Zach Johnson Wins Open, Ends Grand Slam Hopes
- Dan Hauser
- 20 Jul, 2015
Zach Johnson shot a final round 66 and outlasted Marc Leishman and Louis Oosthuizen in a four hole aggregate playoff to win the 2015 Open Championship at St. Andrews.
On a week that saw the second round last almost 48 hours after lengthy delays both Friday and Saturday, forcing the first Monday finish in over 20 years, Johnson needed extra time to secure his second major championship.
“The key certainly for the week is patience and perseverance, without question, and I think in the playoff in particular,” Johnson said. “It was truly about just making the best of the opportunities, because you know the other two guys are not going to let it slide.”
Johnson had to sit an wait for over an hour to see if his four day total of 15-under would even be good enough while some of the top golfers in the game tried to run him down.
Jason Day, who was one of the three 54-hole co-leaders couldn’t get anything going and missed out on the playoff by a shot after playing his final dozen holes at even par. Adam Scott, who shared the lead after a birdie at seven, played the final five holes in five-over to flame out. Sergio Garcia did what Sergio has seemed to do his whole career. He got close and one or two bad shots late derailed his chances at his first major.
Mostly though, he sat and watched as Jordan Spieth tried to continue his quest at the single season Grand Slam, something that at various points during the round looked like both a forgone conclusion and like it was painfully going to come to an end.
He rolled in a birdie at the 6th to get within one of the lead. Then he four-putted the eighth and it seemed like his day was done. That was until bounce back birdies at 9 and 10 got him back to within one of the lead. He joined the leaders when he dropped a 30 foot bomb for birdie 16. A dropped shot at 17 cost him a shot at the playoff and ended his chances at history.
“I think the way that I played this week and especially today would have won the U.S. Open by more than just a shot,” said Spieth, who tied for fourth a stroke out of the playoff after a closing 69. “The kind of golf that was played by the field this week, it just took some special golf. Whoever comes out the champion, that’s a hell of a major.”
Even after surviving that scare from Spieth, Johnson had more work left to do. Oosthuizen and Leishman both tied Johnson at the top at 15-under and for the first time since 2009, the Open Championship was going into a four hole aggregate playoff.
From the time the playoff got going, Leishman never seemed to be in it. He bogeyed the first and third playoff holes, essentially making it a two horse race between Johnson and Oosthuizen. After both birdied the fist, Johnson birdied the second as well to take a one shot lead. He dropped a shot at the third and after failing to convert for birdie on the final playoff hole, left the door open for Oosthuizen to tie and send it into sudden death. Oosthuizen’s putt came up short, giving Johnson the win.
The win puts Johnson in elite company. Johnson is only the sixth golfer in history to win at both St. Andrews and Augusta National, joining Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods.
If you ask Johnson though, he doesn’t view himself in that company. In fact, when he won the Masters in 2007 he described himself as just a regular guy from Cedar Rapids. He still sees himself that way, but with one big difference.
“I’m a normal guy from Cedar Rapids who lives in southeast Georgia who has a green jacket and something most guys don’t get to drink out of right now,” he smiled with a nod toward the claret jug.
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About Dan Hauser
As an avid golfer and sports enthusiast, Dan has had a passion for sports starting at a very young age. Dan’s other passion has always been writing. Since the time he could write, he has always enjoyed sharing information with people and telling stories through writing. In middle school he combined his two loves by joining the school newspaper in the sports department.
