' surprise, he couldn't convert on the easy 18th. The grand slam dream was done. One shot short.
Amateur Paul Dunne shot up the leaderboard in the third round with a 66. His first two rounds were 69's, making him the only player in the field with all first three rounds in the 60's. Dunne had a shot at history as well, having already been the first amateur since Bobby Jones to share or hold the lead going into the final round. That was back in 1927. Dunne started off shaky and couldn't quite recover, carding a final round 78 and dropping from first place to a tie for 30th. Still fantastic for an amateur player who barely qualified for the event.
Aussie Jason Day was close to, or tied for the lead through much of the final few holes. Day may have the most close calls in majors in the past 5-10 years. Like Spieth, Day had to make birdie on the 18th hole to join the playoff. Amazingly the long hitter could only muster a tearful par. Day will get his day, so to speak.
The last time the Open was played in St Andrews the champion was Louis Oosthuizen. It would seem his game is well suited for the Old Course. Oosthuizen held the lead after three rounds but struggled with his swing during the final round. Amazingly his off-strikes were just good enough to keep the ball in play. Like Day and Spieth, Louis needed birdie on the 18th hole to join the playoff. Unlike Day and Spieth, Louis made the putt. His playoff was solid at even par for the four holes, just one shy of the win.
Other notables who were close included Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, and Danny Willet. A stroke saved here and there for those respective players would have made the difference.
Not Close and No Cigar
Tiger Woods fired his worst round in a major at the Old Course in the first round, a 76. He followed that up with a 75 which took two days to complete. Jokingly he made it to the weekend. Woods's game seems to be as lost as a ball in Old Course gorse bushes. Not even Woods himself seems to know what the issue is, having mentioned looking at his "spin rates" to see what the problem was.
After hovering around the cut, Bubba Watson missed the cut after a horrible triple bogey derailed his second round. It seems the two-time Masters champ is still trying to figure out links golf, with all its quirks.
So Long
Tom Watson said his goodbyes to major championship golf this week, looking to the sky on the Swilken Bridge, then waving to the loving crowd of Scots and fans from around the world. Winning five Open Championships will earn that love.
Another farewell was that of Nick Faldo. Faldo sportingly waved goodbye on the Swilken Bridge as well, wearing the same ugly sweater he wore when he won the Open back in 1987. If the move proved anything, it was ugly sweaters stand the test of time.
PGA Results: 2015 British Open Championship
It took until Monday to wrap up the British Open. High winds delayed the second round, pushing it into Saturday. The R&A officials weighed their options and concluded that an 18 hole final round on Monday was the best option. Yes, for those who follow links golf a "high wind delay" does seem a bit odd.
Close But No Cigar
The lead on Monday's final round was shared or tied by nine different players at various points in the round. Even more players were close to the lead.
Adam Scott was close to the lead until missing an 18 inch putt which derailed his mojo. Once tied for the lead, Scott limped home in the final nine holes with a 40 which put him in a tie for 10th place.
Dustin Johnson was the leader after the first two days at -10, but lost his birdie ways in the final two rounds with two 75's. He would finish in a tie for 49th.
Jordan Spieth was the biggest news item coming into the Open, having won the Masters and the U.S. Open this year, along with two other regular PGA Tour wins. A chance for the grand slam, winning all four majors in one season, was historic. Spieth's performance was nothing short of spectacular, but it was something short of winning. One shot in fact. Spieth's bogey on the 17th Road Hole after making a mega-long birdie putt on 16 meant he would have to birdie the final hole to join the playoff. To most viewers' surprise, he couldn't convert on the easy 18th. The grand slam dream was done. One shot short.
Amateur Paul Dunne shot up the leaderboard in the third round with a 66. His first two rounds were 69's, making him the only player in the field with all first three rounds in the 60's. Dunne had a shot at history as well, having already been the first amateur since Bobby Jones to share or hold the lead going into the final round. That was back in 1927. Dunne started off shaky and couldn't quite recover, carding a final round 78 and dropping from first place to a tie for 30th. Still fantastic for an amateur player who barely qualified for the event.
Aussie Jason Day was close to, or tied for the lead through much of the final few holes. Day may have the most close calls in majors in the past 5-10 years. Like Spieth, Day had to make birdie on the 18th hole to join the playoff. Amazingly the long hitter could only muster a tearful par. Day will get his day, so to speak.
The last time the Open was played in St Andrews the champion was Louis Oosthuizen. It would seem his game is well suited for the Old Course. Oosthuizen held the lead after three rounds but struggled with his swing during the final round. Amazingly his off-strikes were just good enough to keep the ball in play. Like Day and Spieth, Louis needed birdie on the 18th hole to join the playoff. Unlike Day and Spieth, Louis made the putt. His playoff was solid at even par for the four holes, just one shy of the win.
Other notables who were close included Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, and Danny Willet. A stroke saved here and there for those respective players would have made the difference.
Not Close and No Cigar
Tiger Woods fired his worst round in a major at the Old Course in the first round, a 76. He followed that up with a 75 which took two days to complete. Jokingly he made it to the weekend. Woods's game seems to be as lost as a ball in Old Course gorse bushes. Not even Woods himself seems to know what the issue is, having mentioned looking at his "spin rates" to see what the problem was.
After hovering around the cut, Bubba Watson missed the cut after a horrible triple bogey derailed his second round. It seems the two-time Masters champ is still trying to figure out links golf, with all its quirks.
So Long
Tom Watson said his goodbyes to major championship golf this week, looking to the sky on the Swilken Bridge, then waving to the loving crowd of Scots and fans from around the world. Winning five Open Championships will earn that love.
Another farewell was that of Nick Faldo. Faldo sportingly waved goodbye on the Swilken Bridge as well, wearing the same ugly sweater he wore when he won the Open back in 1987. If the move proved anything, it was ugly sweaters stand the test of time.
