Zach Johnson has won the 144th British Open, capturing his second major title on Monday.
Johnson put on a world-class performance at St. Andrews’ Old Course, shooting in a curling, testing birdie putt on the 72nd hole to get to 15-under-par and then played a 4-hole playoff defeating Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman.
Leishman was defeated by three shot in the playoff while Oosthuizen, who won this tourney the last time it was at St. Andrews, missed a 9-foot birdie putt on the final playoff hole, which gave Johnson the victory. Johnson joins a group of five other golfers who won at Augusta and St. Andrew, including Nick Faldo, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros and Tiger Woods.
Johnson was thrilled by the accomplishment of winning the Open and the Claret Jug that comes with winning the tourney and said that it would replace his kids’ sippy cups back home in Iowa.