This year’s 144th edition of The Open was played at the Old Course at St Andrews, renowned for its fearsome bunkers, challenging double greens and has routinely defined golf’s greatest champions. World number one Rory McIlroy withdrew prior to the tournament due to an off-course ankle injury, the first defending champion absent from The Open since 1954, when Ben Hogan opted not to participate. Jordan Spieth arrived in Scotland having won both The Masters and US Open and his desire to remain on course for the elusive Grand Slam would illuminate the Championship. The elements dictated a rare Monday finish and even then, 72 holes were not sufficient to decide who would lift the Claret Jug. In a dramatic play-off, it was a battler from America’s Midwest that stood firm. After five days in July, Zach Johnson had outlasted and outplayed the field to become the Champion Golfer of the Year.