St Andrews, Scotland: American Zach Johnson claimed the second major victory of his career when he beat Australian Marc Leishman and Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa in a four-hole playoff at The Open on Monday.
Johnson, who also won the US Masters in 2007, was one under par for the extra holes. Oosthuizen was level par and Leishman two over.
The trio finished 15 under par after the end of the four rounds but there was no place in the play-off for Jordan Spieth who finished a shot behind to end his hopes of a third successive major title this year.
Johnson grabbed a birdie with a long putt on the 18th to finish with a six-under 66, while Leishman also carded 66 with a par putt on the last hole. Oosthuizen holed the birdie putt he needed on the 18th to card a 69 and tie the lead.
Spieth’s hopes of a rare triple and an unprecedented Grand Slam of all four majors ended when he failed to get the birdie he needed on the 18th to tie the lead after dropping a shot on the 17th.
Australia’s Jason Day also needed a birdie on the 18th to join the play-off but his putt fell short to leave him tied fourth with Spieth.
It was another near miss for Day who has nine top 10 finishes in majors including three seconds.
Australia’s Marc Leishman went out in 31 for the front nine and was leading at 16 under after saving par with a long putt, but he missed a short putt on the 16th for his first bogey.
He missed a difficult chance to win outright with a long putt for birdie on the 18th, where Johnson had earlier birdied with a tremendous downhill putt.
Zach had put pressure on at the top of the leaderboard by going out in 31. He struck seven birdies by the 12th hole to go 16 under before finding a bunker to drop a shot on the 13th.
A further bogey followed on the Road Hole at the 17th after his foot slipped while on his second shot, leaving him short. Although he chipped well onto the green he missed the putt to save par.
Celebratory jig
Johnson knew a birdie on the last hole would give him a chance and when he holed the long putt he pumped his fist while there was a celebratory jig from his caddie.
Oosthuizen left a shot behind on the eighth after two birdies to slip to 13 under. Birdies on the ninth and 12th put him back at under 15 before he bogeyed the 13th.
His approach shot on the 16th enabled him to putt for birdie to go level at the top but he was just short. He then sunk a tricky putt for par at the 17th to leave him with his birdie opportunity at the last hole.
Spieth slipped back to two shots off the lead after a double bogey when he four-putted the three-par eighth, although the 21-year-old Texan recovered with birdies on the ninth and 10th.
He played 11 to 15 in par before a tremendous 30-foot putt for birdie at the 16th to put himself level at 15 under at the top of the leaderboard.
Spieth then missed a putt to save par on the crucial 17th, leaving him trailing by one going into the 18th. His tee shot though was wayward to the left and his chip to the green span back down the Valley of Sin.
Day matched Spieth with birdies on the fifth and sixth and then hung in with par holes to stay at 14 under going to the last hole, but could not get the final birdie he needed.
