British Open Results 2015: Twitter Reacts to Final Leaderboard Standings

The Open Championship truly was anyone's to win at the dawn of Monday's final round. Most near the top of the leaderboard were long hitters, but Zach Johnson's precision-based game prevailed as he seized the Claret Jug at St. Andrews in Scotland.

Johnson buried a long birdie putt on the 72nd hole for a 66, waited over an hour for a three-way playoff and defeated Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman with a four-hole aggregate score of one under.

Wet conditions made the Home of Golf play longer, which indubitably gave those who boom it off the tee a massive advantage. It didn't faze Johnson, who stuck to his game plan, positioned himself for the proper numbers and made a slew of putts to get the job done.

The adjective used by St. Andrews Links did well to describe Johnson's stupendous effort:

GolfBlot.com's Steve Elling had an astute observation regarding the distance disparity between Johnson and his greatest challengers:

That adds weight to how well Johnson did to come from behind after being three shots off the lead entering the final round, per ESPN Stats and Info:

Having already won the Masters in 2007, Johnson knew what it took to triumph on the major stage. Now he's won at arguably the two most prestigious golf venues on the planet in Augusta National and the Old Course.

ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski poked a bit of fun at those who criticized players for teeing it up across the pond at the John Deere Classic instead of preparing for links golf in Scotland:

Johnson lipped out on the last hole of last week's tournament to get into a playoff that was eventually won by Jordan Spieth. The 21-year-old superstar was going for the third leg of the Grand Slam but was doomed by a four-putt double bogey at the par-three eighth hole on Monday.

Usually a magnificent putter, Spieth had six three-putts in the British Open and missed the playoff by one stroke. No Laying Up leveled some criticism at tournament organizers for the way the championship was scheduled:

But Spieth had his chances and could have well won his third straight major if not for some gaffes on the big St. Andrews greens.

Another prominent, relatively young gun who was in the hunt was Jason Day. Still chasing his maiden major, Day left his birdie putt just shy of the cup on the par-four No. 18 to finish on 14 under par with Spieth.

Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman raised a fair point about the penultimate pairing once Day's hopes were dashed, as he settled for his sixth top five in a major since 2011:

The numerous close calls for Day suggest he'll break through someday soon. Spieth's thrilling pursuit of the calendar Grand Slam and the circumstances behind him falling short may be the dominant storyline from this week.

The last time St. Andrews hosted The Open Championship, though, it was Oosthuizen who ran away from the field by seven strokes. After finishing tied second at the U.S. Open, he was right in the thick of it in this event as well.

Clutch par saves at Nos. 16 and 17 preceded Oosthuizen's closing birdie at the last just to get into the playoff. Leishman did extremely well to secure a tie with Johnson in the clubhouse, as ESPN's Jason Sobel highlighted:

Classy in defeat, Spieth not only congratulated Johnson in person after the playoff's conclusion, but he also took to Twitter:

It's hard to take anything away from Johnson, who overcame an absolutely world-class leaderboard and needed only 26 putts on Monday. That area of his game really distinguished Johnson as Champion Golfer of the Year.

Americans have now won the first three majors of the season, with Spieth holding the green jacket and U.S. Open and Johnson with The Open Championship.

Next up is the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, where the defending champion will try to quiet the stateside hype in Kohler, Wisconsin.

John Locher/Associated Press

World No. 1 Rory McIlroy finished tied for third at St. Andrews in 2010 and triumphed in the British Open last year, but he was injured and couldn't defend his title. McIlroy will hopefully be fit enough to guard the Wanamaker Trophy as he vies for a third PGA title and fifth major.

For those ready to dismiss Johnson, look forward to Day getting his next shot at a breakthrough—he finished tied 10th last time around at Whistling Straits—and Spieth seeking to establish himself as the new No. 1, take a bit of a pause. Johnson actually tied McIlroy for third at the 2010 PGA at Whistling Straits, with both missing the playoff by one stroke.

The excitement entering the year's final major has to wait another several weeks until August 13, but there's no shortage of compelling storylines to mull in the meantime.