SB Nation Cleveland - British Open 2012: Ernie Els Victorious For 4th Time In Major Career

The Open Championship 2012 Results - Ernie Els Pulls Off Longshot Victory

2012-07-23T15:47:07Z

The storylines coming into the 2012 British Open were the usual ones -- Tiger Woods was predicted to win, with a handful of other guys coming in as close seconds. This year in Golf has proven that anything can happen at a Major though, and Ernie Els took advantage of it after a late meltdown by Aussie Adam Scott provided the groundwork.

Scott had performed wonderfully through the first several days and found himself up four strokes with four holes to go. Unfortunately, the Aussie wouldn't win his first ever Major after bogeying three straight holes and then missing a seven-foot putt that would have put him into a playoff. All that Els had to do was play efficient golf and watch the meltdown before being presented with the Claret Jug.

It was the fourth title win of Els' career, and the second British Open.

Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson, also favored players coming into the Open, both had bad showings. Mickelson was out by the first cut and Watson was only able to finish 2-over, putting him in a tie for 23rd place. Tiger Woods, the favorite from the beginning, had an awful triple bogey late in the tournament to put him out -- he ended in a tie for third place with a 3-under score.

Cleveland native Jason Dufner made the cut but had a mediocre time of it at the Open, finishing in a tie for 31st place with a 3-over scoreline.

For more 2012 British Open coverage, stay with this StoryStream. For more golf news and analysis, be sure to visit SB Nation's golf hub.

British Open 2012 Purse: Champion Ernie Els Takes Home $1.45 Million In Prize Money

2012-07-22T23:57:01Z

Tour veteran Ernie Els backed into his fourth career major title on Sunday afternoon at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in a thrilling final round, as 54-hole leader Adam Scott couldn't find a way to stay composed down the stretch.

Els' clubhouse score of 7-under par appeared quite beatable by the locked-in Scott at the time, until the Australian proceeded to quickly bogey each of his final four holes to effectively give the tournament away. For his troubles, Scott coughed away more than $600,000 in prize money by finishing in second place, as Els was bestowed with the $1.452 million top prize.

Tied in third place and set to receive $479,992 apiece were Americans Brandt Snedeker and Tiger Woods. Both men entered Sunday's round with a legitimate chance to pull off a victory, but could not tame the brutal conditions and numerous bunkers featured throughout the course.

Cleveland's own Jason Dufner finished in a tie for 31st place after a rough final round as well, and is set to receive $48,672 in addition to 39 FedEx Cup points. Dufner finished 7-over par for the weekend after opening the tournament with successful rounds of 70 and 66, but still posted the best finish at a British Open of his career after making the cut.

For the full payout breakdown on a per-player basis, go here.

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British Open 2012 Results: Ernie Els Takes Major Title After Late Struggles By Adam Scott

2012-07-22T17:46:15Z

On a day when low scores were elusive for anyone trying to get the better of Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club, it was former champion Ernie Els who came away with a thrilling victory over 54-hole leader Adam Scott.

Although it initially appeared that Scott would cruise to a multiple shot victory entering the final stretch, the Australian clearly felt the nerves on the biggest stage and proceeded to bogey four straight holes. Scott's slip-up opened the door wide open for Els, who birdied the 18th hole to card a 2-under 68 for the day and move to 7-under for the championship.

Needing a par to force a playoff with the more experienced Els after his previous bogey string, Scott's drive at No. 18 landed in a brutal fairway bunker and immediately eliminated his chances at a birdie. Even though he would hit a brilliant approach to give himself a great look at a tournament-saving par, the 32-year-old Scott couldn't quite find the bottom of the cup on his final shot and left a major once again with a sour taste in his mouth.

A four-time major champion who now has two British Open titles on his resume, Els overcame a number of personal struggles to put forth yet another impressive week at a major championship. His near-flawless back nine score of 32 ultimately served as the basis for his massive comeback, as the 42-year-old veteran finished his week at 7-under on the final nine holes alone.

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British Open Leaderboard 2012: Adam Scott Drops To 10-Under Through Three

2012-07-22T14:28:04Z

Adam Scott has already run through a whole spectrum of emotions through three holes Sunday, as he bogeyed the par-3 first hole, birdied No. 2 and wound up in a bunker on hole No. 3, leading to a bogey.

The Australian now sits at 10-under par, three shots ahead of Brandt Snedeker, who's at even par for the day. Tiger Woods also is even through five and lurks just four strokes back at 6-under par.

Graeme McDowell dropped an early shot to fall back into a tie with Tiger at 6-under, while Louis Oosthuizen is 1-under on the day and sits at 3-under par overall.

After a 3-over par 73 Saturday, Jason Dufner again is struggling. He's 4-over on the day and has dropped 19 spots thus far.

Weather should not be a huge factor Sunday -- it's pleasant and partly cloudy, with winds at 10-15 mph.

For constant British Open updates Sunday, stick with this StoryStream. Head over to SBNation's dedicated golf hub for all golf news and analysis.

British Open 2012: Sunday TV Coverage, Streaming, Live Updates And More

2012-07-22T04:00:08Z

With the third major title of the year up for grabs, it was 32-year-old Australian Adam Scott who took the difficult track at Royal Lytham & St. Annes by storm to carry a four-stroke advantage into Sunday's final round with an 11-under par score.

Scott, who has never won a major title in his career, finished in a tie for second place at the Masters in 2011, and could be just one mistake-free round away from adding his name to the long list of major champions. Lurking in the second to last group behind Scott and his playing partner Graeme McDowell is none other than Tiger Woods however, a man who presents a constant challenge at the sport's biggest events. Woods carded an even par 70 on Saturday to remain in the hunt despite missing several short putts, but will need to make up ground rather quickly to have a chance at leapfrogging Scott.

Live TV coverage of the final round will start up at 6:00 a.m. EST on ESPN, although Scott and McDowell are not scheduled to tee off until 9:30 a.m. A live online stream will also be available, as Watch ESPN and TheOpen.com will each offer a live broadcast throughout Sunday's action.

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2012 British Open: Tee Times And Pairings For Sunday

2012-07-22T03:00:05Z

The 2012 British Open is set to wrap up with its fourth round on Sunday, and Adam Scott has the lead firmly in his grasp at 11-under for the tournament. He didn't have a great showing in round three but still finished 2-under on the day and is looking to hold onto that lead. Brandt Snedeker and Graeme McDowell are tied for second place at 7-under, trailing by four shots.

Snedeker had a very rough day on Saturday and finished round three at 3-over, which is certainly a relief for Scott. Tiger Woods is in fourth place at 6-under and finished even on Saturday, missing a good opportunity to get closer to the top spot as Scott faltered slightly.

Cleveland native Jason Dufner had a poor showing in round three and ended up 3-over on the day and has dropped down to a tie for 14th place. Below, we've got tee times for Sunday, all of them in eastern time:

2:20 a.m. - Martin Laird
2:30 a.m. - John Daly and Tom Watson
2:40 a.m. - Jeev Milkha Singh and Rafael Cabrera-Bello
2:40 a.m. - Charles Howell III and Ross Fisher
3 a.m. - Chad Campbell and Andres Romero
3:10 a.m. - Lee Slattery and John Senden
3:20 a.m. - Warren Bennett and Aaron Baddeley
3:30 a.m. - Juvic Pagunsan and Retief Goosen
3:40 a.m. - Bob Estes and Richard Sterne
3:55 a.m. - Rory McIlroy and Fredrik Jacobson
4:05 a.m. - Brendan Jones and Ted Potter Jr.
4:15 a.m. - Thongchai Jaidee and Yoshinori Fujimoto
4:25 a.m. - Gonzalo Fernadez-Castano and Nicolas Colsaerts
4:35 a.m. - Pablo Larrazabal and K.J. Choi
4:45 a.m. - Sang-moon Bae and Adilson Da Silva
4:55 a.m. - Lee Westwood and Toshinori Muto
5:05 a.m. - Geoff Ogilvy and Miguel Angel Jimenez
5:15 a.m. - Ian Poulter and Greg Owen
5:30 a.m. - Branden Grace and Jim Furyk
5:40 a.m. - Rafael Echenique and Troy Matteson
5:50 a.m. - Gary Woodland and Rickie Fowler
6 a.m. - Paul Lawrie and Carl Pettersson
6:10 a.m. - Simon Dyson and Garth Mulroy
6:20 a.m. - Jamie Donaldson and Dale Whitnell
6:30 a.m. - Francesco Molinari and Harris English
6:40 a.m. - Padraig Harrington and Joost Luiten
6:55 a.m. - Steve Stricker and Peter Hanson
7:05 a.m. - Thomas Bjorn and Hunter Mahan
7:15 a.m. - Alexander Noren and Justin Hicks
7:25 a.m. - Matthew Baldwin and Keegan Bradley
7:35 a.m. - Steven Alker and James Morrison
7:45 a.m. - Greg Chalmers and Simon Khan
7:55 a.m. - Anirban Lahiri and Nick Watney
8:05 a.m. - Vijay Singh and Jason Dufner
8:20 a.m. - Luke Donald and Kyle Stanley
8:30 a.m. - Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar
8:40 a.m. - Mark Calcavecchia and Louis Oosthuizen
8:50 a.m. - Bubba Watson and Thomas Aiken
9 a.m. - Bill Haas and Thorbjorn Olesen
9:10 a.m. - Ernie Els and Zach Johnson
9:20 a.m. - Tiger Woods and Brandt Snedeker
9:30 a.m. - Graeme McDowell and Adam Scott

For more British Open coverage, stay with this StoryStream. For more golf news and analysis, head over to SB Nation's golf hub.

British Open Leaderboard 2012: Brandt Snedeker Slides, Adam Scott Holds Lead

2012-07-21T17:47:47Z

Round 3 of the British Open has been a near-disaster for former leader Brandt Snedeker, who bogeyed six times through his first 16 holes. He's shooting 4-over on the day so far and has slid into a tie for third. Adam Scott has a firm grasp on the top spot, going 2-under through 16 holes and sitting at 11-under for the tournament.

Scott's closest competition is Graeme McDowell at 7-under, but Tiger Woods isn't far behind, tied for third place with Snedeker at 6-under. After a shaky start that featured two bogeys in his first three holes, Woods has settled down to shoot for par through 16 holes.

Cleveland-area golfer Jason Dufner had a tough day, shooting 3-over for a tournament score of 1-under and dropping 10 places into a tie for 15th.

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British Open 2012: TV Schedule, How To Watch Online And More

2012-07-21T03:00:14Z

Brandt Snedeker leads a crowded field with a 10-under after two rounds of play at the 2012 British Open. Tiger Woods is in third place at 6-under, and Jason Dufner is tied with four other golfers in fifth place at 4-under. It sets up what promises to be an eventful Round 3 on Saturday, one golf fans will not want to miss.

In order not to miss the action, set fans in the U.S. should set their alarms early. Play kicks off at 3:10 a.m. Eastern, and television coverage starts at 7 a.m. Eastern on ESPN. Online streaming is available from ESPN3 starting at 5 a.m.

A live stream of the action is also available from TheOpen.com, the British Open's official website, starting at 5 a.m.

For a complete leaderboard, check out Golf.com.

Stick with this StoryStream for leaderboard updates, tee times, news and more from the 2012 British Open. For all things golf, be sure to check out SB Nation's golf hub.