Danny Willett has said that a poor front nine in the final round of The Open cost him the chance of victory.

The Englishman carded a two-under 70 in round four, but was one-over after the front nine and eventually finished the tournament four shots off the lead.

"I've been right up there in contention pretty much from the get-go and I was playing some good golf," Willett told reporters.

"I had a little bit of a stale spell with the putter yesterday and then obviously the front nine today and that kind of cost me.

"But it's been good. I obviously finished 15th at Muirfield a couple years back and had some decent finishes along the way, but being in contention all week has been nice. Being around the mix and in the last few groups is always that much better."

Zach Johnson won the tournament after defeating Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman in a playoff.