Open 2015: Danny Willett ties with Justin Rose as top Briton

Justin Rose shot seven bogeys across his four rounds

Englishmen Danny Willett and Justin Rose finished in a four-way tie for sixth at the Open Championship, to end as the top Britons at St Andrews.

Willett, who played the final round with new Open champion Zach Johnson, beat his previous best of a tie for 15th at Muirfield in 2013.

Rose recorded his best Open finish as a professional, but picked up just three birdies in a two-under final day 70.

"I needed another gear that I couldn't quite get today," Rose told BBC Sport.

He has still never done better than the fourth place he achieved as an amateur at Royal Birkdale in 1998, when he memorably holed his pitch on the last.

Rose, Willett, Spain's Sergio Garcia and American amateur Jordan Niebrugge finished on 11-under - four shots outside the four-hole three-man play-off between Johnson, 2010 St Andrews champion Louis Oosthuizen and Australian outsider Marc Leishman.

"It was one of those days when everybody else was making birdies but I just didn't feel that easy on the front nine," added 37-year-old Rose, who had gambled on a change of putter. "It felt hard to get the ball closer than 15 or 20 feet.

"It's still a special place to be on the final day of an Open. It's an amazing finishing hole. I said to my caddie Fooch (Mark Fulcher) walking over the Swilcan Bridge 'This is as good as it gets'.

"Obviously we were playing just for places and pride, but it still gets the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up and your heart rate going one or two beats faster."

Yorkshireman Willett, 27, told BBC Radio Sheffield: "My game felt good this week and it felt great to perform.

Danny Willett shot a first-round eagle at the 10th

"I'd loved to have won but I'm very pleased for Zach. I've played with him a few times and he's a great guy. We kept each other relatively calm on a very tricky day.

"The wedge game he put on today was almost perfect. Anything inside 100 yards and he was lethal. And, as for that last putt of his on 18, I gave him a bit of a read on that, so I'll be expecting a bit of a present in the post."

Of the other home contenders, 40-year-old Londoner Anthony Wall and Shropshire amateur Ashley Chester both flirted with the lead after dazzling front nines.

They ended up in a tie for 12th on nine under alongside Ryder Cup player Luke Donald, who once again enjoyed a good final round at an Open.

The Hemel Hempstead-born former Bucks/Berks & Oxfordshire amateur shot a closing 68 - to match the score he shot on day one - lifting him four places back up the Official World Golf Rankings to 60th.

Oxfordshire's Eddie Pepperell, who began the final day four shots back, fell away with a 76.