Jon Rahm endures disappointing finish as final-round collapse ends Open campaign

Spain's Jon Rahm endured a frustrating final day at The Open Championship as a poor closing round at Royal Birkdale ended any hopes of climbing the leaderboard, with the Spaniard carding a four-over-par 74 to finish well outside the leading positions.

Having begun the day at four under overall, Rahm's hopes of challenging for a top-10 finish were effectively dashed after another costly mistake at the opening hole. For the second consecutive day, his tee shot disappeared well to the right into thick rough and undergrowth, forcing him to play a provisional ball before eventually returning a damaging double bogey.

That early setback proved a sign of what was to come. The player from Barrika struggled to find any rhythm on a demanding Royal Birkdale layout, adding bogeys at the fifth, sixth and ninth holes before briefly responding with a birdie at the fifth. Any momentum was quickly lost as the course continued to punish errant shots.

Rahm produced a steadier display after the turn, showing glimpses of the form that had carried him through the opening three rounds. Birdies at the 10th and 14th briefly halted the slide, while the remainder of the back nine appeared to offer the chance of salvaging a respectable finish.

Instead, his round ended in the same fashion it had begun. A double bogey at the 18th left him signing for a four-over-par card that capped a disappointing week in the season's final major.

The contrast with those contending for the title underlined the fine margins at the highest level. World number one Scottie Scheffler began the day on the same overall score as Rahm but played the course in three under par to finish fourth, just two shots behind the tournament winner, the New Zealander Ryan Fox.