SB Nation Denver - The Open Championship 2012: Ernie Els Strong Down Stretch For Victory; Adam Scott Collapses

The Open Championship 2012 Results: Martin Laird Bottoms Out With Disastrous Third Round

2012-07-23T13:59:19Z

Colorado State graduate Martin Laird shot a 69 in two rounds and a 70 in another round at the 2012 British Open, which could've put him in contention for a top-10 finish, if not the title outright. But in his third round this past Saturday, Laird shot a whopping 82, good for 12-over, which put him far away from the top-50.

Laird finished tied for 72nd place at 11-over for the weekend, which was the third highest score amongst players who made the cut. Laird's 82 on Saturday was tied for the highest score in any round amongst players who made the cut (83rd place finisher Andres Romero shot an 82 on Sunday), and the second highest round at the 2012 British Open outright (two golfers who missed the cut shot an 83 on Friday.)

Stick with SB Nation Denver for 2012 British Open tee times, results and updates. Or for more, head over to SB Nation's golf news hub.

2012 British Open: Ernie Els Wins Tournament After Adam Scott Blows Lead

2012-07-22T18:04:38Z

Ernie Els had his name etched into the Claret Jug for the second time on Sunday after rallying from a significant deficit to win the 2012 Open Championship. Trailing leader Adam Scott by four strokes with just three holes to play, Els took advantage of Scott's late struggles to win his first major since 2002.

For a while, it really seemed like Scott was destined to win his first career major, but he blew his substantial lead in stunning fashion by bogeying the final four holes of the tournament. After the 14th hole, Scott was sitting pretty at 10-under with a four-stroke advantage, but he did the unimaginable by failing to break par on any of the final four holes.

Scott's struggles afforded Els an opportunity to win that he fully took advantage of in winning his first major in a decade. On a day when most players were struggling to break par, Els finished at 2-under after making a birdie on the final hole of the tournament.

Scott had a chance on the 18th hole to force a playoff, but he missed a put from eight feet out that would've extended the Open.

Stick with SB Nation Denver for 2012 British Open tee times, results and updates. Or for more, head over to SB Nation's golf news hub.

2012 British Open Leaderboard: Adam Scott Still Holds Comfortable Lead

2012-07-22T16:56:14Z

Adam Scott is three holes away from winning his first ever major championship, and as he holds a comfortable lead over Ernie Els as he closes out his round. Scott hasn't been perfect on Sunday, but he's been good enough— despite shooting 1-over on the day, he's still three shots ahead of Els. Scott is 9-under through 15 holes, while Els is 6-under through 17.

Els has made a bit of a run on Sunday, shooting 1-under for the round on a day that has seen a majority of the field shoot over par. Tiger Woods, meanwhile, has faltered, shooting 4-over on the day to drop to 2-under overall and tied for fourth place. In third at the moment is American Brandt Snedeker, who has shot 3-over on Sunday but maintained a score of 4-under.

Scott would have to experience something close to an historic meltdown at this point, but at the very worst he's almost certainly guaranteed to top his best career finish ever in a major. That came in 2011, when he tied for second at the Masters.

Stick with SB Nation Denver for 2012 British Open tee times, results and updates. Or for more, head over to SB Nation's golf news hub.

British Open 2012: Tee Times And Pairings For Sunday

2012-07-21T22:16:17Z

The pairings for the final found of the 2012 British Open have been released. The final pairing of the day will feature Adam Scott, who currently leads the tournament at -11, and local favorite Graeme McDowell, who trails Scott by four strokes. Scott and McDowell will be preceded by Brandt Snedeker and Tiger Woods. Scott will be looking for his first career win in a major. Here are the final five pairings for Sunday:

6:50 a.m. MT -- Bubba Watson, Thomas Aiken

7:00 a.m. MT -- Bill Haas, Thorbjorn Olesen

7:10 a.m. MT -- Ernie Els, Zach Johnson

7:20 a.m. MT -- Tiger Woods, Brandt Snedeker

7:30 a.m. MT -- Graeme McDowell, Adam Scott

For a complete list of pairings and tee times, head over to the British Open website.

Stick with SB Nation Denver for 2012 British Open tee times, results and u.pdates. Or for more, head over to SB Nation's golf news hub.

British Open 2012 Leaderboard: Adam Scott Leads Heading Into Final Round

2012-07-21T18:39:44Z

In order to win any tournament, consistency over the course of 72-holes is essential. Through the first three rounds at the 2012 British Open, Adam Scott has been arguably the most consistent golfer, which is why he holds a four-stroke lead heading into the final round.

Scott has been outstanding throughout the tournament, having shot 68 or less in each of the first three rounds. With the course playing tougher than it did over the opening two rounds, Scott managed to shoot a 68 and is now sitting at -11. He will be paired with the local favorite Graeme McDowell, who shot a -3 on Saturday and sits four strokes behind Scott. McDowell is tied with Brandt Snedeker, who will be paired with Tiger Woods on Sunday.

Woods, who shot even par on Saturday, enters the final round five strokes behind Scott. Zach Johnson and Ernie Els both sit at -5.

Stick with SB Nation Denver for 2012 British Open tee times, results and updates. Or for more, head over to SB Nation's golf news hub.

British Open Leaderboard 2012: Martin Laird Implodes In Third Round, Hits For 12-Over Par

2012-07-21T16:03:03Z

After posting respectable scores in the first two rounds of the 2012 British Open, Colorado State alumnus Martin Laird suffered through an awful round on Saturday at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. He entered the day at 1-under par through 36 holes, but started Saturday with a double bogey on hole No. 2, followed that with a bogeys on Nos. 3 and 4 and continued his descent down the leaderboard with a double bogey on No. 6. He his never got much better, either. He wrapped up the day at 12-over par, moving him to the bottom of the active leaderboard at 11-over for the tournament and creating a double-digit gap between himself and tournament leaders Adam Scott, Brandt Snedeker and Tiger Woods.

Here is a look at Laird's third round of play, via Golf.com:

Martin Laird Round 3
HOLE	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	OUT	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	IN	TOTAL
PAR	3	4	4	4	3	4	5	4	3	34	4	5	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	36	70
R3	3	6	5	5	3	6	5	5	3	41	4	5	2	6	5	5	4	4	6	41	82

For more coverage of the tournament, head over to SB Nation's golf hub. See the up-to-date British Open Leaderboard here.

Stick with SB Nation Denver for 2012 British Open tee times, results and u.pdates. Or for more, head over to SB Nation's golf news hub.

British Open 2012: Tee Times And Pairings For Saturday

2012-07-21T03:00:12Z

With the second round of the 2012 British Open in the books, the pairings and tee times for Saturday's third round have been released. The players in the top 10 will begin teeing off at 7:40 a.m. MT, starting with the Ernie Els/Thomas Aiken pairing.

Here are some other notable pairings, including Colorado State alum Martin Laird:

3:25 a.m. MT -- Rory McIlroy, Padraig Harrington
6:05 a.m. MT -- Martin Laird, Louis Oosthuizen
7:50 a.m. MT -- Jason Dufner, Graeme McDowell
8:00 a.m. MT -- Matt Kuchar, Paul Lawrie
8:10 a.m. MT -- Thorbjorn Olesen, Tiger Woods
8:20 a.m. MT -- Adam Scott, Brent Snedeker

For a complete list of pairings and tee times, head over to the British Open website.

The leaderboard through two rounds:

1. Brandt Snedeker (-10)
2. Adam Scott (-9)
3. Tiger Woods (-6)
4. Thorbjorn Olesen (-5)
T5. Thomas Aiken (-4)
T5. Jason Dufner (-4)
T5. Graeme McDowell (-4)
T5. Matt Kuchar (-4)
T5. Paul Lawrie (-4)
10. Ernie Els (-3)

Stick with SB Nation Denver for 2012 British Open tee times, results and u.pdates. Or for more, head over to SB Nation's golf news hub.

2012 British Open: Results And Scores For Friday

2012-07-20T23:47:36Z

After firing a second-round 64 on Friday, American Brandt Snedeker leads the 2012 British Open at -10 as the field heads into the weekend. Adam Scott is right behind him at nine under, and Tiger Woods is alone in third at six under par following a dramatic birdie to finish his round.

Colorado State alum Martin Laird made the cut and heads into Saturday at one under par. Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia were among the players to miss the cut, which was set at +3.

Here is the top 10 after two rounds:

Stick with SB Nation Denver for 2012 British Open tee times, results and u.pdates. Or for more, head over to SB Nation's golf news hub.