British Open 2012: Complete Breakdown of Sunday's Action
What a tournament we saw at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. The final day was windy and wild, but when the dust settled only Ernie Els was left shining.
As solid as Els was, his triumph would not have been possible without the implosion of Adam Scott. Scott's day will be discussed by the water-cooler in many offices tomorrow.
Overall, this was one of the most enjoyable and exciting majors in recent memory. It has me hyped for the PGA Championship, but this will be a hard act to follow.
Here's how Sunday's major players reached their fate.
Faded
1 of 5Coming into Sunday, Adam Scott and Graeme McDowell were the only players to shoot below par in every round. On Sunday, that came to a thudding end for both men.
McDowell had seven bogeys, and he never seemed settled. He had been three-under on the back nine in the last two rounds. On Sunday he flipped the script—in a bad way—and finished three-over on the same stretch.
It's hard to win that way.
He shot a five-over 75, and finished the tournament at a two-under 68, good for a tie for seventh.
Steady Descent
2 of 5Brandt Snedeker had the lead after two rounds, but it was all downhill from there.
He followed up a three-over 73 on Saturday with a four-over 74 on Sunday. His day included a nasty pair of double bogeys on the fifth and sixth holes.
He couldn't recover on the back nine, and only broke even from there. Snedeker finished tied for third overall.
Tiger's Tale
3 of 5Tiger Woods tanked on the sixth-hole. He was hit with a devastating triple-bogey that dug a huge hole for him.
He had somewhat battled his way back, but three consecutive bogeys on 13, 14 and 15 signaled the end. Another major championship will have to wait, but he is getting closer.
It just may not be coming as fast as he and his fans would like.
Tiger was three-over for the day, and three-under for the tournament. He finished tied for third place.
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Not so Great Scott
4 of 5Adam Scott's collapse on the final four holes will go down as one of the worst collapses in recent memory. If he could have parred just one of the final four holes he would have been in a playoff.
If he pars two of them he wins the tournament.
He had been so good through three rounds, but golf teaches us that a good start is nothing without at least a decent finish.
Scott shot five-over 75. He finished at six-under for the tournament, and took a disappointing second-place.
Ernie's Jug
5 of 5Ernie Els won the 2012 Open Championship because he was the most consistent and clutch performer.
His worst round was a 70 on Friday, but when it counted the most he came through. He was four under on the back-nine on Sunday, and that included a clutch birdie on No. 18.
Els captured his fourth major title, and his second Open Championship victory. He shot a two-under 68 on the day, and finished seven-under for the tournament.
It was a great performance by Els, and we'll see if he can deliver at the PGA Championship.
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