2015 British Open Winner and Scores
The 2015 British Open was 144th time this major was played, and the outcome required a three-man playoff. In the end, it was a second major championship title for Zach Johnson.
Winner: Zach Johnson, 273
Where it was played: The Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland
Tournament dates: July 16-20, 2015
Leader after first round: Dustin Johnson, 65
Leader after second round: Dustin Johnson, 134
Leader after third round: Jason Day, Paul Dunne and Louis Oosthuizen, 204
What Happened at the 2015 Open Championship
Zach Johnson survived a 4-hole, aggregate-score playoff against Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman to win the 2015 British Open.Both Johnson and Oosthuizen were going for their second wins in majors. Johnson previously won the 2007 Masters, and Oosthuizen was the 2010 British Open champ. This was the second time Oosthuizen lost in a playoff at a major, too; he lost to Bubba Watson at the 2012 Masters.
Jordan Spieth, trying to win his third major of the year and keep the Grand Slam dream alive, was in it until the 72nd hole. He tied for the lead with a birdie on the 16th hole in the final round, but then bogeyed No. 17 to drop one behind. His birdie attempt on the 18th hole slide just past the edge of the cup. So Spieth, the 2015 Masters and 2015 U.S. Open champ, wound up tied for fourth place, one shot out of the playoff.
Oosthuizen was the co-leader after 54 holes with Jason Day and amateur Paul Dunne at 12-under. Spieth was in second, one behind; Johnson and Leishman were among a group three back at 9-under.
Johnson got off to a very hot start on the final day — which was Monday, just the second Monday-finish in Open Championship history due to rains and high winds earlier in the tournament — shooting 31 on the front nine. He birdied seven of his first 12 holes.
When Johnson, playing several groups ahead of Spieth's and Oosthuizen's, got to the final green, he rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt to post a final score of 15-under 273.
At the time that was one behind Leishman's on-course lead of 16-under, but Leishman soon bogeyed the 16th. When he parred Nos. 17 and 18, he and Johnson were tied at 15-under and waiting to see if anyone would beat them.
Nobody did. Spieth and Day, playing together, both needed birdies on the 18th hole to tie Johnson and Leishman, but both just missed. Oosthuizen, however, didn't. Stuck on 14-under for the past four holes, Oosthuizen hit a fantastic approach into the 18th green, then sank the birdie putt to make it a 3-way playoff.
Leishman quickly became a non-factor in the playoff, but Oosthuizen and Johnson began with birdies. Johnson took a 1-shot lead with another birdie on the second extra hole and maintained that lead following the third hole. On the final playoff hole, Oosthuizen again had a birdie putt to tie (and extend the playoff) on the 18th green, but this time he missed, giving Johnson the Claret Jug.
The 2015 Open was a great one for amateurs. Dunne was the first amateur since Bobby Jones in 1927 to hold or share the 54-hole lead. He shot 78 in the final round, however. But Jordan Niebrugge finished tied for sixth as low amateur, and amateurs Oliver Schniederjans and Ashley Chesters also finished inside the Top 20.
Two significant departures this year: 5-time British Open champ Tom Watson and 3-time winner Nick Faldo both said their goodbyes, playing the Open for the final time.
2015 British Open Final Scores
| Zach Johnson | 66-71-70-66—273 |
| Louis Oosthuizen | 67-70-67-69—273 |
| Marc Leishman | 70-73-64-66—273 |
| Jason Day | 66-71-67-70—274 |
| Jordan Spieth | 67-72-66-69—274 |
| Sergio Garcia | 70-69-68-70—277 |
| Justin Rose | 71-68-68-70—277 |
| Danny Willett | 66-69-72-70—277 |
| a-Jordan Niebrugge | 67-73-67-70—277 |
| Adam Scott | 70-67-70-71—278 |
| Brooks Koepka | 71-70-69-68—278 |
| Luke Donald | 68-70-73-68—279 |
| Anthony Wall | 70-71-68-70—279 |
| Martin Kaymer | 71-70-70-68—279 |
| Brendon Todd | 71-73-69-66—279 |
| a-Ollie Schniederjans | 70-72-70-67—279 |
| a-Ashley Chesters | 71-72-67-69—279 |
| Robert Streb | 66-71-70-73—280 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | 72-66-71-71—280 |
| Stewart Cink | 70-71-68-72—281 |
| Retief Goosen | 66-72-69-74—281 |
| Phil Mickelson | 70-72-70-69—281 |
| Padraig Harrington | 72-69-65-75—281 |
| Greg Owen | 68-73-71-69—281 |
| Marcus Fraser | 74-69-68-70—281 |
| James Morrison | 71-71-70-69—281 |
| Branden Grace | 69-72-73-67—281 |
| Russell Henley | 74-66-72-69—281 |
| Patrick Reed | 72-70-67-72—281 |
| a-Paul Dunne | 69-69-66-78-282 |
| Jim Furyk | 73-71-66-72—282 |
| Steven Bowditch | 70-69-69-74—282 |
| Jimmy Walker | 72-68-71-71—282 |
| Ryan Palmer | 71-71-67-73—282 |
| Matt Jones | 68-73-69-72—282 |
| Billy Horschel | 73-71-71-67—282 |
| Rickie Fowler | 72-71-66-73—282 |
| Anirban Lahiri | 69-70-71-72—282 |
| Andy Sullivan | 72-71-68-71—282 |
| Geoff Ogilvy | 71-68-72-72—283 |
| John Senden | 72-72-68-71—283 |
| Paul Lawrie | 66-70-74-73—283 |
| Henrik Stenson | 73-70-71-69—283 |
| Webb Simpson | 70-70-71-72—283 |
| Francesco Molinari | 72-71-73-67—283 |
| Marc Warren | 68-69-72-74—283 |
| Rafael Cabrera-Bello | 71-73-68-71—283 |
| Scott Arnold | 71-73-73-66—283 |
| David Duval | 72-72-67-73—284 |
| Jamie Donaldson | 72-71-71-70—284 |
| David Howell | 68-73-73-70—284 |
| Lee Westwood | 71-73-69-71—284 |
| Graeme McDowell | 72-72-70-70—284 |
| Hunter Mahan | 72-72-67-73—284 |
| Ryan Fox | 72-69-76-67—284 |
| Dustin Johnson | 65-69-75-75—284 |
| Eddie Pepperell | 72-70-66-76—284 |
| Greg Chalmers | 70-71-69-75—285 |
| Matt Kuchar | 71-73-70-71—285 |
| Jason Dufner | 73-71-67-74—285 |
| Kevin Na | 67-75-70-73—285 |
| Gary Woodland | 72-70-71-72—285 |
| Cameron Tringale | 71-71-73-70—285 |
| David Lipsky | 73-69-70-73—285 |
| Ernie Els | 71-73-69-73—286 |
| Thongchai Jaidee | 72-71-70-73—286 |
| a-Romain Langasque | 69-72-71-74—286 |
| Charl Schwartzel | 67-72-69-79—287 |
| Graham DeLaet | 71-73-68-75—287 |
| Ross Fisher | 71-73-72-71—287 |
| Bernd Wiesberger | 72-72-71-72—287 |
| Richie Ramsay | 72-71-70-74—287 |
| Harris English | 71-72-69-75—287 |
| Paul Casey | 70-71-75-72—288 |
| Brett Rumford | 71-71-71-75—288 |
| Ben Martin | 74-70-67-77—288 |
| David Lingmerth | 69-72-70-77—288 |
| Bernhard Langer | 74-70-73-72—289 |
| Mark O'Meara | 72-72-71-74—289 |
| Thomas Aiken | 75-69-72-74—290 |
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