British Open Payout 2012: Adam Scott's Collapse Costs Him over 600K
Adam Scott entered Sunday with a four-stroke lead over the field, and it seemed like he was about to become a millionaire by winning the 2012 British Open.
Well, hopefully he didn't go out and spend too much of his money already, because by choking on the last four holes, he cost himself $613,100.
With a purse of $8 million, the British Open is a great place for golfers to cash in, and it looked like Scott was going to make one big check on Sunday.
Unfortunately, it wasn't as big as we all thought it would be.
After leading play after the first and third rounds, he had a four-stroke lead entering play on Sunday.
He started off shaky, going two over par on the front nine. However, he birdied the 14th and it looked like he was about to right the ship and win the event.
Scott had a four-stroke lead over Ernie Els when he stepped up to the 15th tee, and it seemed certain that he would win. After all, he had finished with a combined score of two-under-par on the last four holes over the first three rounds.
However, something went wrong and Scott collapsed.
After he bogeyed the 15th, we thought, "It's OK, he just needs to make sure it doesn't happen again."
After he bogeyed the 16th, we thought, "Whatever, he still has a two-stroke lead."
After he bogeyed the 17th, we thought, "Oh crap."
Scott ended up bogeying the final hole as well, and Els birdied it. For those of you following along with the math, you'll know that means that Scott lost.
With four straight bogeys to finish one of the biggest collapses in golf history, Scott finished in second, and lost over $600,000.
While $838,978 is still a nice chunk of change for Scott, it's not quite as much as $1,452,078.
By finishing at five over par on the last day and allowing Els to squeak in for a one-stroke victory, Scott's earnings plummeted. If he had only played better on two of the last four holes he would have won it easily, but instead, he essentially gave away over 600K.
2012 British Open Final Leaderboard With Payouts
| Pos. | Player | Score | Final Round | Payout |
| 1 | Ernie Els | -7 | -2 | $1,452,078 |
| 2 | Adam Scott | -6 | +5 | $838,978 |
| T3 | Brandt Snedeker | -3 | +4 | $479,992 |
| T3 | Tiger Woods | -3 | +3 | $479,992 |
| T5 | Luke Donald | -2 | -1 | $314,617 |
| T5 | Graeme McDowell | -2 | +5 | $314,617 |
| T7 | Thomas Aiken | -1 | +2 | $229,912 |
| T7 | Nicolas Colsaerts | -1 | -5 | $229,912 |
For complete results, check The Open's official website.
For complete payouts, check Golf and Course's website.
