Zach Johnson wins British Open in playoff; Spieth's Slam bid ends
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- The Latest from the 144th British Open on the Old Course at St. Andrews (all times local):
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7:57 p.m.
Zach Johnson has won the British Open.
Johnson made par on the 18th to win his second career major and first since the 2007 Masters.
Louis Oosthuizen had a shot to extend the playoff with a mid-range birdie putt but missed it just to the left of the cup.
Playoff final: Johnson -1, Oosthuizen E, Leishman +2.
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7:44 p.m.
All three players made bogey at the 17th, the third of four playoff holes.
They head to the 18th with Zach Johnson leading by one shot.
After three: Johnson -1, Oosthuizen E, Leishman +2.
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7:24 p.m.
Zach Johnson has taken the lead in the British Open playoff.
A birdie on the second hole put Johnson one shot clear off Louis Oosthuizen and three shots head of Marc Leishman. Both Oosthuizen and Leishman made par at the second.
Two holes left to play: the 17th and 18th.
After two: Johnson -2, Oosthuizen -1, Leishman +1.
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7:10 p.m.
Louis Oosthuizen and Zach Johnson have birdied the first hole of the playoff to separate themselves from Marc Leishman.
Oosthuizen and Johnson both rolled in mid-range putts on the first hole. Leishman bogied to fall two shots back right off the bat.
After one: Oosthuizen -1, Johnson -1, Leishman +1.
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6:52 p.m.
The British Open is headed to a three-man playoff.
Louis Oosthuizen birdied the 18th hole to pull into a tie at 15-under with Marc Leishman and Zach Johnson.
Jordan Spieth fell one stroke short of joining them, missing a long birdie attempt on the 18th. Jason Day also missed a birdie putt on 18 that would've got him in the playoff.
The playoff format is four holes, with best aggregate score winning.
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6:45 p.m.
Jordan Spieth's quest for the Grand Slam is over.
Spieth shot a 3-under 69 that left him one stroke out of a likely playoff at the British Open on Monday. He won the Masters in April and the U.S. Open last month, giving him a chance to join Ben Hogan as the only golfers to win the first three majors of the year.
No one has ever won all four.
Spieth pulled into a tie for the lead with clubhouse leaders Zach Johnson and Marc Leishman by sinking a 50-foot birdie on the 16th hole. But Spieth missed an 8-footer to save par at the 17th, and came up short of the green with his second shot at the 18th, the ball rolling back into the Valley of Sin.
His birdie putt slid by the left side of the cup, leaving him with a 14-under 274.
Jason Day also ended up one shot behind Johnson and Leishman, missing a 20-foot birdie try at the 18th. Louis Oosthuizen is the only other player with a chance to get in the playoff.
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6:30 p.m.
Jordan Spieth is going to the 72nd hole of the British Open needing a birdie to have a shot at his third straight major title.
Spieth missed an 8-footer to save par Monday evening at the tough 17th hole, known as the Road Hole. He's now one shot behind co-leaders Zach Johnson and Marc Leishman, both in the clubhouse at 15-under 273.
Spieth is trying to join Ben Hogan as the only golfers to win the first three majors of the year. If he can pull it off, he'll go to next month's PGA Championship with a shot at becoming the first player to win the modern Grand Slam.
Jason Day and Louis Oosthuizen are also in the mix, one shot off the lead.
Day is playing with Spieth in the next-to-last group, while Oosthuizen is in the final pairing.
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6:15 p.m.
Jordan Spieth has rolled in a 50-foot putt to create a three-way tie for the lead at the British Open.
Spieth rolled in the long putt at the 16th hole Monday, pushing his score to 15 under. Zach Johnson and Marc Leishman are already in the clubhouse at 15-under 273.
If there is a tie, there will be a four-hole playoff, with the best cumulative score winning the claret jug. The playoff will be held over the first, second, 17th and 18th holes. If it's still tied after that, they go to sudden death.
While it's getting late in the day, there should be plenty of daylight for what is already the first Monday finish at the Open since 1988. It doesn't get dark in this part of Scotland until around 9:30 p.m.
Johnson is on the practice green, warming up in case the Open has its first playoff since 2009.
Spieth is trying to join Ben Hogan as the only golfers to win the first three majors of the year.
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6 p.m.
Marc Leishman has surrendered the outright lead at the British Open with his first bogey in 35 holes.
The 31-year-old Australian hit a nifty shot out of a pot punker at the 16th hole Monday, only to miss a 4-foot putt to save par.
That left him at 15 under, tied with clubhouse leader Zach Johnson. It was Leishman's first bogey since the 17th hole in the second round.
Johnson, the 2007 Masters champion, rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole for a 6-under 66 in the final round and 273 total.
Leishman picked up his only victory on the PGA Tour at the 2012 Travelers Championship and endured a personal crisis this year when his wife came down with a near-fatal illness.
Leishman dropped out of the Masters to be with his wife and even considered giving up golf. She has since made a nearly full recovery.
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5:35 p.m.
Zach Johnson has posted a score at the British Open.
Now, he'll have to wait to see if it's good enough.
Johnson rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt at the 72nd hole for a 6-under 66 on Monday. He's at 15-under 273, one stroke behind Marc Leishman. The unheralded Aussie is trying to pull off a major surprise, pushing his score to 16 under with a bogey-free round through 15 holes.
Leishman still has to play No. 17, the ominous Road Hole.
Jordan Spieth is two shots back and has four holes left.
When Johnson's final putt dropped in the cup, his knees buckled and he pumped his right fist.
His caddie, Damon Green, did a little dance to celebrate.
