So Zach Johnson wins the 2015 Open, and becomes only the fourth man, after Bob Martin, Willie Park Jr. and Seve Ballesteros to win the Open on a Monday. Congratulations to him: it was a richly deserved victory after a final-round 66 and a nerveless performance in the play-off. He didn’t buckle, even when things looked like going wrong at the Road Hole. Commiserations to Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman. And to Jordan Spieth, who narrowly missed the chance to complete a Hogan Slam. And finally to Jason Day and Sergio Garcia. It’s gotta happen sometime, right? Well, maybe. Whistling Straits next month, perhaps?
-15: Z Johnson, Leishman, Oosthuizen (Johnson wins four-hole play-off)
-14: Spieth, Day
-11: Willett, Rose, Garcia, Niebrugge [a]
-10: Koepka, Scott
-9: Todd, Schniederjans [a], Donald, Kaymer, Chesters [a], Wall
-8: Matsuyama, Streb
The good thing about that interminable speech, of course, as well as the play-off, was that it ate into the BBC’s precious bloody scheduling. Johnson is awarded the Auld Claret Jug, and prepares to make his speech. “I don’t know if there’s a time limit right now, so please bear with me.” Magnificent. I hope the BBC are tearing their hair out. And what follows is Pinteresque. “Dreams have been accomplished. [Beat.] I’m humbled. [Beat.] I’m honoured to be your champion golfer of the year. [Beat.] Erm. [Beat.]” The poor guy’s shy, is all. Eventually heartfelt thanks are extended to Niebrugge, Oosthuizen, Leishman, the R&A, the green staff, the fans, his caddy, his wife, his family and friends, his coaches, and his kids. “Daddy’s got something you can drink out of. No more sippy cups.” And finally, yes, the Lord. Hey, cynics, he’s not harming anyone. “I am honoured to be your champion. Thank you very very much.”
Arthur Pewty of the R&A makes the most boring speech in the history of all communication. Lasting several hours, and extracting nearly all of the excitement from the greatest moment in Zach Johnson’s life, he expects a round of applause after every tedious line. Eventually he gives way to R&A top dog Peter Dawson, who at least knows how to keep things flowing, and quickly awards the silver medal for top amateur to Jordan Niebrugge, then the silver salver for the runners up to Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman. “And ladies and gentlemen, with a score of 273, the winner of the gold medal, and the champion golfer of the year, is Zach Johnson!”
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The first person rushing onto the green to celebrate with Johnson? Well, apart from his wife? Jordan Spieth, who came within a turn of a ball from making the play-off. No Ben Hogan style Spieth Slam for the young man, but it’s fair to say he’s got time on his side. Warm, genuine smiles all round. And aw, your heart will melt now, because while Johnson reacted to becoming the champ with one of, well, the great non-reactions, it’s all flooding out now. Emotion’s the top note, and the tears are flowing. How does it sound: Zach Johnson, Open champion golfer? “It sounds beautiful, it sounds extremely surreal.” His voice is cracking. “It’s very humbling. I feel blessed and honoured to be part of this history.” Too many thoughts tumbling around his head. Sniffing a lot. That’s a lovely moment. He’s lumbered with a bit of a robotic image, is poor Zach, but he’ll have melted a lot of hearts there. Sweet, huh?
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ZACH JOHNSON IS THE 2015 OPEN CHAMPION!!! Oosthuizen’s ball stays high on the left, never going in. And the 2007 Masters champion has another major to add to his CV. He initially reacts in the most undemonstrative fashion of any Open winner ever, just staring into space, not even a smile. But he’s stunned more than anything. Quickly enough, one plays across his lips, and the tears come as he realises what he’s just achieved.
Play-off (after four holes):
-1: Z Johnson
E: Oosthuizen
+2: Leishman
Johnson calls over the rules official, questioning whether he can repair a blemish on his line. He can’t. Anyway, it’s a putt for the Open! But he lets it slide off to the right. A tap-in for par, and Oosthuizen has the chance to take it down 18 again! He’s got one coming back down the green, a gentle left-to-right breaker from eight feet. He steps up, addresses the ball, and ...
Leishman rolls his putt up the hill to 18 inches, and that’s a par. He ends the play-off at +2. But even though he’s come third in the play-off, this is a tie for second in the record books. It’s some consolation.
Oosthuizen bumps a chip up, giving his ball a chance to scamper into the hole. It doesn’t do the remarkable, but stops eight feet behind the cup. Yes, this is going to come down to a putting contest. If Johnson holes out, the auld Claret Jug is his. If he doesn’t, Oosthuizen will have a putt to take this to sudden death.
Johnson to hit first. His ball has drifted towards the 1st. So he’s coming in from the left, 75 yards away. He takes the Valley of Sin out of the equation, by sending his wedge high over the flag, then spinning it back from 25 feet. He’s about 15 feet from the flag. Leishman has to go for the flag, hoping to hole out and apply some unexpected pressure. But his ball topples back into the Valley. Oosthuizen surely has to put this one close, because it’s birdie or bust. Johnson is very unlikely to bogey.
Back to the 18th, then. Johnson guides a safe drive down the middle. Once again, Oosthuizen needs a birdie here. He blooters a monster drive into the Valley of Sin. Leishman hits last, but unless something very strange happens in the next ten minutes, his race is run.
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Leishman lets his par putt slide by the left. Another bogey, and this looks like - forgive the pun, seeing the hole we’re on - the end of the road for the Australian. Oosthuizen prods his in the apologetic fashion, and it snaps off to the left. He never gave it enough break. He looks to the skies, realising he’s just let Johnson off the hook. Bogey fives all round, and Zach Johnson is one hole away from becoming the 2015 Open champion golfer!
Play-off (after three holes):
-1: Z Johnson
E: Oosthuizen
+2: Leishman
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Leishman to putt first. And he leaves the big right-to-left curler from the front of the green a good 12 feet short. Oosthuizen doesn’t really hit his putt either, but he’s got half the distance left. If Johnson gets this close - or chips in - he might have got away with this. But though he nearly holes it, he’s left with a five-footer back up to the hole himself.
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Johnson’s position is such that putting or bumping one either side of the bunker would leave him miles away. He’s got to go for it. Imagine being forced to float your ball over the Road Hole bunker in a play-off for the Open! Gulp. This could be one of the most famous Open shots of all time, or the one that does for him. And it might have done for him. He lands it ten feet past the flag, and it takes one bounce off the green, down the bank, and into the thick stuff just in front of the eponymous Road.
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Leishman will play his second shot first, down the left of the 17th fairway. He’s got to go for this, three shots behind Johnson. He finds the front of the green, a decent shot under normal circumstances, but he really needed a spectacular one sent close. Mind you, Johnson has set himself a real poser, pulling a 4-iron to the left, and short of the green. He’s got the Road Hole bunker between his ball and the hole, and he’s quite a way back, too. That’s a hellish lob requiring ice in the veins. Maybe he’ll putt or bump a chip round the back, to the left of the bunker. It’s going to be an interesting one all right! And finally Oosthuizen dumps his ball next to Leishman’s.
Now to the Road Hole. The rain’s eased off, and there’s not much of a breeze. Johnson smoothly lashes his drive over the hotel sign and down the fairway. Oosthuizen takes a very tight line down the right, and that’s about as good as it gets. And finally Leishman, making it three out of three. Here’s where the fun really begins.
Leishman, putting across the green and over a slight ridge, rolls a fantastic effort straight at the cup, only for it to die right through its last couple of turns. He taps in for a par to add to that bogey at 1. Then Oosthuizen, who sends his birdie effort along an oscillating line, the ball staying up on the left. That was a fine putt too. Both men very unlucky. Another par, though Oosthuizen of course birdied 1. And finally Johnson, who slides a perfect one in from the right, always heading into the cup from the moment it left the face of his putter. Advantage Zach Johnson!
Play-off (after two holes):
-2: Z Johnson
-1: Oosthuizen
+1: Leishman
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Zach Johnson to hit first. A stunning approach fizzed straight at the flag, nerveless given the bunker just to the left of the hole. It bites 20 feet past the flag. Then Oosthuizen with a very similar outcome. This could be come a putting contest between the pair. Finally Leishman, whose second is pin high, but a good 40 feet right of the flag.
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The 2nd now. And Oosthuizen belts a stunning drive down the right-hand side of the fairway. Johnson next, and that one’s along the same perfect line, if a little shorter of his big-hitting rival. And finally Leishman, who hits the best of all. Under all this pressure, and all three drives couldn’t be better.
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The weather’s pretty filthy now. Miserable rain. It always had to end like this. Leishman rolls his long putt from the back to four feet. Oosthuizen’s flat stick is hot, though, and he rattles his straight into the cup! And anything he can do, Zach Johnson can equal. He rolls in a right-to-left slider. A pair of birdies! Which puts pressure on Leishman’s par saver - and he pushes it to the right, the ball lipping out. Bogey, and already he’s up against it.
Play-off (after one hole):
-1: Oosthuizen, Z Johnson
+1: Leishman
Oosthuizen clips a crisp sand wedge to 18 feet. Leishman next. He can’t generate any spin, and he’s hit it pretty hard too; he’s left with a 40-footer from the back. Last up, Johnson, and his wedge is the best of all, 12 feet from the flag.
There was a bit more work for Open starter Ivor Robson to do after all. He calls the lads to the tee, and sends them all off to their destinies. They cream their tee shots down the hole. Oosthuizen is walking in the most jaunty fashion, having forced his way into the reckoning late on. And now Leishman’s shoulders sag, as he finds his ball in a divot mark.
So this will go to a four-hole play-off between Zach Johnson, Marc Leishman and Louis Oosthuizen. Leishman is looking for his maiden major victory, after top-five finishes at the 2013 Masters and 2014 Open. Johnson is hoping to add to his 2007 Masters victory. And Oosthuizen is threatening to repeat his victory here in the Open five years ago. The last two players to win multiple St Andrews Opens? Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. Not a bad group to join, that. They’ll play 1, 2, 17 and 18. And if they’re still tied, it’s 18 over and over and over again. This has been a marathon Open. It was always going to be a marathon finish.
-15: Z Johnson, Leishman, Oosthuizen
-14: Spieth, Day
-11: Willett, Rose, Garcia, Niebrugge [a]
-10: Koepka, Scott
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But he’s got nerves of steel! He rattles the short birdie chance into the cup, and he signs for a 69 that’ll take him into a three-way play-off with Johnson and Leishman! What moxie, to hole out on both 17 and 18, when missing either one would have killed his chances!
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A slightly ignominious end for poor Paul Dunne, who started nervously and never quite got his game together. He fires a hot one straight through the green into thick nonsense at the back, then punches out to 20 feet. He doesn’t make the par putt, and that’s a bogey to finish. A 78, but he can still be very proud of his performance this week. And however his career pans out, he can always say he played in the final pairing at an Open Championship. Not too many men can say that. But all this waiting around won’t have helped Louis Oosthuizen.
Oosthuizen sends a crisp wedge over the Valley of Sin pin high to six feet. If he gets it, he’ll join Zach Johnson and Marc Leishman in a play-off! If he misses it, the ghost of Doug Sanders will chase him in his dreams for ever more. Across fields of broken glass.
And then Day gets the line absolutely right, a curler from the left - but he just doesn’t hit it. It stops eight inches short. A sickener for Day. Yet another sickener in a major. He holds his head in his hands, then applies a little pressure to the bridge of his nose to stop the tears coming. This is heartbreaking to watch. You have to feel for him. But he’ll surely be back. He’s coming so close time and time again, it’s surely got to happen. His moment of glory will come. Next year, maybe. Or at Whistling Straits next month.
But even so: why didn’t he hit that bloody putt!
-15: Z Johnson (F), Leishman (F)
-14: Spieth (F), Day (F), Oosthuizen (17)
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Oosthuizen curls in his putt from the back of 17! He escapes with a par, and his hopes are still alive at -14! He’ll need to birdie the last. Spieth’s Ben Hogan dream has died, though, as his putt drifts a little to the right and stops a couple of turns from the cup. He signs for a 69, and finishes his Open at -14, one off the lead. So close. Such a shame for the brilliant young Spieth. That four-putt on 8 cost him.
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Three Open dreams look to have bitten the dust within a few seconds. On 17, Oosthuizen races his long putt from the fringe 15 feet past the hole. Then on 18, Spieth - after pacing out the yardage himself - lobs onto the front of the green from way out left, but watches in horror as the ball spins back into the Valley of Sin. The spirit of Ben Hogan might have blown that one back down there himself. He’ll need to do a Costantino Rocca. Or at least an ersatz version of it. The putt’s fairly straight up. Meanwhile Jason Day launches his second over the flag, but it fails to spin back. He’s got a 25-footer all the way back.
Some admin while everyone thinks about their shots. Padriag Harrington finished in miserable, Adam Scottish fashion. 6-5-3-6-5: three bogeys, a double and a birdie. He ended shooting 75, back to -7. Sergio finished with a disappointing 70, coming home in 38, having bogeyed 12, 13 and 17. He’s -11, in a tie for sixth, yet another near miss at the Open. And the brilliant Jordan Niebrugge will win the silver medal for leading amateur, signing for a 70: -11 overall. (Dunne, coming up 17, is -8.)
Day on the 18th tee. Still no major championship to his name, so this is the drive of his life. And having skelped it down the fairway, he’ll have to negotiate the Valley of Sin. Then Spieth pulls one miles to the left. He’s on the 1st fairway, near the grandstand, but at least he’ll have a shot coming in. Meanwhile back on 17, Oosthuizen has crashed his drive down the fairway - the 17th fairway, most having opted to play down 2 - and then fired an iron onto the fringe. That’s Leishman Country. The co-leader nearly holed out from there. But Oosthuizen will just be looking to get up and down and, like Spieth and Day, take his chances on 18.
Spieth’s putt drifts a little to the right. That’s a bogey. Day tucks his par putt away, a superlative four from where he was. But the pair are now a shot behind the clubhouse leaders. They both need a birdie coming up the last!
-15: Z Johnson (F), Leishman (F)
-14: Spieth (17), Day (17), Oosthuizen (16)
Spieth, 50 yards from the green, down the right of 17, wedges to ten feet. That’s far from a gimme. Day, meanwhile, is short too, snookered by the Road Hole bunker. He thinks about flopping over the sand, which is a high-tariff skill all right. But then he sensibly opts to take the putter out instead. It’s a long one, up and over the ridge that threatens to whip the ball into the famous old bunker. And, with nerves of steel, he rolls it to the right of the bunker, sends it dangerously back to the left, but up and over, onto the green, and to within four feet. He’ll deserve to save his par after that, though nothing’s a gimme at this stage. On this hole. At the Open.
Leishman’s birdie putt at 18 is always staying out on the left. He taps in, and that’s a stunning round of 66! He’s -15, tied for the clubhouse lead with Zach Johnson. Spieth, back on 17, leaves his approach short and right. But he’ll have a route straight to the flag, at least.
-15: Z Johnson (F), Leishman (F), Spieth (16)
-14: Day (16), Oosthuizen (16)
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Leishman lifts his approach at 18 over the flag. He looks to have overhit it, the ball landing 40 feet past the cup. But it bites and wheechs back down the green, and he’ll have a downhill putt from 15 feet to - perhaps - win the Open. It’d certainly put the ball in Jordan Spieth’s court. Meanwhile on 16, Oosthuizen rolls in the par putt he had to make. He stays at -14.
Spieth bangs his drive at 17 down the right side of the 2nd fairway. He couldn’t have placed it better. Day, realising it might be now or never, blasts one down the fairway too. No nonsense. Oosthuizen meanwhile is a little short of 16 in two strokes. He gets the putter out, and gives his ball a rare old trundle up the hill. He’ll have an eight-footer coming back.
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From the fringe at the front of 17, Leishman rolls a delightful 60-foot putt up the hill, the ball kinking round from right to left. It’s an inch from dropping. If that’d gone in, he’d have deserved to win the Open. He still might, because after tapping in, he’s tying for the lead at -15 with a birdie opportunity at 18 to come. But what about this from Jordan Spieth on 16?!!!? He’s found the green in regulation, pin high but 40 feet from the flag. No matter! He rolls it in, right across the huge green, and he joins the leaders at -15! Now that ... that might be the putt we look back on as the one that won the Open! He bounces around, giving it a lot of come-ons, as is his right after that miracle putt. Day two putts for par.
-15: Z Johnson (F), Leishman (17), Spieth (16)
-14: Day (15), Oosthuizen (14)
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Leishman lashes a long iron into the front of the green at 17, which has just been vacated by Garcia and Niebrugge. (They both bogeyed, and drop to -11.) He’ll face a long two putts for par, but that’s a decent result from there. Meanwhile Oosthuizen doesn’t hit his birdie effort on 14. That would have given him a tie of the lead, but the ball dies off to the left. A tap in for par, and he’s still -14.
Leishman at 17. He lashes his drive down the 2nd fairway. That’ll play. Day and Spieth par 15 without fuss or drama. Then coming behind, Oosthuizen blooters a drive straight down the track, then nearly pitches in the hole from 180 yards! He’ll be left with an eight-footer for birdie.
Leishman plays it safe down 16 by taking an iron off the tee - then pulls his approach straight into a deep bunker well to the left. But he plays a stunning splash out across the big green to four feet. But he pulls it wide left. A nervy one. He’s back to -15, and level with Zach Johnson. Meanwhile Oosthuizen plays a blind 8-iron over a knoll down the left of 14. He’s right over the flag, with a 15-footer left coming back for birdie. But that one slides off to the right, and another chance goes begging.
-15: Z Johnson (F), Leishman (16)
-14: Spieth (14), Day (14), Oosthuizen (14)
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This isn’t quite up with Adam Scott’s Open nightmare at Lytham - when he bogeyed the last four holes to hand the 2012 title to Ernie Els - but look at this finish: 6-5-4-5-6. Three bogeys and a double bogey. The last hole was literally the final indignity: he hoicked his drive out of bounds down the right, and then left a short bogey putt shy. He signs for a 71, and he’s -10. That’s a dismal capitulation. Again.
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Leishman saves his par! He’s still -16. That was an immense putt. Back on 18, Zach Johnson wanders off the green in a daze. He knows he’s in with a chance of this. That was a brilliantly controlled round of golf. He bends over to catch his breath for what seems like an age. He’s given it everything!
-16: Leishman (16)
-15: Z Johnson (F)
-14: Spieth (14), Day (14), Oosthuizen (13)
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Leishman leaves his putt up from the side of 15 well short. He’s got a 12-footer left for his par. A double bogey for Dunne at 13, and he drops to -8. He’s now behind Ashley Chesters and Oliver Schniederjans in the race for the silver medal, with Niebrugge of course ahead at -12. Danny Willett, having bogeyed 17, pars the 18 to sign for a 70. Nearly, but not quite. And then amazing scenes on the last, as Zach Johnson, putting from 20 feet past the flag, slides one in from the left, and that’s a birdie that gives him a final-round 66, and posts a very testing clubhouse target of -15! He punches the air several times, and walks off with a huge grin on his face. That putt could have just won the Open, you know. A lot of golf to play.
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Oosthuizen flips majestically to two feet. He’s dropping a shot, but the damage is limited. He’s back in the group at -14, alongside Zach Johnson, Spieth and Day. Two behind Leishman. Scott drops another shot at 17, having flirted with OB down the right from the tee; he’s back to -12. It’s over for him.
Leishman nearly drives into a bunker down 15, but his ball stops ten yards short, on a downslope. He fires a hot one over the back right of the green. He’ll have quite an up and down from there. Meanwhile Oosthuizen is all over the shop at 13! His hand slips off the grip and that one’s well short of the green! His Open hopes are hanging in the balance right now. And a dropped shot for Niebrugge at 15; he’s -12, two clear of Dunne.
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Zach Johnson can’t save his par on 17, though. His par putt from 15 feet dies left. Such a great approach too, that nearly saved his skin. Another player undone by the Road Hole. Or, technically, the 2nd, for that was where he made his slip. He’s back to -14. And more good news for the leader Marc Leishman. At -16, he’s a shot ahead of Louis Oosthuizen - and the South African, after nearly driving into a bunker down the left of 13, can only punch his second halfway down the fairway of the difficult par-four. The 31-year-old Australian has had close calls before - a tie for fourth at the 2013 Masters, and a tie for fifth after that final-day 65 at Hoylake last year. Could it be third time lucky?
Having missed from 18 inches on 15, Scott nearly curls in a birdie putt from 30 feet on the following hole. That’d be golf in microcosm, but it stays out on the lip. He’s still -13. Spieth is in a little trouble on 13, short of the green, snookered by a bunker. But he flicks adroitly over the trap, and the ball gently clips the base of the flagstick. You’d think it would drop, because it wasn’t travelling. But somehow it stays out. Par. He’s -14. As is Day, who pars too. He’s been the model of consistency today: 12 pars and a couple of birdies. Meanwhile Leishman has a look at birdie on 14 from 20 feet, but par will have to do. Pars probably will do for him. A long way to go, though.
Zach Johnson, having deliberately sent his drive at 17 down the 2nd fairway, slips as he hits his rescue club and only manages to squirt the ball back onto the 17th! He’s in awful trouble down this very difficult hole now, playing three in from distance. His right foot went as he drew the club back. He’s quite fortunate he didn’t top that into the thick rough between the fairways. But what a response! He hits a full wedge to 15 feet, and will have a chance of saving his par! Meanwhile back on 12, Oosthuizen knocks his second to four feet, and rolls the birdie putt i. He’s -15, one off Leishman’s lead!
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That is one of the most ludicrous missed putts I’ve ever seen. Why did Scott hit it so hard? Goodness knows what he’s going to be like when he’s forced to stop anchoring that ridiculous broom handle he uses. Anyway, elsewhere. Dunne is having another nightmare, this time on 12: a drive into a bunker, medicine taken with a splash out sideways, then another heavy chip, just like the one on the 1st. He drops another, and is back to -10. Meanwhile Jordan Niebrugge has just birdied 14 after a majestic approach to five feet, moving up to -13. The silver medal for best amateur looks like going Stateside. And Niebrugge won’t have given up on the championship yet, either!
Day has lashed his drive into bother down the left of 12. He’s on the Eden Course! But that’s not out of bounds. He’s hitting blind over a gorse bush. He wedges it onto the front of the green. He’ll have a difficult two putts up the ridge, but that’s a result from where he was. Spieth’s wedge in isn’t particularly close, and toys with toppling down a slope. He sprints up to mark it, just in case the wind has any ideas. And on 15, more Open heartbreak for Adam Scott! He lags a long birdie putt up to 18 inches at 15, then batters the par tap-in at a preposterous speed towards the hole. It lips out on the right, and that’s the stupidest bogey of the entire week. He drops back to -13, and the Open’s slipping away from him.
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Leishman shot a 65 for his final round last year at Hoylake, and he’s after something even better here today. His approach at 13 ends 20 feet from the flag, and his birdie effort would have dropped with one more joule of energy. He taps in for an excellent par, and he stays at -16. Pars all the way in, and he’d have a good shout for this title. The wind is up, and these holes aren’t giving much away. Sergio, ahead of him, bogeyed this hole too; back to back bogeys, and he’s out of it at -12, you’d have thought. Ach Sergio! Bah. Next year, maybe.
Still raining quite heavily at St Andrews. Dunne can’t save his par at 10. He’s back to -11. Oosthuizen pars, but is scarcely any less disappointed, having driven the green and left his eagle attempt well short. He stays at -14, and birdie opportunities will be running out soon. In a couple of holes, in fact. Willett’s second into 16 drops into a pot bunker front left of the green. His partner Zach Johnson is pin high in two, but a long way left of the flag.
Zach Johnson is an inch or so away from draining an uphill 30-footer on 15 for birdie. He’ll make do with his par. Scott can’t save his on 13, so he’s back to -14. Spieth looks for three birdies in a row at 11, but his tee shot wasn’t particularly close, and the 20-footer stops short and left. Par. Day then lets a similar effort drift just right. Par for him, too.
-16: Leishman (12)
-15: Z Johnson (15)
-14: Scott (14), Day (11), Spieth (11), Oosthuizen (9)
-13: Garcia (12)
Anthony Wall signs for a 70. He toyed with the lead, but bogeys at 13, 14 and 16 did for him. He ends the tournament at -9. Meanwhile a bit of trouble for Scott down 14. His third dribbles into the big bunker at the right-hand side of the green. A tricky up and down from there, on a down slope. He wheechs a clean one out and 15 feet past the flag. Not ideal, but better than leaving it in there. Meanwhile better news for Australian golf fans: Marc Leishman is the sole leader now, clipping his approach at 12 to five feet, and knocking in the birdie putt!
-16: Leishman (12)
-15: Z Johnson (14), Scott (13)
-14: Day (10), Spieth (10), Oosthuizen (9)
-13: Garcia (12)
And how about this for a recovery? Spieth, with another birdie, this time at 10, having steered a gentle wedge in to six feet. Back to back! What a response to that double on 8! Within two holes, he’s back where he was: -14, one off the lead. Padraig’s not quite finished yet: having doubled 6, then dropped another at 8, he looked totally out of it. It’s still a long shot, but birdie at 11 brings him back to -11, and he looks a damned sight happier. Meanwhile Sergio has to settle for a two-putt bogey at 12. He’s back to -13.
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Oosthuizen has been quiet. But having mishit his tee shot at 9, then left his long approach 30 feet from the flag, he rolls a dead-eyed birdie putt into the cup, and reaches the turn in 34. He’s -14 again, and that might be a momentum shifter. Dunne nearly strokes a 20-footer in himself, but par will have to do. He’s turning in 36, which given he was at one point wondering whether he’d be hitting five off the 2nd tee, is a pretty good return. He bounced back from that bogey-bogey start incredibly well. And he’s -12.
Zach Johnson responds by whipping his third at 14 pin high to 15 feet, leaving a fairly straight one for birdie. But he pushes it to the right. He stays at -15. Another birdie for his playing partner Danny Willett, who has clearly decided to go for everything now. A fourth in a row! He’s -12. This is a magnificent performance, having faced almost certain disappointment an hour ago. Sergio drives into a bunker at 12, then nearly batters his ball into the face of the bunker. He’s got away with that: the ball escapes. But his pitch in isn’t great. He’s left with a 30-footer to save his par.
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Leishman joins the leaders! He lashes his drive at 10 to 15 feet, but can’t steer in the big left-to-right curler for eagle. No matter, he taps in for birdie, and he joins Scott and Johnson at -15. It’s a decent two-putt par for Scott from the fringe at 13. And Spieth bounces back from that disaster at 8 by wedging to 12 feet and 9 and then rolling a straight birdie putt into the cup. He’s back to -13, and good luck calling how this one’s going to end up. Saying “a play-off” doesn’t count.
Danny Willett was so nicely positioned after 36 holes. But he came back in 38 shots yesterday, and then went out in 37 today. He was back down to -8, seemingly right out of it, but he’s just birdied 11, 12 an 13, and at -11 won’t be giving up quite yet! Putting problems for Oosthuizen on 8: he’s in Spieth Country, and rattles a 90-foot putt 15 feet past the cup. That’ll be a test coming back. And he can’t make it. Bogey, and he’s back to -13. Meanwhile Sergio’s hopes of the Open went south last year in a bunker, at the 15th at Hoylake. Is it about to happen again? He’s slam-dunked his tee shot into the pot at the front of 11. But he’s splashed out to three feet, an escape of delicate brilliance. Par.
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Zach Johnson splashes out from the bunker wonderfully, but he’s left with a 12-footer coming back. The best he could do, but he can’t knock it in. His first bogey of the day and he’s back to -15. He’s tied for the lead now with Scott, who pars 12. Back on 8, Spieth races his putt up the hill from off the green, and six feet past the cup. Then he pulls the one coming back left of the hole. A four-putt double-bogey, and he’s back to -12. His partner Day takes a calm two putts for his par, and remains at -14, one off the lead. Meanwhile Sergio bumps a delicious chip up onto the 10th, toying with a bunker, then a large slope, but it’s the route he had to take. And he’s rewarded with a five-foot attempt for birdie. And it’s in! He’s -14! “At what point should we expect the BBC to announce they’re leaving the inevitable playoff for ‘The One Show’?” wonders Jezz Nash. Shh, don’t be giving them any ideas, for goodness sake!
It might be about to get a little closer, a little harder to call. If that’s possible. Zach Johnson has just thinned a fairway wood into a deep pot bunker to the front of the 13th green. He’ll do well to get up and down from there. Scott has left his approach to 12 short and right. Leishman has just birdied 9 to go out in 31; he’s -13. And Spieth - “Aw c’mon, Jordan, man!” - pushes his tee shot at the par-three 8th 100 yards to the right ... and then blooters a putt of hot lunacy miles past the hole and off the other side of the green! He’s faced with a 30 footer coming back up the hill. Wow. He’s the best putter in the world! Links golf can do strange things to a man.
Brooks Koepka is the new clubhouse leader, in with a 68 at -10. Above him, the following nine players, all within four shots of the lead. This is one of the closest, hardest-to-call Opens in living memory.
-16: Z Johnson (12)
-15: Scott (11)
-14: Spieth (7), Day (7), Oosthuizen (6)
-13: Garcia (9), Leishman (8)
-12: Niebrugge [a] (9), Dunne [a] (6)
Zach Johnson calmly rolls his birdie putt into the cup at 12. He’s the sole leader again at -15. Scott had a good look at birdie himself from 30 feet at 11, but it stays high on the left. He’s -14. A couple of fighting pars for Sergio, at 8 and now at 9, and he’s hanging on in there at -13. Spieth races a birdie effort four feet past the hole at 7, but he’s never missing the one coming back. He remains at -14.
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Ashley Chesters will be turning professional soon, and he’s signing off as an Open amateur with a very impressive 69. After yesterday’s 67, he’s had some “weekend”. He ends the tournament at -9. A memorable performance. And one which usually would have earned him the silver medal. He still might win it, of course, but Dunne and Niebrugge both have three shots on him right now.
Oosthuizen’s putter let him down at 5, so the flat stick’s making things up on the following hole. A gorgeous curler from 20 feet, left to right from the front fringe, and the birdie takes him to -14. Dunne nearly rolls a 25-footer in for his birdie, but that’s another par, and he’s settled completely since that headspinning start to his round. Zach Johnson’s approach at 12 screeches to a halt seven feet from the flag. He looks completely in control of his game today. That wedge was letting him down badly earlier this week, so Oosthuizen’s putter isn’t the only club extending an olive branch to its master.
Zach Johnson leaves himself some work on 11, putting from the fringe and leaving himself five feet short. That’s very missable. But he slots away a steely-eyed par saver to remain in the lead. Which he now shares with Scott, who drives 10 and very nearly guides in a long left-to-right curler from 40 feet. The rain’s coming down fairly hard right now. And needless to say, it’s been raining birdies. At the risk of repeating myself like a clubhouse bore ... just look at the quality of this leaderboard!
-15: Z Johnson (11), Scott (10)
-14: Spieth (6), Day (6)
-13: Garcia (8), Leishman (7), Oosthuizen (5)
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Birdie for Spieth at 6, as he bumps his approach into the green in the Scottish style, and eases in a snaky 12-footer. He’s -14, in second place. And Day’s followed him down the hole step for step, and so the pair join Adam Scott in a tie for second. This is a simply wonderful Open, and we’re only just approaching the business end.
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A three-putt par for Oosthuizen on the easy par-five 5th. He stays at -13, an opportunity spurned. His playing partner Paul Dunne birdies, though, and after that miserable bogey-bogey start, he’s back to -12. A fine recovery, and he’s tying Niebrugge in the battle for the silver medal for leading amateur. Though of course neither of them will have given up hope of the auld Claret Jug quite yet.
Sergio sends a wedge into 7, his ball biting pin high, ten feet from the flag. And he rolls in the birdie putt! He’s still two shots off the lead, though, because Zach Johnson drives the green at 10, then takes two calm putts for his sixth birdie in ten holes! This is an astonishing run. Though if Zach Johnson, one of the shorter hitters on tour, is able to drive that green, wind assisted, there could be quite a few eagle attempts to come there.
-15: Z Johnson (10)
-14: Scott (9)
-13: Garcia (7), Leishman (6), Spieth (5), Day (5), Oosthuizen (4)
-12: Niebrugge [a] (7)
Harrington is unable to find the ball he drove into the bush at 6. So he’s chipping four into the green. And it’s not a particularly good wedge, 30 feet past the flag, no spin. This is looking like a double bogey. And that’s what it is, the tee shot costing him. He knew it at the time. He’s back to -11. Behind him, having waited an age on the tee, Spieth and Day play it safe down the left. And up on 9, Scott sends a 30-footer across the green and into the cup. That’s four birdies in five holes, he’s out in 31, and ties Zach Johnson for the lead!
Zach Johnson meanwhile strokes his putt into the 9th cup to take the lead at -14. Day nearly strokes in his eagle putt on 5, but it dies to the left and a first birdie of the day will suffice. The same applies to Spieth, except his putt dies right. They’re both a shot off the lead at -13. Meanwhile a three-putt leads to a dropped shot for Wall on 13. Just look at this leaderboard!
-14: Z Johnson (9)
-13: Scott (7), Leishman (5), Harrington (5), Spieth (5), Day (5), Oosthuizen (4)
-12: Garcia (6), Niebrugge [a] (6)
Jordan Niebrugge of the USA is now the leading amateur. He’s carded three birdies in a row - 4, 5 and 6 - to move to -12. That’s alongside his playing partner Sergio Garcia, who pars the 6th, his approach having been killed stone dead by a small hillock. Anywhere else, and he’d have been left with a short birdie putt. But as it is, it’s a decent two putts to secure his par.
Expect some more changes to that leaderboard soon. Harrington has just whistled his drive into a gorse bush down the side of 6. He hangs his head, utterly disgusted with himself, there being so much room down the left. He zings a provisional down the fairway, just in case they can’t find the first one, and he isn’t able to take a drop. Meanwhile Spieth and Day both cream exceptional long irons into 5, 20 feet from the flag tucked away at the far-right corner of the huge green. And Zach Johnson lifts another gentle wedge to five feet, this time on 9. He’ll have that to go out in 31 strokes.
It’s a three-way tie at the top now: Adam Scott with his third birdie in a row, a 15-foot snaker guided in across 7. He’s -13, alongside Zach Johnson and Louis Oosthuizen. Actually, scrub that: it’s a four-way tie: Marc Leishman nearly drains an 80-foot eagle monster on 5, and he taps in for the birdie that moves him to -13. And then Harrington makes it five: he has a good look at eagle on the same hole, but doesn’t quite hold the line. It drifts off to the right, but birdie will do. This Open is beautiful insanity.
-13: Z Johnson (8), Scott (7), Leishman (5), Harrington (5), Oosthuizen (3)
-12: Wall (12), Garcia (5), Spieth (4), Day (4)
Oosthuizen rattles a birdie putt across 3, o’er hill and dale. It’s a perfect read of line, but he hasn’t half whacked it, and the speed keeps it out. He’ll have a tricky four-footer coming back, but he slots it away in the solid fashion. He remains at -13. But he’s joined there by Zach Johnson, who wedges his approach at 7 to a couple of feet, and taps in! Meanwhile Dunne bounces back from his hellish start by easing his approach at 3 to five feet, then stroking in the birdie putt. He’s back to -11! Sergio makes his birdie at 5; he’s -12. And Spieth is a dimple away from joining the leaders with a 25-footer across 4. He can’t believe it didn’t drop in on the left. A huge WOW and a wry smile. He then squats on his haunches and eats his own fist. That’s frustrated him no end.
-13: Z Johnson (7), Oosthuizen (3)
-12: Wall (12), Scott (6), Garcia (5), Harrington (4), Leishman (4), Day (4), Spieth (4)
Four-hole play-off later, anyone?
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Sergio skelps a long iron into the heart of 5. He’s pin high in two, 50 feet from the hole. He’s happy enough with that, though, and skips on after his shot, a sign that he’s enjoying his golf, and excited to be in contention at the Open yet again. If he’s ever going to win a major, it’ll be this one. Meanwhile on 4, Day nearly drives into a gorse bush down the right, but his ball stops just short, and he’s got a wedge into the green. He doesn’t stick it particularly close, though. He’s not had a look at birdie yet, and is the only one of the leading pack not to be under par for his round.
Dunne whips his second shot at 2 - technically he’s on 18 on the New Course - to the side of the green. But he can’t get up and down from the side. A bogey-bogey start, and he’s back to -10. Justin Rose nearly rakes in a long eagle putt on 5, but birdie takes him to -10. It’s back-to-back birdies for Leishman as he rolls another in on 4; he’s -12. He’s joined there by his compatriot Adam Scott, who makes his third birdie of the day at 6. And two putts from down the front of 4 for Harrington, to remain at -12 himself. The top of the leaderboard is a logjam.
Spieth whips his second into 3 over the flag. It lands 12 feet from the cup, and he rolls the birdie putt straight towards the hole. Inexplicably, he’s underhit it, perhaps spooked by the wind. He stays at -12. A first birdie of the day for Jordan Niebrugge, 20 feet across 4: he’s -10. Birdie for Scott at 5; he’s -11. And meanwhile on the par-three 11th, Anthony Wall sends his tee shot bouncing straight at the pin, the ball stopping 18 inches from the flag. So close to the second hole-in-one of the week, after his compatriot Daniel Brooks at the same hole a couple of days ago. He’s -12, one shot off the lead.
This won’t help Dunne’s nerves any. He’s just sliced his drive miles to the right of 2, onto the 18th green of the New Course! He’ll get free relief, which is a stroke of luck if so, because for a second that one was considered lost, and he then fizzed his first provisional into a gorse bush! He played a third provisional off the tee. Five off the tee. That’s 80 yards right of where he was aiming! And so he’ll have a long shot into the green. But it could have been so much worse. Another birdie for Leishman on 3; he’s -11. And Cink birdies 10 to move to -10. Cink, you’ll remember, came up on the blind side when he snatched the 2009 Open from Tom Watson. Could he be on for a second heist?
Dunne chips over to ten feet, and can’t salvage his par. A bogey, and suddenly from tying the lead 375 yards back up the hole, he’s two behind. Another birdie for Mastsuyama, incidentally, this time at 10. Spieth isn’t far away from rolling in a 50-footer across 2; par. And Zach Johnson is a dimple away from eagle at 5, having sent his second to 15 feet. A chance to catapult himself into the lead missed, but a birdie will suffice, and this is getting very interesting already.
-13: Oosthuizen (1)
-12: Z Johnson (5) Harrington (2), Spieth (2), Day (1)
-11: Chesters [a] (11), Matsuyama (10), Wall (9), Garcia (3), Dunne [a] (1)
Luke Donald pars the last, and signs for a 68. He’s -9, tied for the clubhouse lead with Todd and Schniederjans. A nearly but not quite tournament for Donald, but that’s a lot better after a quiet couple of years in the big tournaments. Sergio bumps his approach into 3, the ball rolling up to six feet. Then he strokes the putt into the hole for his second birdie of the day. He’s -11, one off the lead. Actually, scrub that, it’s two, because Oosthuizen has rolled his birdie putt into the cup, and he leads this tournament at -13.
Spieth’s not the only one joining the leaders. Harrington takes full advantage of his good fortune at 2 by raking in his long birdie putt. He’s -12 too. And immediate signs that the occasion may be getting to Paul Dunne: he chunks his second, and is lucky that he’s hit the shot so badly that it stops short of the burn. But he’ll have a very delicate chip over the water. Not ideal when you’re clearly nervous. Meanwhile Oosthuizen sets himself up for birdie from ten feet.
-12: Harrington (2), Spieth (1), Day (1), Dunne [a], Oosthuizen
-11: Chesters [a] (11), Wall (8), Z Johnson (4)
“Ladies and gentlemen. This is the final game of the 144th Open Championship. On the tee from South Africa, Louis Oosthuizen.” The penultimate announcement in the long career of the Open starter, Ivor Robson. And then, with a slight frog in the throat betraying emotion, he calls his very last player to the tee: “On the tee from Ireland, Paul Dunne.” A shake of the hand from R&A bigwig Peter Dawson, and he’s packing up his bits and bobs for the very last time. An emotional moment. It’ll never quite be the same. Both tee shots were fine, by the way. And down on the green, Spieth makes his birdie to join the lead at -12.
Could it be Harrington’s day? He’s in the rough down the right of 2, then fires his second straight at the bunker to the left of the green. But it somehow stays up on the top, real tightrope stuff, and topples to the right, staying on the putting surface rather than falling the other way into the sand. He’s pin high, 25 feet from the hole. Meanwhile Sergio, ahead of him, has saved his par at the hole. He stays at -10.
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The wind is up now, as are the umbrellas. It’s a proper Scottish afternoon. Raining quite heavily. Some links golf going on over here! Ashley Chesters nearly drives 10, then hits the flag with his eagle chip. He taps in for a birdie that takes the 26-year-old amateur to -11, one shot off the lead. As is Zach Johnson, who rattles in a putt from off the green at 4.
Leishman becomes the tenth player to join the group at -10. And then he’s in a group of nine, because Harrington follows him into the cup, and he’s -11. Anthony Wall rolls a 20-footer across 7 to move to -11, too! The 40-year-old Londoner’s best showing at a major, by far, is a tie for 11th at Hoylake. He’s onto something a little better right now: a tie for fourth, one shot off the lead. And the first leader is out on the course: Jason Day, who whips his iron down the 1st. He’s playing with Jordan Spieth today, and the Masters and US Open champion nearly creams an adrenalin-fuelled fairway wood into the Swilcan Burn! But it stops 20 feet short. He was looking after that with a concerned squint.
Harrington’s out, and he clatters the flagstick with his wedge into the 1st. He’ll have a good look at birdie from eight feet. As will his playing partner Marc Leishman, who got there in a more conventional fashion. Padraig looks very relaxed indeed, a wide, toothy smile, one hand in his pocket as he saunters over the Swilcan Burn crossing at 1. The easy-going charm of a man who already has two Open titles on his CV.
Sergio follows up that birdie by driving into a bunker down 2. He’s chasing par now, and it might not be a pretty sight. Up on 10, Brooks Koepka birdies 10, his fourth of the day to follow ones picked up at 2, 5 and 7. He’s -10. A good two-putt par from distance on 16 for Luke Donald. He remains at -10, in position to take over the clubhouse lead currently held by Todd and Schniederjans if he pars his way in.
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Willett sticks his approach at 3 to eight feet, and for a second it looks as though his birdie putt will drop. But it slides away to the right at the last. He stays at -10. Niebrugge very nearly drains a straight 20-footer on the opening hole for birdie, but he doesn’t quite hit it. Shame. Nearly the perfect start. He’s -9 still. And then his playing partner Sergio, whose approach bites 12 feet past the flag. He needs his putter to work for him today. And perhaps it’s going to! He tickles in a perfect putt, the ball dropping to huge cheers from the gallery. It’d be hard to think of a more popular champion if he does finally win a major. God speed, Sergio Garcia!
Also fighting hard for that silver medal: Ashley Chesters. He’s just rolled in a 20-footer on 9, and he’s out in 32, having also birdied 2, 3 and 6. He’s -10. As is Hideki Matsuyama, who has slipped a right-to-left slider into the cup at 7 for birdie. It’s a big group at -10.
-12: Dunne [a], Oosthuizen, Day
-11: Spieth
-10: Donald (15), Chesters [a] (9), Matsuyama (7), Wall (5), Willett (2), Z Johnson (2), Harrington
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A brisk start for Eddie Pepperell with a birdie at 2: he’s -9. Birdie for Zach Johnson on 2: he’s -10. Cink picks up a shot at the par-three 5th to move to -9. Hideki Matsuyama birdies 1 and then 5 to rise to -9. And Goosen and Rose both have a good look at birdies at 1, but both skate past the lip and they stay at -9. Meanwhile Oliver Schniederjans bounces back wonderfully from that hack down 17, notching a birdie at the last to sign for a stunning 67. The amateur’s tied for the clubhouse lead right now, and has given himself a chance of winning the silver medal. Paul Dunne will have something to say about that, of course. As will Jordan Niebrugge, who is teeing off now with Sergio Garcia.
Brendon Todd is in with a 66, after a birdie at the last. He’s the new clubhouse leader at -9. A birdie for Adam Scott on the opening hole: he joins the group at -10. Schniederjans struggles his way down 17, hooking his tee shot towards the far side of 2, then skelping his next near the grandstand behind 2. He ends with a double, and drops to -8. Sad to see. Here’s hoping the US amateur can end with a birdie at the last. Meanwhile birdies for Anthony Wall at 1, 3 and now 5. He moves to -10. A lot of birdies this morning. Though the conditions may get a little harder now: after a bright morning, there’s plenty of drizzle, and winds are expected to rise as high as 25mph. A good old stiff test. This might do Paul Dunne a favour, you know.
Thanks to Gerard there. No thanks to the clowns making the Big Decisions at the BBC, though. We’ve missed Phil Mickelson’s entire round: six birdies, a drive spanked onto the balcony of the Road Hole hotel, a missed tiddler leading to a triple bogey, and a par at the last for a 69. A score that doesn’t tell the half of it. The 2013 champion ends the week - well, starts it, but you know what I mean - on -7. Typical widescreen brilliance, shut out by the myopia of the national broadcaster at our national championship. Shame, shame, shame.
Hideki Matsuyama has missed an eagle putt on the par five fifth but makes do with a birdie to go to -9 – there’s no less than 15 players three shots off the lead now.
Danny Willett is not one of them though. The Yorkshireman has opened with a birdie to move to 10 under. Elsewhere, Dustin Johnson is through six holes and still without a par, a bogey has seen him drop back to five under.
And Scott is now back to take you through to the conclusion of the 144th Open Championship. Enjoy!
Marcus Fraser has joined the select group at -10 with a two at the par three 11th – no mean feat that, out where the wind blows fiercest. Almost as fierce as the criticism received by the BBC today for televising Bargain Hunt, Homes Under the Hammer and all manner of drivel rather than the Open. Here’s their response.
Pars apiece for Eddie Pepperell and Charl Schwartzel on the first – both remain at eight under. A birdie at the sixth for amateur Ashley Chesters moves him up to nine under but Phil Mickelson has recorded a triple bogey at the 17th after his tee shot into the hotel.
Graeme McDowell is another to publicly endorse our 22-year-old amateur and co-leader Paul Dunne. “A good Irishman,” says McDowell.
Dustin Johnson is not going to go down wondering. He’s played five holes and is yet to have a par. Having birdied the first he followed that up with three consecutive bogeys before a four on the par five fifth. He’s six under for the tournament.
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Ouch! Phil Mickelson, having missed a 10-foot put to move to 11 under on the 16th green, has walloped his tee-shot on the Road Hole straight into the Old Course hotel. That’s the 2013 champion’s hopes all over in one smash of a pair of French windows.
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As the heavens creak open, Lee Westwood completes his 2015 Open campaign at -4 – missing a 20-footer for a final round of 70. Rickie Fowler, bedecked in orange, has made a fast start with a three on the first to move to -8 and he may force himself into contention with an early run of birdies before the wind picks up.
Meanwhile, Shane Lowry has a few words of encouragement for his countrymen.
Big day in the life of Paul Dunne. Really hope he gets on well and enjoys it. Also rooting for Harrington. #honthepaddies 🍀🍀🍀
— Shane Lowry (@ShaneLowryGolf) July 20, 2015
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Hello! And without further ado, to the 12th green where Luke Donald has made it back-to-back to back birdies to move to 10 under with six to play. Donald’s swing is a thing of beauty but his inability to compete at majors has been a mystery so it’s great to see him in the mix here. One feels he’ll regret finishing his second round with bogey bogey though.
Elsewhere, Marin Kaymer has birdied the 10th to move to nine under while the 2009 champion Stewart Cink is at -8 after a three at the 2nd.
A slightly frustrating sense that Phil Mickelson has left the crowdpleasing antics far too late. Birdies at 14 and now 15, and he’s currently a very healthy six under for his round, -10 overall! Oh Phil. But another couple of birdies, and if the weather closes in... well, dreaming is free. Luke Donald meanwhile would be in fine fettle now were it not for yesterday’s beige 73. He’s birdied 1, 4, 10 and now 11, and he’s -9 for the championship.
-12: Dunne [a], Oosthuizen, Day
-11: Spieth
-10: Mickelson (15), Schniederjans [a] (14), Harrington
And I’m off to be fed and watered, because I’ve been a good boy. Gerard Meagher will be your friend for the next half hour. After which it’ll BBC-fuelled fun for the entire nation! Woo-hoo!
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A miserable double-bogey seven for Andy Sullivan at the par-five 5th. That’s like handing three shots to the field. He’s back to -7. Better English news courtesy of the amateur Ashley Chesters, who delayed turning pro for the best part of a year to compete in this Open, so karma owes him something nice. And nice it is: birdies at 2 and 3, and he’s up to -8. Meanwhile here’s a missive from curly clown and sometime golf author Simon Farnaby: “I’m pretty pumped about the Open, though I will get to see none of it til 6.30pm. Balls! I’m filming Detectorists so roaming about a field in Suffolk with no reception of any kind. I had a brief 10-minutes internet connection to catch up on the early play on BBC iplayer. Great stuff, a 19th-century kettle sold for 34 pounds.” But at least there’s going to be a second series of Detectorists, so the BBC are capable of doing something right.
Dustin Johnson, the 36-hole leader, capitulated to a miserable 75 yesterday, the second-worst round of a day which saw just about everyone else fill their boots with birdies. He’s picked up a stroke at the opening hole today, so hopefully the big man will have a better time of it in the fourth round. He’s -8. Meanwhile last year’s US Open champion Martin Kaymer is out like a flash, with birdies at 1, 5 and now 6. He’s -8. And another birdie for Todd, this time at 15. He’s also at -8, five under for his round today. “I think the BBC line is pretty insulting,” writes Simon Begley, who is free to preach on. “A young US amateur likely to be clubhouse leader. An in-form Englishman birdies the first 4 holes. Mickelson doing what he does. But according to the BBC all we care about is ‘the most important story - who will win the Open’. I wonder what Irvine, Allis, Cotter and pals make of it?”
This is turning into an astonishing performance by young Oliver Schniederjans. Birdies at 9 and 10, and the 22-year-old US amateur is now six under for his round, and -10 overall! He’s being chased up the leaderboard by Andy Sullivan, meanwhile: the Englishman has made it four birdies in four opening holes, a perfect start. He’s -9. “As a fan of Bargain Hunt and dedicated watcher of Points West and other local programming, I’d like to applaud the BBC for the brave and principled decision to preserve the bulk of its core Monday schedule and not sacrifice it for live golf,” writes Charlie Gidney. “I should note that my pleasure at this decision has nothing to do with the fact that I’m busy this morning, and need to walk the dog after lunch, so I’m not able to tune in until 2pm anyway.”
-12: Dunne [a], Oosthuizen, Day
-11: Spieth
-10: Schniederjans [a] (11), Harrington
-9: Sullivan (4), Leishman, Niebrugge [a], Garcia, Rose, Goosen, Streb, Scott, Z Johnson, Willett
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It all kind of fell apart for Jamie Donaldson. He was out in 31, then six under for his round through 10, but after that bogey on 12, he dropped another at 16 and then scrambled about on the eponymous Road at the 17th Hole. Here, with the story, is Simon McMahon: “Sometimes things are just meant to be. Having returned home from holiday yesterday afternoon expecting to see the climax of the 144th Open on TV, I now find myself overlooking the 1st green at St Andrews for the final day’s play. The first Monday finish at the Open since 1988, when a Spanish golfer shot 65 to overtake one from Southern Africa and became Open champion. If that’s not a sign I don’t know what is. It’s happening again. And I’m going to be there to see it. Sheer class from Donaldson on 17, by the way, where he’s just carded a 7 after finding the road. After holing out he turned to the gallery, raised his putter and smiled as though he’d made birdie.” And to wrap up: after that triple bogey, Donaldson dropped back to -3, but a birdie at the last has him signing for a 70. He ends the tournament at -4.
Branden Grace is the new clubhouse leader. He parred his way in after that bogey at 16, and he signs for a 67. He’s -7 overall. His playing partner Billy Horschel is also in with a 67, a shot back at -6. Now, the reason everyone’s so upset with the BBC this morning is because their live coverage is so damn good. When it’s on. We miss it! Would it be better if we didn’t care? “This is going to be Peter Alliss’s last Open at St Andrews and quite possibly his last Open ever,” writes David Brown. “I hope he manages to get one last gag in there. If he can top the one about Carol Vorderman a few years back, it’ll be broadcast gold.”
Lefty on a trademark final-day birdie blitz! Phil Mickelson’s reached the turn in 33, after birdies at 1, 6 and 7. And another at 10 moves him to -8 for the championship. Almost certainly too little, too late, but if he can keep it going - and he’s struggled on the back nine this week - his efforts could encourage a few of the players starting round about now. “Given that the BBC are binning BBC3, couldn’t they use that slot for a BBC Sport channel?” wonders Phil Russell. “They must have stacks of popular archive footage (and also Question of Sport) they can re-run at no extra cost, and it would give space to avoid farcical situations like this. Also isn’t this exactly what the red button is for? They can manage saturation coverage for the annual works’ trip to Glastonbury, and presumably the commentators and cameras are all set up and in position at St Andrews, so let’s get it on!” Yes, but the red button is currently showing a pressing re-run of 1985’s Live Aid. As for the demise of BBC3, isn’t the idea behind that so they can run a BBC1+1 channel? So you can watch Council House Crackdown twice a day, allowing you to pick up all the subtle nuances you might have missed first time round.
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Another birdie for Ogilvy, who having started the day seven shots back, was realistically too far out to snatch the title. But a very low score, and if the weather gets up later, as they say it might, you never know. With this in mind, he’s picked up another shot at 5. He’s -8, just four off the pace now. The 29-year-old Open debutant Andy Sullivan might be of a similar mindset: he’s wheeched out of the blocks with three birdies in a row, and is -8 through 3. Two wins on the European Tour already this season for Sullivan. A third here is almost certainly a pipe dream, but you might as well give it a shot, no? Meanwhile here’s Stephen Brown with the only defence of BBC I’m likely to receive from anyone who doesn’t work for the BBC: “They can’t ‘fire up BBC3 or BBC4’ (11.51am) as these are actually the frequencies they broadcast CBBC and CBeebies (the kids channels) on during the day; they share the spectrum which is why the kids shows finish at 6pm and the others start at 7pm. But yes, it is entirely normal to cancel or delay things in the evening if stuff overruns (I’m sure days worth of programming has been scrapped for snooker finals down the years) so they could have made it happen if they wanted to.” That defence petered out quite spectacularly towards the end, didn’t it. But his heart was in the right place.
Another birdie for Schniederjans! This time at 8. This is a wonderful valedictory performance as his amateur career draws to a close. Meanwhile Brendon Todd is putting something together: birdies at 2, 4, 6 and 10, and he’s -7 overall, looking good to better the tie for 39th last year on his Open debut at Hoylake. Meanwhile so much for the happy end to Ian Baker-Finch’s 1995 St Andrews story (11.34am). Here’s Selve again: “He did top his drive about 100 yards into deep crap on the second, mind you.”
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Yes, the Old Course may offer up a lot of birdies, but it’s difficult to keep a run going, even when her defences are down. A bogey for Grace at 16, and he’s back to -7. Francesco Molinari meanwhile dropped another stroke at 17, but he’s in the clubhouse with a fine final-day 67. He’s -5. And he’s the current - albeit very early - clubhouse leader alongside Scott Arnold, who parred his way in and signed for a magnificent 66. “It’s difficult to know why the BBC didn’t fire up BBC3 or BBC4 (neither of which will be broadcasting until 7pm) for the Open coverage if they really felt the need to retain their normal schedule of daytime dross,” opines Stephen Cooper. “It’s even worse for those of us who rely on the radio. Intermittent coverage at best, and when you do get it it’s just rubbish.” Yes, it’s quite a surprise the BBC’s output isn’t much better. All those buildings crammed full of the management classes, making the Big Decisions. It’s almost as though none of them produce any actual stuff.
A nickel for the thoughts of Oliver Schniederjans, whose magnificent performance this week would usually have already secured him the silver medal for leading amateur. The 22-year-old American has flown out of the blocks today with birdies at 1, 2, 5 and 6, a run only slightly sullied by bogey at 3. He’s -7 overall. And still a couple of strokes behind his compatriot Jordan Niebrugge, and the astonishing new Irish star Paul Dunne! What unfortunate timing. But at least he’s shown he can mix it with the very, very best, just before he turns professional after this event. “My hat is thrown well and truly into the ring regarding the BBC’s woeful decline in sports broadcasting,” writes John Whittingdale Jonathan McCauley-Oliver. “This year their live coverage has been frequently interrupted with slow-motion montages of action: it’s as if they have borrowed all the production values of satellite broadcasters but not the longevity of the coverage. When you invest 10 hours of screen time you can afford to have fancy-dan slow-mos. When you’re squeezing the action in between Cash in the Attic and repeats of Murder She Wrote then just show us the goddamn action.”
A fast start for the 2006 US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy. Birdies at 2 and 3, and he’s quickly up to -7, into the top 20 on the leaderboard, just five off the lead. He’s been back on his game this week after a long time in the doldrums. He might end up ruing the end of his first round in tricky weather. He was -6 standing on the 13th tee that day, then over the next four holes carded three bogeys and a double. A steady run there, and he’d be right at the top of the tree. Meanwhile more magical stories of Ian Baker-Finch from the pen of cricket’s golf’s Mike Selvey: “I was by the 18th green at St Andrews watching the end of another match when IBF hit his tee shot into Russocks hotel on the left, thus missing the widest fairway in golf. His visor blew over his eyes just as he was on his downswing and then flew off behind him. But in the second round, I was following one of his playing partners Arnold Palmer on his last Open round so saw him tee off a second time. This time, he cut it horribly, so that it went down the line of the stands on the right before going off right, to land on the canvas roof of a hospitality tent, and bounce down into the little ornamental garden they place in front, defined by some window boxes. Although he missed the widest fairway in golf a second time, he was not out of bounds and so IBF had to play his second from there . He did par the hole though.” A precious happy ending! There wouldn’t be many more for poor old Baker-Finch in his career.
It’s difficult to keep those super-fast starts going, though. A dropped shot for Francesco Molinari on 15, and he’s back to -6. Jamie Donaldson has bogeyed 12. He’s -7 again. Branden Grace is hanging on in there, though; a run of four pars since the 10th and he’s still six under for his round and -8 overall. It’d be nice to see the South African finish well, after his nightmare end to the US Open. That godawful hoick out of bounds from the 16th tee at Chambers Bay has kind of been forgotten in the wake of Dustin Johnson’s final-green meltdown, but Grace was co-leader standing on that tee. He played brilliantly that week, so it’s heartening to note he’s not crumbled in the wake of disaster. Plenty would have.
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Here’s a BBC spokesperson, explaining their decision not to bother with half of the final round of the Open. “The BBC has brought unprecedented coverage of this year’s Open to the widest possible, free to air audience - with extended scheduling across all days of competition, including two extra hours on both Friday and Saturday. Our key aim today is to fully tell the most important story - who will win the Open - and make the very best use of our resources on this extra day’s play. We will be following the leaderboard top ten from the start of their rounds to their finish plus the continued action from those that started before them - so audiences won’t miss any of the key action as it unfolds.”
Ryan Fox was first out today, and he’s first into the clubhouse with a magnificent 67. The New Zealander, whose father Grant won the Rugby World Cup in 1987, ends the tournament at -5, a highly respectable Open debut. His playing partner Bernhard Langer, here as the 2014 Senior Open champion, shot a level-par 72 and finishes +1, pretty good going for someone whose first Masters win came in 1985. Meanwhile a wonderful story here courtesy of our very own Mike Selvey: “Your point about the Open champion having already come and gone before the TV coverage is well made. The first Open I worked on for the Guardian was Birkdale in 1991 and in the final round, at a time when there was no obvious potential winner, an American called Jodie Mudd shot 63, equalling the lowest round in a major (which still pertains). There was panic among the golf writers, none of whom had seen any of this, that the Open champion may already have completed his final round. As it turned out Ian Baker Finch went out in 29 strokes and won to save their bacon.” Ah, Ian Baker Finch! His 66 that day was one of the most elegant and in-control rounds of golf to close out an Open. Astonishing that within four years, he was snap-hooking his drive out of bounds on the 1st here at St Andrews, with playing partner Arnold Palmer standing beside him, watching events unfold in solemn silence. A natural genius who tinkered with his swing one time too many. Tiger, please take note.
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David Howell finished tied for 15th at Hoylake last year after quite some time in the wilderness. It’s obviously given the 40-year-old Englishman the taste again, because here he is making another run up the leaderboard. His fine opening-day 68 had the shine taken off it by a pair of 73s, but he’s buffing his score furiously now. Birdies at 2, 6, 7 and now 10, and he’s -6 overall. Just the six shots off the lead, and yet he’s only just scraped into the top 30. Which shows exactly how jam-packed this leaderboard is, BBC. “With the Tory Sword of Damocles hanging over the BBC, celebs (many with an interest) have been asking us to contemplate two weeks without Auntie,” writes Gary Naylor. Well, I wouldn’t miss it at all. Every time I think BBC TV Sport can go no further in its contempt for the sports fan, it trumps its last snub. I hate to say this, but thanks heavens for Sky.”
And in benign conditions right now, it does indeed look as though some interesting early scores might be posted. Scott Arnold of Australia fought hard to avoid the halfway cut, coming home in 33 strokes to book his place for the “weekend”. It was worth the effort: he’s putting together a blistering card right now, out in 32 with further birdies at 11 and 13. Through 15 holes, he’s six under for his round and -5 overall. Jamie Donaldson of Wales and US Open nearly man Branden Grace hare also six under for their rounds, having played 11 and 12 holes respectively today. They’re -8 overall, and just four shots off the lead, BBC. But the round of the day so far is being played by Francesco Molinari, who has just made his seventh birdie of the day at 14. He’s -7 overall. We could be destined for a repeat of yesterday’s low-scoring drama!
“No golf on TV till 1.45pm! The situation is utterly preposterous!” splutters Peter Hall, who is presumably not related to the BBC’s director-general Tony. “So do you have a view on this?” Well, since you ask.
I’ll bow to nobody in my admiration for the BBC’s live golf coverage. It is excellent: comprehensive, unique, informative, knowledgeable, educational, enlightening, entertaining and sometimes very, very funny. When it’s actually on. To get to the live golf yesterday morning on BBC1, you had to press the red button, only to find the action squeezed into a window one-third the size of the screen, the rest filled with a looping leaderboard and needless snippets of pointless information. Meantime on actual BBC1, some chat, interviews and zippy montages. No thanks, BBC! No thanks! You do realise it’s the live action people are tuning in for? I suppose we should be grateful they’re not cutting away every 45 seconds to pictures of Bradley Cooper scratching himself, like they do at the tennis. Small mercies, and all that.
But today really takes the biscuit. No live coverage on BBC television until 1.45pm! What if someone posts a low score early doors, to set a testing clubhouse mark? We’ll not be seeing much of that round. Home hero Paul Lawrie won from ten back in 1999. He’s going out today at 11.55am, and will be approaching the turn by the time we first clap eyes on him. What if all the leaders have an off day, the entire field capitulating and dropping back towards an unlikely hero, like Ben Curtis in 2003? A statistical long shot, yes, even if a rainstorm forecast to hit St Andrews around 4pm threatens to put the cat among the leading pigeons. But then that’s not really the point. What if, y’know, people just want to watch the golf? It doesn’t have to be an epochal drama.
During the 1980 World Snooker final between Cliff Thorburn and Alex Hurricane Higgins, the BBC cut away to live coverage of the SAS storming the Iranian Embassy in London, where a dramatic siege was taking place. Due to a deluge of righteous complaints, they cut back to the battle on the green baize within ten minutes. Where the real action was. But today, the most keenly contested Open Championship since the BBC started covering the event 60 years ago takes second place to Council House Crackdown, Homes Under the Hammer, Heir Hunters and Bargain Hunt. Compare and contrast. The miserable decline of BBC Sport, a once great institution, right there.
Thanks to the wind and rain that recently visited St Andrews and stopped awhile, the Open Championship is to be decided on a Monday for only the second time in the modern era. The winner the last time it happened, at Lytham in 1988, was Severiano Ballesteros. Shoes to fill.
But the first man to be crowned Open champion on a Monday was Bob Martin in 1876. That happened at St Andrews, too, though he didn’t have to swing a club in anger on the day. He was prepared to contest a play-off with Davie Strath, but a trumped-up ruling was hanging over Strath, who in a fit of pique decided not to turn up. Martin walked the course and won by default. So even if Jordan Spieth is nine shots ahead at the turn, today’s action won’t be quite as anti-climactic as that.
Willie Park Jr. is the only other man to be handed the title on a Monday. He won a less controversial play-off over Andrew Kirkaldy at Musselburgh in 1889. So the Open’s Monday roll of honour: Martin, Park Jr., Ballesteros. All three of them multiple Open champions. Like we say, shoes to fill.
Fortunately, there’s a stellar cast of potential winners today. The 2010 St Andrews champion Louis Oosthuizen. Two-time Open winner Padraig Harrington. Former Masters champions Zach Johnson, Adam Scott and Charl Schwartzel. Former US Open winners Justin Rose, Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk, Webb Simpson, Martin Kaymer and Geoff Ogilvy. Other former Open champions in Stewart Cink, Paul Lawrie and David Duval. A PGA winner in Jason Dufner. The current Players champion Rickie Fowler. Major bridesmaids Jason Day, Sergio Garcia and Dustin Johnson. And of course the reigning Masters and US Open title holder, potentially the Ben Hogan de nos jours, Jordan Spieth.
Oh, and three amateurs in Paul Dunne, Jordan Niebrugge and Ashley Chesters, all of whom can feel their way around a links. Dunne shot a 66 yesterday, a third-round Open record for an amateur, and jointly leads the Open after 54 holes. As a result, he’s going out in the final pairing of golf’s oldest and most prestigious championship with the guy who won it here five years ago. Only in golf.
Some have much more realistic hopes than others, of course. But Lawrie came from ten behind to win in 1999, and with rain and a little wind expected later in the afternoon, anything can happen on a links. Especially if one of the earlier starters posts a score. And anyway, what’s the point of competing, or following sport, if you’re not allowed to dream silly dreams? They’re free, and they can’t take them away from you.
So there are far too many glorious possibilities to consider here. But before we take to the links, let’s just quickly ponder three. By the end of the day, we could have witnessed a 21-year-old equalling the legendary Ben Hogan’s unique 1953 slam of Masters, US Open and Open. Or a 22-year-old becoming the first amateur Open champion since the great Bobby Jones in 1930. Or Sergio could have won it. Just imagine!
It promises to be quite a special day. A manic Monday, if yesterday’s birdie blitz was anything to go by. It’s the day someone’s dream will come true. It’s the final day of the 2015 Open Championship. It’s on!
The standings after 54 holes:
-12: Dunne [a], Oosthuizen, Day
-11: Spieth
-10: Harrington
-9: Leishman, Niebrugge [a], Garcia, Rose, Goosen, Streb, Scott, Z Johnson, Willett
-8: Pepperell, Schwartzel, Bowditch
-7: Fowler, Palmer, Reed, Cink, Wall, Matsuyama, Warren, D Johnson
-6: Furyk, Chesters [a], Chalmers, Koepka, Jones, Lahiri, Lawrie
-5: Duval, Mahan, Dufner, Martin, Fraser, Sullivan, Lingmerth, Kaymer, Simpson, Walker, Ogilvy, Donald
... and when they’re all going out:
7.45am: Ryan Fox, Bernhard Langer
7.55am: Scott Arnold, Paul Casey
8.05am: Francesco Molinari, Thomas Aiken
8.15am: Ross Fisher, Cameron Tringale
8.25am: Bernd Wiesberger, Mark O’Meara
8.35am: Billy Horschel, Branden Grace
8.45am: David Howell, Jamie Donaldson
8.55am: Henrik Stenson, Matt Kuchar
9.05am: Graeme McDowell, Gary Woodland
9.15am: Brett Rumford, Richie Ramsay
9.30am: Thongchai Jaidee, Ernie Els
9.40am: Brendon Todd, Lee Westwood
9.50am: Russell Henley, Greg Owen
10am: Romain Langasque [a], David Lipsky
10.10am: Phil Mickelson, James Morrison
10.20am: Kevin Na, Oliver Schniederjans [a]
10.30am: Harris English, Rafael Cabrera-Bello
10.40am: Graham Delaet, John Senden
10.50am: Luke Donald, Geoff Ogilvy
11am: Jimmy Walker, Webb Simpson
11.15am: Martin Kaymer, David Lingmerth
11.25am: Andy Sullivan, Marcus Fraser
11.35am: Ben Martin, Jason Dufner
11.45am: Hunter Mahan, David Duval
11.55am: Paul Lawrie, Anirban Lahiri
12.05pm: Matt Jones, Brooks Koepka
12.15pm: Greg Chalmers, Ashley Chesters [a]
12.25pm: Jim Furyk, Dustin Johnson
12.35pm: Marc Warren, Hideki Matsuyama
12.45pm: Anthony Wall, Stewart Cink
1pm: Patrick Reed, Ryan Palmer
1.10pm: Rickie Fowler, Steven Bowditch
1.20pm: Charl Schwartzel, Eddie Pepperell
1.30pm: Danny Willett, Zach Johnson
1.40pm: Adam Scott, Robert Streb
1.50pm: Retief Goosen, Justin Rose
2pm: Sergio Garcia, Jordan Niebrugge [a]
2.10pm: Marc Leishman, Padraig Harrington
2.20pm: Jordan Spieth, Jason Day
2.30pm: Louis Oosthuizen, Paul Dunne [a]
