Golf fans can expect finishes of epic proportions in this 2012 British Open as Round 4 action is finally underway at Royal Lytham.
World's No. 2-ranked star Rory McIlroy is one of three players that has finished his final day at the Open, finishing his campaign at eight-over par in what was an especially disappointing Sunday effort.
Did this top-ranked talent make the push up the leaderboard? Did early-round golfers redeem themselves in the final round?
These are several notable talents who have finished their tournaments early Sunday.
John Daly
With the exception of the pants, there was not much else grabbing the attention of John Daly in this tourney.
John Daly is one of the stronger Americans on tour, but he played anything like that in his final two rounds of golf.
After sliding through the first two rounds at three-under par, Daly finished off the campaign with a score of 77 in Round 3 and 74 in the final round. It was a disappointing performance to say the least from an experienced player of his caliber.
The round included three bogeys, a double bogey and just one birdie. Daly struggled mightily with his putting game and he found himself having to make tough puts on green.
He has had his fair share of struggles at the tournament in recent years and continues to struggle this season as well. He missed the cut at the Open last season and is ranked just 128 on the 2012 PGA Money List.
Tom Watson
There is no question that the wrist injury Watson sustained earlier this season is still lingering.
After staying in contention through the first two rounds, Watson failed to make a move to the top with a pair of poor weekend performances.
Watson shot three-over par in the first two rounds, but shot just 76 and 73 in Rounds 3 and 4. Watson's final round featured a whopping five bogeys, as his one-under par start was quickly erased.
He has played in just three PGA tournaments this season and this has been as evident as ever at Royal Lytham.
Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy had as impressive a first round of golf as any talent at Royal Lytham, yet his game would soon take a steep turn and have him out of the mix rather quickly.
McIlroy finished the tournament at eight-over par and just three-over par in the final round. This outing is a significant letdown for McIlroy, who finished in 25th place (plus-seven) last season at the Open and third place in 2010.
His front-nine game was what took him quickly in this particular major. He has shot a combined seven-under par this weekend in the final nine holes and it ultimately cost him the tournament. The four-over par effort in Round 4 was easily the worst of the tournament for McIlroy.
The struggles continue for this young, top-notch talent, as there is no question his play at majors will have to pick up sooner than later.
2012 British Open Top-10 Leaderboard After Three Rounds (Courtesy of TheOpen.com):
| Pos. | Player | Score | Thru |
| 1 | Adam Scott | -11 | F |
| T2 | Brandt Snedeker | -7 | F |
| T2 | Graeme McDowell | -7 | F |
| 4 | Tiger Woods | -6 | F |
| T5 | Ernie Els | -5 | F |
| T5 | Zach Johnson | -5 | F |
| 7 | Thorbjorn Olesen | -4 | F |
| T8 | Bill Haas | -3 | F |
| T8 | Thomas Aiken | -3 | F |
| 10 | Mark Calcavecchia | -2 | F |
*Click Here for an Updated Leaderboard
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