Jordan Spieth is human after all. The 21-year-old faltered late in his final round to miss out on capturing the 2015 Open Championship. Instead, it was fellow American Zach Johnson who took home the Claret Jug after a clutch performance on Monday at St. Andrews.
Johnson sunk a 25-foot putt for birdie on the 72nd hole of the tournament to put him at 15-under. He finished with a 66 on Monday, which was his career-best for a final round at a major tournament. That clutch putt forced a four-hole playoff with then-leader Marc Leishman and Louis Oosthuizen, who joined the party with a birdie on the final hole of the tournament as well.
Check out Johnson's huge putt below (as well as his caddie's birdman dance):
The 39-year-old Johnson continued his clutch performance and carded birdies on the first two holes of the playoff (Nos. 1 and 2) to go up one stroke on Oosthuizen and three strokes on Leishman. Oosthuizen and Leishman had a chance to capitalize on the third playoff hole (No. 17) after Johnson bogeyed, but they failed to do so after recording bogeys of their own.
Johnson then pared the 18th to put the pressure Oosthuizen, who needed a birdie to force another playoff. However, the South African missed his 12-foot birdie putt by inches and Johnson raised the Claret Jug for his first major tournament victory since capturing the Masters in 2007.
He became just the 14th golfer to win both the Open Championship and The Masters, joining an elite list that includes Jack Nicklaus, Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen, Tom Watson, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Mark O'Meara, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. He also became the sixth golfer to win at St. Andrews and Augusta (Nicklaus, Ballesteros, Faldo, Snead and Woods are the others).
The victory was the 12th of Johnson's career and his first since the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in 2014.
"I'm at a loss for words," Johnson said after the win. "You don't like to see a tournament end on a miss and Louis is a champion and a friend. But I'm grateful and humbled. I'm thankful. ... This is the birthplace of the game. That jug means so much."
As for Spieth, he finished tied for fourth with Jason Day. His double bogey on No.8 and bogey on No. 17 really hampered his ability to stay atop the leaderboard with Johnson, Leishman and Oosthuizen. His approach shot on the 18th landed feet from the hole, which would have given him a prime opportunity at a birdie putt to join the four-hole playoff, but the backspin on the ball took him off the green and he ended up making par.
Johnson's clutch performance in the final round will go down in history as one of the best performances on the last day of a major tournament.
The next major will be the PGA Championship, which will take place at Whistling Straits Golf Course in Kohler, Wisconsin.
