Hoshino signs off with a 77 at The 151st Open

Hoylake, United Kingdom, July 24: It was a day to forget for Rikuya Hoshino as he battled to a closing six-over-par 77, ending his 151st Open campaign in a tie for 60th on Sunday.

Hoshino suffered a demoralising start when he scored a seven on the par-four third hole, touted as the most difficult hole at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club.

He would drop two more shots on holes six and seven, turning in a 40.

Hoshino did show signs of revival, however, as he managed to pull back three birdies on 11, 14, and 16, sparking hopes of salvaging an even par score.

But he would concede another four shots over his final two holes, including a second triple bogey of the day on the par-three 17th.

Hoshino explained that he was struggling to cope with "unprecedented" wet and windy conditions.

"In the second half of the day, the situation was very difficult. I had never experienced such rain and wind before," said Hoshino.

"I was somehow still able to play well and was vying for a good score. Then came the triple bogey on 17, which was really frustrating.

"All in all, I still feel that I picked up an invaluable lesson. At least, I learned how to hit the ball even in strong wind and was still able to score despite the difficulties."

His countryman, Hideki Matsuyama, recovered well after dropping three shots in his opening seven holes, including a double bogey on the par-four fourth, to wrap up the week with a 70.

He responded with four birdies on nine, 11, 12, and 16 to finish tied for 13th on three-under-par 281. It still marked his best outing in all four Majors this year.

A 70 was all American Brian Harman needed to claim his biggest career win as he clinched a six-shot victory over a group of four closest competitors.

Holding a commanding five-shot lead overnight, Harman mixed four birdies with three bogeys to finish way ahead of South Korea's Tom Kim, Austria's Sepp Straka, Australia's Jason Day, and Spain's Jon Rahm.

Ends.