Three-man play-off in The Open
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The Open has gone into overtime…
It’s a three-man play-off at St Andrews with American Zach Johnson, Aussie Marc Leishman and defending champion Louis Oosthuizen – he held aloft the Claret Jug in 2010 – who all finished on -15.
So Jordan Spieth’s Grand Slam dream is over but the reigning Masters and US Open champion only has himself to blame and will be kicking himself all the way back home to Texas.
Spieth will be reflecting on what might have been after missing a 10ft putt, a rarity for him, on the 17th which meant he needed a birdie on 18 to earn a play-off spot. He then went for the dream approach into 18 and suffered the consequences, his ball ending up in the Valley of Sin.
Playing partner Jason Day, also needing a last hole birdie to stay in the race, didn’t fare any better and in fact was virtually in tears after criminally coming up short with his birdie attempt.
But South African Oosthuizen, who has literally been here before and got the Open tee-shirt, didn’t make the same mistake and coolly knocked in his birdie attempt to go into the play-off with momentum and with hopes sky high of another triumph at the Home of Golf.
In one of the most thrilling and captivating fourth rounds in living memory, it was a day of wildly fluctuating fortunes with a massive log jam at the head of the leaderboard, The Open really lived up to its name and it was impossible to second guess who would emerge on top.
It was ridiculously tight and nip in tuck and at one stage and to be honest it always looked like a play-off involving was very much on the cards. Probably the only surprise was not even more players were involved….
