After a pulsating final day at St Andrews, the American outsider Zach Johnson claimed the £1,000,000 Open Championship prize after a thrilling play-off with Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman.

As Johnson picked up the Claret Jug, the adulation of the crowd and the thrill of claiming a second major, many of his opponents watched on with envy. At one point in Monday’s final round – delayed due to the high winds experienced on Saturday – 12 players were within one shot of the lead.

But as the pressure mounted during the final 18 holes, many contenders – including two-time major winner Jordan Spieth, Australian Jason Day and the Irish amateur Paul Dunne – fell by the wayside, leaving just Johnson, former Open winner Oosthuizen and Leishman in the mix.

And it was world number 32 Johnson who took the prize, winning a four hole shoot-out by one shot from the South African. He was priced as long as 30/1 in The Open Championship 2015 betting odds, so his win will have had punters dancing in the streets.

Johnson himself shed tears of joy following his final putt on the 18th, and this marked his first major trophy since winning The Masters back in 2007.

Leishman Limbo

In truth, Johnson’s win owed as much to the fallibility of his nearest rivals as it did to his own brilliance. He set the early clubhouse lead at -15, and watched and waited as countless pretenders to the throne came and went in a mad Monday.

Leishman had led on his own at -16 heading into the 16th hole, but stuttered to his first bogey in 35 holes and had to settle for a play-off place.

Jordan Spieth, searching for his third major trophy in a phenomenal year for the 21-year-old, was once again a contender heading into the final round but a double bogey at the 8th caused him to fall four shots behind. Even for golf’s wunderkind, it was a gap too far to bridge, although a birdie at the last would have snuck him into the shoot-out. He fluffed his approach though and was consigned to share fourth place.

The most remarkable fall from grace was that of Adam Scott, who at one point held the outright lead at -16. But five bogeys through the last five meant that he would only finished tenth. The pressure of The Open Championship once again taking no prisoners.