
The 144th Open Championship takes place this week at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. GolfChannel.com is tracking the men's third major of the season through on-site reporting and social media. For additional Open coverage, click here for full-field scores and click here for our Tiger Tracker. If you want to view the action we tracked from the first three days, you can find Thursday's action here, Friday's action here, Saturday content here and Sunday here. All-times for the Open Championship tracker are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
3:00PM: Two-time major champion Zach Johnson at a loss for words and crying: "I'm grateful, humbled. i'm thankful. i'm honored. this is the birthplace of the game."
Congratulations to Zach Johnson, 2015 Champion Golfer of the Year.
#TheOpen pic.twitter.com/QPtFm4xV45
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 20, 2015
2:57PM: Touches the lip of the cup but doesn't fall. Ladies and gentleman, your Champion Golfer of the Year is Zach Johnson.
2:56PM: Slides by right. Now Louis with the putt to send it in to sudden death.
2:52PM: And he responds. ZJ now putting for the win.
Oosthuizen with a nice shot into the 18th but Zach Johnson can win it with a birdie. #TheOpen
— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) July 20, 2015
2:49PM: Pressure's on Louis on 18. Again.
Zach Johnson's approach shot is a good one. Spins it back and the pressure is on. #TheOpen 2:42PM: Leishman essentially done after three-putting for bogey. Louis misses par putt from even closer. Johnson saves his bogey. Huge missed opportunity there for Oosthuizen. Here's where we stand going into 18:
Oosthuizen's par try slides by and Johnson matches his bogey. One shot lead for ZJ heading to the 18th. ZJ: 11, Oosthuizen: 12, Leishman: 14 2:35PM: ZJ flies it over the green. Still faces a tough up and down, but now for bogey.
2:32PM: Louis (-1) and Leishman (+1) reach the very front of the green. Will have very long putts for birdie. Johnson (-2) looking at a very tough up and down from in front of the greenside bunker.
2:25PM: Par. Par ... Birdie. Zach Johnson takes the lead. On to the Road Hole.
Zach Johnson with a clutch birdie putt at the 2nd hole. ZJ: -2, Louis: -1, Leishman: +1. #TheOpen 2:25PM: Par. Par ... Birdie. Zach Johnson takes the lead. On to the Road Hole.
Zach Johnson with a clutch birdie putt at the 2nd hole. ZJ: -2, Louis: -1, Leishman: +1. #TheOpen 2:20PM: All three on the green with their approaches.
Johnson, Oosthuizen, and Leishman find the green with their approaches. All three will have putts for birdie. #TheOpen 2:10PM: Oosthuizen with the hot hand, drains a long birdie putt on No. 1. ZJ, who hit the best approach of the group, follows with one of his own. Leishman misses short par putt and starts with bogey.
Louis Oosthuizen: -1 Zach Johnson: -1 Marc Leishman: +1 thru 1 hole. #TheOpen 2:05PM: A clearly disappointed Jordan Spieth talking after his round, "We gave it a good run."
2:00PM: After being re-introduced on the first tee, all three find the fairway on hole No. 1, because you know ... they're still playing the Old Course.
Turns out Ivor Robson wasn't done just yet. #Playoff 1:56PM: And ... 72 holes over five days was not enough. We're headed to a three-man playoff between Marc Leishman, Louis Oosthuizen and Zach Johnson.
Reminder: 4-hole aggregate playoff decides the Open Championship. Holes 1, 2, 17, and 18. #TheOpen 1:50PM: He made it! This is what it sounds like at the Old Course right now.
1:47PM: Louis! Throws a dart on his approach to a few feet.
Oosthuizen's second into No. 18 is excellent. Great look at birdie and a spot in the playoff with Zach Johnson and Marc Leishman. #TheOpen
— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) July 20, 2015
1:43PM: Day's putt to tie the lead comes up short. Pressure's on Louis as he tees off on 18.
1:41PM: And that will do it. Spieth nearly holes putt from off the green but it was not meant to be.
Spieth's birdie attempt is no good and his quest for the Grand Slam comes to an end. Cards a final round 69 and is in at -14. #TheOpen
— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) July 20, 2015
1:36PM: Spieth gets interrupted during his backswing by fan, steps off, regroups, hits his approach on the green but spins back off the front. Day on the green, but long putt to tie the lead.
1:32PM: Spieth and Day both walk off their approach distances to the green. Well ... we're waiting.
1:27PM: Spieth misses. Day makes. Both one off lead. Bummer.
Turns out Spieth does miss putts. Who knew? Bogey at No. 17.
— Rex Hoggard (@RexHoggardGC) July 20, 2015
1:23PM: Spieth facing a 7-footer for par after a nice wedge shot. Day putts one from 30 feet off the green to about five feet.
Jason Day with an incredible play with his putter from well off the green at the Road Hole. #TheOpen
— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) July 20, 2015
1:18PM: Spieth now facing a tough up and down on 17. Louis saves par on 16 to stay one back. Leishman makes par at the last and is also in the clubhouse at 15 under. Tied with ZJ.
Leishman's putt for birdie at the closing hole to get to -16 misses left and he's in at -15, tied in the clubhouse with ZJ.
— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) July 20, 2015
1:05PM: Was there any doubt? Spieth drains his birdie on 16. Heads to the Road Hole tied for the lead.
Not much else to say about Jordan Spieth. #TheOpen
— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) July 20, 2015
1:07PM: Leishman nearly makes a long birdie putt on 17, settles for par.
1:04PM: Louis comes an inch from rolling in his birdie putt on 15. Still one back.
12:57PM: Think Leishman is feeling the nerves?
Leishman backs away from his tee shot at the Road Hole and looks behind him into the crowd. Ends up finding the 2nd fairway. #TheOpen 12:54PM: Spieth and Day make their pars on 15 to stay one back. Oosthuizen on 15 down one shot as well.
12:48PM: Leishman with the one-handed follow through after approach shot on 16. Finds the greenside bunker. Misses 4-footer for par. Just like that he's tied with ZJ with two holes to play.
12:37PM: Huge birdie on 18 for Zach Johnson. His caddie celebrates with a dance on the green. In the clubhouse with a 66 at 15 under. Only Leishman ahead of him.
Zach Johnson drains a long putt for birdie at the closing hole to finish at -15. Final round 66 today for ZJ. #TheOpen 12:33PM: Live look at the leaderboard, which will probably be irrelevant in a few minutes.
12:23PM: Spieth alert! Jordan's chip clangs off the flagstick on 13. Somehow doesn't drop for birdie. Settles for par.
So close! Spieth nearly chips in for birdie on 13.
http://t.co/GXoKkgS0bL #TheOpen
https://t.co/R49KxhEKxV 12:23PM: Spieth alert! Jordan's chip clangs off the flagstick on 13. Somehow doesn't drop for birdie. Settles for par.
After nearly holing out his pitch for birdie, Spieth settles for par at No. 13. Close call, still two shots behind Leishman. 12:18PM: And ... Louis birdies to get back to within one of Leishman.
12:15PM: Zach Johnson (-15) slips on approach shot on 17. Should be noted that he is wearing soft spikes, in the rain, at St. Andrews, on Sunday of the Open.
12:07PM: Adam Scott also doing his best Sergio Garcia impression with back-to-back bogeys. All the cool kids are doing it.
12:05PM: Meanwhile ... Sergio Garcia doing his best Sergio Garcia impression.
Back-to-back bogeys drop Sergio to -12, four shots off the pace set by Marc Leishman. #TheOpen 12:00PM: As this day of craziness rolls past noon on the East Coast, Marc Leishman is your outright leader.
Marc Leishman has not dropped a shot for 31 holes. He is your outright leader on 16-under. #TheOpen #nttdatawall pic.twitter.com/sXs7BdEG77 11:57AM: Say what you will about Steve Williams, but he certainly makes Adam Scott a better player on the biggest stages.
#TheOpen is Stevie Williams’ 2nd event back on Scott’s bag. Just saying. Adam Scott with Steve Williams: 15 majors, 9 top 10s and a win. 13 top 15s.
Without: 6 top 15s from 41 tournaments ... @TheOpen 11:55AM: We'll get this out of the way now, but probably remind you later. In the event of a tie at the end of regulation, the Open moves to a four-hole aggregate playoff on Nos. 1, 2, 17 and 18.
Tough day for the engraver. At the turn there are 10 players within 3 shots of the lead. #TheOpen Most players ever in a playoff in @TheOpen was 4, in 2002 at Muirfield. Ernie Els won. 11:51AM: Just as soon as you got excited about Sergio, he found a fairway bunker at 12 and made bogey. Two back.
11:47AM: Maybe we motivated Louis Oosthuizen? Just after we said he wasn't making a move, he birdied No. 9, and now he's driven the ball in front of the par-4 10th green, eyeing a birdie that could tie him for the lead.
11:45AM: Jordan Spieth needed two holes to erase his double bogey. Back-to-back birdies at Nos. 9 and 10 return him to 14 under. That's the good news. Here's the bad news - had he just two-putted at No. 8, he'd be leading by himself right now.
Pissed Spieth is the best Spieth. 11:35AM: The final group is hanging around but doing little to move forward. Dunne back to even par today after his disastrous start. Louis at minus-1 and 13 under after a bogey at eight.
11:32AM: That's a bounce-back birdie at No. 9 for Spieth, who has a habit of doing that. That's a 2-under 34 on the front. He's two back of the lead held by ZJ, Scott and Marc Leishman. Double bogey hasn't left him out of it, but he can ill-afford any more dropped shots.
11:30AM: Still got it:
Currently one back...
#TheOpen pic.twitter.com/rrfSNOY2eW 11:28AM: If anyone's wondering what happened to Dustin Johnson:
DJ had a 1-shot lead at the halfway point. Shot 75-75 when everyone else was tearing up the Old Course. Now 11 back. 11:26AM: If we want to get technical, his second putt was actually from off the green, so it wasn't really a four-putt. But yeah ... yeah:
Spieth four-putts (uses putter) for the first time . . . well, ever. Bogey at No. 8. "Slam bid dashed by a four-putt" paid 500-1 offshore. 11:24AM: It's official. We're all going to do this again. Sergio Garcia is one shot off the lead on the back nine in the final round of the British Open.
11:21AM: Spieth's bid for the Slam just took a big hit. That's a double bogey at the par-3 eighth after he hit his first putt off the green and needed three more shots. Spieth now three back. Can he win on a day like this with a double?
11:18AM: Zach Johnson's first bogey of the day comes at 13 and drops him back to 15 under. That's only his second bogey in his last 34 holes.
11:13AM: Update:
This is nuts
I don't have a stat, it's just awesome 11:12AM: Regarding Jordan Spieth's putting prowess:
From 20-25 feet Jordan Spieth makes 28.85% of his putts. By comparison, Bubba Watson makes 4.35%, Fowler makes 5.56%, Jim Furyk makes 10.00% 11:08AM: Don't want to jinx anybody, but Zach Johnson (now leading at -16) is 7 under through 12. Adam Scott is 6 under through 11. In fairness, this isn't Oakmont, nor is it 1973.
11:05AM: Nice summation of just what we're dealing with here.
There are 5 players at/within 1 of the lead. They are all in the top-25 in the world. 4 of them are major winners. 11:01AM: Adam Scott has joined Zach Johnson at 15 under, but ZJ just flagged one at No. 12.
10:52AM: Meanwhile, that Jordan Spieth guy, maybe you've heard of him, has moved to 14 under and just one back. Spieth is 3 under through six holes and coming off back-to-back birdies.
10:51AM: He's not Dunne yet! (Sorry.) Paul Dunne gets it back to even par today with a birdie at No. 5.
10:47AM: Sergio Garcia is 4 under through seven holes and two shots back:
Sergio in majors
19 top-10s
10 top-5s
4 runner-up finishes
Does he get his 1st win today? 10:45AM: And Zach Johnson has no interest in sharing. Pushes the lead to 15 under with a birdie on No. 10. He's 6 under today through 10 holes.
10:42AM: Come on, Aussies, 2.0? Adam Scott, like Zach Johnson, gets to 14 under thanks a front-nine 31.
10:36AM: Paul Azinger, as fans look for Padraig Harrington's ball in the bushes on No. 6: "You could draw blood in there."
10:30AM: An eagle try for Spieth at No. 5 comes up short but the short birdie putt drops. Spieth one back of the lead, but only one up in this unusual race:
An amateur named Niebrugge is making a move for low Jordan honors. #12under 10:30AM: And forget that altogether now that Zach Johnson leads by himself (for the next 45 seconds, at this rate) at 14 under par thanks to a front-nine 31.
ZJ's last 3 results entering the week: T72 at U.S. Open, 6th at Travelers, T3 at John Deere. A major champion trending well. #TheOpen 10:27AM: Add Marc Leishman and Padraig Harrington to the now-five-way tie at 13 under.
Leishman was 9 back after 36 holes. It would be the 2nd-largest 36-hole deficit overcome in Open history (G. Duncan was 13 back in 1920). 10:21AM: This is going to be a bit of a busy afternoon. Adam Scott joins the tie for the lead with Oosthuizen and Johnson at 13 under. Then there's this crowded list at minus-12: Anthony Wall, Sergio Garcia, Marc Leishman, Padraig Harrington, Jordan Spieth and Jason Day.
10:17AM: After some - a lot? - of nerves on his first two holes, Dunne rights the ship with a birdie at No. 3. Gets it back to 11 under, sitting two shots off the lead.
10:14AM: Zach Johnson now tied for the lead with Oosthuizen at 13 under thanks to a birdie at No. 6. ZJ off to a red-hot start, with four birdies in his first six holes. (Maybe more guys should play the John Deere?) Johnson has two previous top-10 finishes in an Open, a T-9 in 2012 and T-6 in 2013.
10:09AM: A look at Paul Dunne on No. 2 tee:
10:05AM: After playing what could have been his fifth shot off the tee, Paul Dunne ends up making only bogey at No. 2. A bogey-bogey start for the amateur and overnight leader. Louis taps in for par and keeps his lead at 13 under.
9:55AM: Dunne's first tee shot at No. 2 is on a practice chipping green. He will be able to play it after a drop. 9:50AM: More problems for Dunne. He blasts his tee shot at No. 2 way right. Has to hit provisional. Hits that shot right and hits a second provisional. [Frantically rewrites Paul Dunne column from Sunday night] 9:45AM: Dunne, meanwhile, bogeys the first. After chunking his approach shot short of the Swilcan Burn, he can't get up and down for par. 9:44AM: We've got a solo leader! Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 Open champion at St. Andrews, birdies the first to become the first player to reach 13 under. 9:41AM: Sergio Garcia is in the group at 11 under. As is Hideki Matsuyama. 9:38AM: Nerves for amateur Dunne? Louis Oosthuizen finds the green with his approach into No. 1 while Paul Dunne comes up just short of the Swilcan Burn. #TheOpen 9:36AM: Make it five tied at the top. Padraig Harrington rolls in a birdie at No. 2 to reach 12 under. 9:34AM: Jordan Spieth birdies the first. He's tied for the lead at 12 under. 9:31AM: Louis Oosthuizen and Paul Dunne are announced off No. 1. That's the end of the Open career for legendary first-tee announcer Ivor Robson. Ivor Robson: "It's been such a great honour. I can't thank everyone enough for giving me this role."
41 years. 18,995 players announced. 9:29AM: Fast and furious scoring.. Zach Johnson (-11) has birdied two of his first four holes and sits just one back of the leaders. #TheOpen 9:26AM: Paul Dunne may be co-leading the Open at the moment. But he still might not finish low amateur. Ashley Chesters is on a birdie bonanza today. He's 5 under through 10 to reach 11 under. 9:22AM: Jordan Spieth and Jason Day have started their final rounds. 9:16AM: Padraig Harrington birdies the first. He's at 11 under, along with Spieth and Anthony Wall. Wall is 4 under through seven today. 9:16AM: And in case you were wondering ... Confirmation from the @OldCourseHotel: Phil Mickelson's tee shot on 17 ended up on the balcony of Room 130. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/Uxr9ccBRXO 9:14AM: Ten players are currently tied at 10 under, to go along with Spieth at 11 under and the trio of leaders at 12 under. That's not to mention the 13 players at 9 under. Everyone and their grandmas at -9 and -10. Wow! 9:08AM: Speaking of Scott, he makes an early birdie to get within two at 10 under. 9:06AM: A note regarding Jordan Spieth, Zach Johnson and Adam Scott. 5 players have won Masters & @TheOpen at St Andrews:
Seve (HOF)
Faldo (HOF)
Jack (HOF)
Snead (HOF)
Tiger (future HOF) 9:01AM: Schniederjans birdies the last to shoot 67 and finish at 9 under. Currently at T-12, it's unlikely he'll finish among the top 10. 8:54AM: Like Mickelson before him, Ollie Schniederjans butchers the 17th. A terrible smother-hook off the tee eventually leads to double bogey. He drops from T-5 to T-29, with one hole to play. That likely costs him a chance to automatically qualify for next year's Open, with the top 10 in '15 getting an exemption into '16. 8:48AM: Mickelson pars the last for a 69 and a 7-under 281. 8:40AM: How far is too far back? The players at 9 under, three back to start the day, are now teeing off. 8:32AM: That's a triple bogey for Phil Mickelson on the 17th. He drops from 10 under to 7 under, from T-5 to T-32 in one hole. 8:24AM: Oh, dear. Phil Mickelson just hit his tee shot on the 17th hole onto a balcony at the Old Course Hotel. Phil Mickelson's ball lands on someone's balcony at the Old Course Hotel #nicesouvenir pic.twitter.com/dlvVFAlhZy 8:20AM: Remember Dustin Johnson? Going back to Sunday, he's bogeyed six of his last seven holes. The one-time co-leader is now seven off the pace. 8:16AM: Luke Donald joins the mix at 10 under with three consecutive birdies to begin his back nine. A third-round, 1-over 73 set him back. 8:13AM: This from Ryan Lavner: Crazy to think we could have a Triple Crown winner, Grand Slam tennis winner and Grand Slam golf winner in the same year. 8:06AM: Phil Mickelson makes another birdie. That's six birdies in 15 holes. He's at 10 under, two back. 8:02AM: Branden Grace is the current cluhouse leader at 7 under. Probably not going to hold up. 7:55AM: A historical nugget to chew on. Padraig Harrington trails by two entering the final round. 1,409 weeks ago today: Seve shot 65 to come back from two shots to win at the only Monday finish at #TheOpen. pic.twitter.com/dfAFn4Fnek 7:45AM: Know thy selfie. Also, know thy Top Photos of the Week by clicking on the link below: Yup, selfies are allowed at #TheOpen. Top Photos of the Week: http://t.co/8vRlVjEdoS pic.twitter.com/QQD4XuqiOB 7:42AM: Scores on the road hole so far today: Road Hole so far today: 1 birdie, 4 pars, 9 bogeys, 1 double, 1 triple. https://t.co/EOPaQqnGk4 7:39AM: Dustin Johnson's final round is underway. He opens with birdie. Where was that yesterday? 7:29AM: For those of you wondering at home what happens to the first-place prize money if an amateur wins: Good time for reminder: Amateurs remain amateurs for entirety of tourney. Can't turn pro once it starts. Money redistributed amongst field. 7:21AM: For more on the amateur who might win the 144th Open (no, not Paul Dunne), check out Ryan Lavner's piece from earlier this year on Ollie Schniederjans: Wrote about Ollie Schniederjans (now 2 back at #TheOpen) at NCAAs. It’s been a bumpy ride for the former No. 1 am: http://t.co/VXrBlHmwbA 7:15AM: Phil Mickelson wants to get in on the fun. After 10 holes, Phil Mickelson is now 4 back.
He played his final 8 holes in 4-under to win #TheOpen in 2013. pic.twitter.com/jlLjipfb2h 7:13AM: It's raining! Amateurs playing well, that is. Not actual precipitation. Race for the Silver Medal is becoming the race for the Claret Jug:
-12 Dunne
-9 Schniederjans (9)
-9 Niebrugge
-6 Chesters
-5 Langasque 7:06AM: Another amateur in the field this week who's already on the course for his final round is Oliver Schiederjans. He's 4 under through eight holes and is currently tied for sixth. 7:00AM: 'Am' you trying to tell us something, Brandel? Byron Nelson's win streak of 11 in a row stopped in Memphis in 1945, an event won by... an amateur, Fred Haas. 6:55AM: Low round of the day so far belongs to Scott Arnold - a 6-under 66. 6:52AM: Leaders are off in a little more than 2 1/2 hours. Here are the pins they'll be facing in the final round of the 144th Open Championship: Hole positions for the final round of The 144th Open.
#TheOpen pic.twitter.com/Ji9RkAd6Kq 6:49AM: Soooo ... we should have seen this coming? Paul Dunne did not win a tournament this season at UAB. His season-low score was 67.
He shot 66 at St Andrews today, holds 54-hole lead 6:42AM: Everyone's an Adam Scott fan! Five days ago Paul Dunne posted this photo with Adam Scott.
Now he leads him by 3 shots. https://t.co/HuTjnF38xs pic.twitter.com/TRivBDU2zK 6:37AM: By the Grace of ... Branden. We have someone making a big move early on Monday. South Africa's @BrandenGrace is on fire today, rocketing to -8.
Leaderboard: http://t.co/GXoKkgApkd #nttdatawall pic.twitter.com/HkW61RR11f 6:27AM: I'm not a numbers person ... so I'll take your word for it. So far today: 106 birdies. 254 pars. 34 bogeys or worse. #TheOpen 6:24AM: The leaders tee off at 9:30 a.m. Meanwhile, Bernhard Langer finished up his final-round 72 just moments ago. Bernhard Langer just finished his final hole at #TheOpen. In 29 appearance, Langer has six top 3 finishes. pic.twitter.com/LROiMuWkrM 6:12AM: David Duval getting in some prep before his final round. The 2001 champ is 5 under through 54 holes and tees off at 6:45 a.m. Is he onto something? The 2001 Open champion @david59duval grooves it on the range at the Old Course. pic.twitter.com/aLrtRCfYJo 6:08AM: Donaldson dropped a shot at the 12th and is now only (yes, only!) 5 under through 12. 6:05AM: If someone's going to stop the Spieth Slam, who do you think it will be? Our writers weighed in with their thoughts: Before they all tee off, who do you think is the best bet to end the Spieth Slam? http://t.co/QLbQLKAGfO pic.twitter.com/o4h7KGunbO 5:52AM: Guys going the lowest early on the day are: Francesco Molinari (7 under through 14), Scott Arnold (6 under through 15), Branden Grace (6 under through 12) and Jamie Donaldson (6 under through 11).
5:43AM: And those mundane weather conditions mean low numbers are possible. Branden Grace is already 6 under through 10 holes on Monday. No sign of Monday blues for @BrandenGrace. pic.twitter.com/KZGzRAmiJ4 5:40AM: Pretty mundane weather conditions in St. Andrews today. Temperatures in the mid-to-upper 50s, winds averaging 7 mph and a few showers.
5:34AM: Just as a reminder, if you're still in St. Andrews today, you can view the final round of the Open Championship for just £10.
Gates are open for the final round of #TheOpen and tickets are only £10! Buy at the gate or http://t.co/CowuRfgqER
https://t.co/nAPB7QQgl2
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 20, 2015
5:28AM: The hardest holes at St. Andrews this week? We're glad you asked...
16 and 17 are the two toughest holes this week. On average a player drops 0.87 shots per round on these two holes. pic.twitter.com/Ev7g9cnBNM
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) July 20, 2015
5:15AM: Jordan Spieth is chasing history today at St. Andrews. Here's a look at some of the stats and facts:
.@JordanSpieth is chasing history. With a win tomorrow.... #HeirJordan pic.twitter.com/wQdS4F4ruB
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) July 19, 2015
5:05AM: Here's a look at the leaderboard at the conclusion of 54 holes:
5:00AM: Happy Monday! Round 4 (yes, you read that correctly) of the 144th Open Championship is underway from St. Andrews.