SOUTHPORT, England - Jordan Spieth survived a roller-coaster final round at the British Open to claim his third major title after beating fellow American Matt Kuchar by three strokes in a thrilling duel at Royal Birkdale on Sunday.
Spieth carded a one-under-par final round of 69 to finish on 12-under for the tournament but, after three days of consistent golf by the American, it was a remarkable day of highs and lows for the 23-year-old.
The Texan, who won the U.S Masters and U.S. Open in 2015, joined Jack Nicklaus as one of only two players to win three legs of the career grand slam before turning 24. Tiger Woods was 24 when he won his third different major.
Spieth began the day with a three-stroke lead but saw that evaporate on the front nine, where he made four bogeys and a birdie to enter the turn sharing the lead with Kuchar on eight-under, before he steadied himself and surged to victory.
Clutching the Claret Jug awarded to the winner, Spieth, the youngest American to win the British Open and the youngest from any country since a 22-year-old Seve Ballesteros in 1979, said his victory was "a dream come true".
"I drank some wine from the Claret Jug when Zach Johnson won it two years ago and people said that was bad luck. I started to believe them too after nine holes today," he added.
"I'm going to take this back to America which may upset a few of you all but I'll return it. Thank you very much, what an incredible honour."
REAL DRAMA
After his struggles on the front nine, the real drama began when Spieth drove wildly into the dunes, striking a spectator, on the 13th hole.
He was forced to take a penalty stroke after deeming the ball unplayable and, after a lengthy series of deliberations, he played his second shot from the edge of the practice range next to the television trucks.
Spieth scrambled to make a creditable bogey out of the par-four hole but that still handed the lead to 39-year-old Kuchar, who was playing the more solid golf as the wind rose and temperature fell.
However, the sight of his rival alone at the top of the leaderboard appeared to click a switch in Spieth who responded with a birdie on the par-three 14th, where he was close to a hole-in-one.
"When that (birdie) putt went in was my first vocal appreciation of the day. And I knew that we had momentum on our side and we were tied.
"All of a sudden I felt and believed that I could win that golf tournament, when 30 minutes prior and really the entire day after the fourth hole I didn't feel that way," he said.
He then brilliantly sank a 45-yard putt to eagle the par-five 15th and followed that with birdies on the 16th and 17th to banish any thought of a repeat of his U.S. Masters meltdown last year.
As he received the trophy Spieth paid tribute to compatriot Kuchar, saying he had enjoyed the battle and describing him as a great champion and class act.
"I believe Matt Kuchar will win a major championship. And I believe that he'll do it sometime soon. He's a great champion and he's such a great person," Spieth said of his rival, who had been given underdog backing from the Birkdale crowd.
China's Li Haotong finished third on six-under-par after a superb last-round 63 left him on the range hoping, in vain, that a few more bogeys from the leading pair might give him a shot at a playoff.
Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy produced his best round of the week with a 67 to leave him on five under for the tournament and tied in fourth place with Spain's Rafael Cabrera-Bello who shot 68.
(Editing by Ken Ferris, Toby Davis and Clare Fallon)
source: news.abs-cbn.com
SOUTHPORT, England - Jordan Spieth led the British Open by three shots and Branden Grace posted the lowest score at a men's major championship in a dramatic third round at sun-kissed Royal Birkdale on Saturday.
American Spieth fired a flawless 65 to finish on 11-under 199, three clear of his compatriot Matt Kuchar (66) while South African Grace conjured up a majestic 62 to achieve what no player had done in 441 previous majors.
There have been 31 rounds of 63 in the sport's biggest tournaments and Grace's feat prompted a standing ovation at the 18th green as he saluted the packed galleries at Royal Birkdale.
"I honestly had no idea that was something historic," the world number 35 told reporters.
"I knew I was playing well and I was just in the zone. I didn't know 62 was the lowest ever but now it makes it even more special. If my caddie knew he never said anything; good on him!"
Spieth, twice major champion, had taken time out from his warm-up session to watch Grace sink his final putt but the world number three was not distracted.
The 23-year-old calmly collected three birdies on the front nine and with Kuchar keeping pace, the pair kept the rest of the field at arm's length.
Kuchar wobbled with a double-bogey at the 16th before fighting back to birdie the 17th on the way to a 66 and Spieth drained a 12-foot putt at the last to give himself a cushion as he bids for a first British Open title.
"It was a really solid round and I'm very pleased with the position I'm in," Spieth told reporters.
"Mentally, it was quite tough today knowing the conditions were good for scoring. But I made a nice start with the birdie at three and I didn't have too much stress in the round."
American Brooks Koepka, the U.S. Open champion, went round in 68 to finish at five under, level with 20-year-old Canadian Austin Connelly who continued his remarkable run at his first major with a 66.
World number two Hideki Matsuyama of Japan carded 66 to join Grace at four under, one ahead of American world number one Dustin Johnson (64), defending champion Henrik Stenson (65), Spain's Rafael Cabrera Bello (67) and American Chan Kim (67).
World number four Rory McIlroy made an early charge with three birdies but the Northern Irishman's hopes of a fifth major title faded with a double-bogey at the 10th hole and he ended at two under.
That was level with England's Ian Poulter, who started the day three shots behind Spieth but failed to take advantage of the conditions and made five bogeys in a scratchy 71.
(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Jordan Spieth handled the miserable conditions brilliantly in the second round of the British Open on Friday as he took a commanding two-shot lead into the weekend at Royal Birkdale.
The American star survived the driving rain and gusting wind to shoot a one-under-par 69 and sit at six-under at the championship's halfway point.
That was one of just eight rounds under par as the field toiled in the conditions, and it sufficed for the 23-year-old Texan to hold a two-stroke lead over his fellow American Matt Kuchar, on his own in second place at four under par.
"Honestly, right now I'm happy to be inside, first and foremost," said Spieth, the Masters and US Open winner in 2015, after his round.
"But I feel great right now. I don't think I even felt this way at the '15 Masters after Friday."
Spieth has plenty of experience of going out in the last group on the weekend in a major, but he admitted he will still feel the nerves when he tees off on Saturday.
"Anytime you're in the last group on a weekend in a major -- and this is, I think, probably a dozen times I've had at least a share of the lead in a major championship -- you get nervous.
"And I'll be feeling it this weekend a bit."
He will go out with Kuchar, with the 39-year-old, who has never won a major, building on his opening 65 that had him in a share of the lead with a solid 71 earlier in the day.
When Kuchar went out it was windy, but at least it stayed dry, and the giant Florida-born player could very well have done better but for two bogeys in the last three holes.
"Conditions were really hard today, certainly what we expect coming over here," said Kuchar, whose best finish in a major to date is tied third in the Masters in 2012.
Brooks Koepka had been level with Spieth and Kuchar overnight but the current US Open champion struggled a little more in the afternoon rain -- which at one point forced a temporary halt to play as greens became waterlogged.
Koepka ended up with a 72 that saw him drop back to three-under overall, level with England's Ian Poulter, runner-up at Birkdale in 2008 who shot 70 on Friday.
Scotland's Richie Ramsay is two-under, while behind him Rory McIlroy has given himself a chance going into the weekend.
The 2014 Open champion built on his strong finish to his opening round on Thursday, when he shot a one-over 71, to fire a 68 that left him at one under par.
On Thursday McIlroy was five-over through his first six holes -- on Friday he was three-under after the same stretch.
There were dropped shots at 13 and 15 but a birdie at the long 17th helped complete a satisfactory day for the world number four.
"To be in after two days and be under-par for this championship after the way I started, I'm ecstatic with that," said McIlroy.
- Stenson shaken by burglary -
Reigning Open champion Henrik Stenson will be around for the weekend despite struggling to a 73 after revealing the rental house where he is staying had been burgled.
The incident happened while the Swede was playing his first round on Thursday.
As well as all his clothes for the week, Stenson had other valuables stolen, although his family were not present at the time of the burglary.
"I had to get some new gear and so on. But all in all we're in good shape. And nothing happened to any person, which is the main thing," he said.
"I was happy that my family wasn't there, and maybe a little disappointed I wasn't. But what can you do?"
Only nine players were under-par after two rounds, with the cut falling at five-over.
Among those missing the weekend was last year's runner-up Phil Mickelson, but 2015 champion Zach Johnson shot the round of the day with a 66 as he made the cut on one-over.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Jason Day is hopeful he can figure prominently at this week's British Open despite arriving at Royal Birkdale later than planned — thanks to Donald Trump.
The Australian was due to be in England on Sunday but ended up putting back his departure by 24 hours because of flight delays in New York which he put down to the US President.
"I had three weeks off before this, so I could have got in early," Day said at Birkdale on the eve of Thursday's Open first round.
"I was actually supposed to get here Sunday. And I was flying through JFK and President Trump was there and there was a bunch of delays. So I just decided to move my flight back a little bit later."
Trump attended the US Women's Open in New Jersey last weekend, and the delays allowed Day to spend an extra day at home with his young children, and be there for his son's birthday.
Day also revealed it is not the first time he has been delayed by a U.S. President.
"President Obama held me up one time flying out of Palm Springs. So I understand. It is what it is. So it was massive delays."
The 29-year-old world No. 6's change of plans meant he did not practice on the Southport links on Monday, but he believes a lack of golf going into the championship could benefit him.
"Usually I get in here to places like this early. I usually get in Thursday or Friday and play a couple of practice rounds. I did it this year at Augusta and I was just truly knackered by the time I started Thursday," said Day, whose mother Dening traces her roots to Samar.
"This week has felt a lot quicker to me. And I got some work in before I came in here. I think all in all I feel pretty ready and fresh going into tomorrow's round."
Day was presented with an award on Wednesday for ending 2016 as world No. 1. Since then he has dropped back due to poorer form, including a missed cut at last month's US Open.
PGA champion in 2015, when he also came fourth in the Open at St. Andrews, Day admits to having had his mind elsewhere at the start of this year due to a cancer scare involving his mother.
"When you feel like you're going to lose someone that is very close to you, there's nothing you want to do more than just be with them and you don't even want to think about playing golf or even think about working," said Day.
He plays with 2015 Open champion Zach Johnson and reigning Masters champion Sergio Garcia in the first two rounds as he chases a first win since the Players Championship over a year ago.
Managing expectations
By the time he eventually played Birkdale on Tuesday, the wind had switched, making the conditions different from what can be expected on Thursday.
"I played in a southeast wind, which is a totally different wind to what we normally get here. And I think everything is kind of switching for tomorrow's round. So it's going to be kind of a new golf course for me tomorrow. But regardless, I'm looking forward to trying to get back into the winner's circle this year."
Even though Day boasts the best scoring average of any player in majors since 2013, he has not won a tournament in over a year with injuries and his mother's ill health disrupting his season and causing him to tumble down the world rankings to No. 6.
"I'm trying to not give myself too many expectations and hopefully I'm there in contention on Sunday.
"It's really difficult to play against these guys. And when things are out of order and you're trying to battle other things and then you try to get to a golf course and play against the best players in the world, it makes it very, very difficult to win."
Day's last experience of a major was disappointing. He missed the cut at the US Open after an opening-day 79, a round so bad it prompted his close friend Tiger Woods to text offering advice.
"I had a chat to him. It was more about my putting stroke. So obviously it's great to have a set of eyes like Tiger's, especially who's one of the best clutch putters of all time, to be able to kind of see on TV what you're doing wrong. So just trying to tidy up a little bit and hopefully I putt a little better this week." — With a report from Reuters
source: news.abs-cbn.com
SOUTHPORT, England - Golf is unlikely ever to be dominated again by a single player in the way that Tiger Woods ruled the sport, world number three Jordan Spieth said on Tuesday ahead of this week's British Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
Spieth has come the closest to any player of repeating the kind of dominance that Woods enjoyed, producing a magnificent 2015 season when he captured the U.S. Masters and U.S. Open titles and came close to winning the Open and U.S. PGA Championship.
But the 23-year-old American was unable to maintain that extraordinary level of performance in 2016 and says those hoping for a new king of golf may be waiting in vain.
"I wouldn't get your hopes up. What Tiger's done, I just -- having experienced a year like he continued to do for years. It just takes a lot out of you. It's very tough to do," he told reporters.
"What I'm saying is, I doubt you'll see a dominance like that maybe ever again in the game. I just think guys are learning, guys are getting stronger.
"Guys are winning younger, playing more fearless, even in major championships, and I just think that it's so difficult now.
"I wouldn't get your hopes up for a domination like that whatsoever," he added.
However, the Texan believes that the sport will still provide plenty of drama even without an undisputed number one.
"I think it's going to be a very exciting time. You'll see a group of 10-to-12 guys over the next 15, 20 years that are going to have a lot of different competitions that come down the stretch with each other.
"It's different than one person being the guy to beat. But I think it's exciting, exciting for us as players. You just never know, and if you play well, you're going to have a chance with these other guys who are equally as capable," he said.
Spieth will probably always be judged against his remarkable break-out year and he said that his current form was not far off that level - even if he now acknowledges there won't be many years like 2015.
"I haven't been making as many putts as I did that year this year," he said. "I've struck the ball better than I did in '15. I've actually been in better positions. If you took hole by hole, I've been in a better position tee to green than I was that year.
"If I putted the same as '15 I'd be having a better year right now. It's hard to do. So, certain parts of the game I think I've improved on. And others ... it's just fluctuated. And that's how it will go. It will go like this," he said.
"I recognise that, being five years in now, and five years doesn't make me a veteran but it helps me realise ... how things go.
"Last year I was pretty caught in 2015, and this year I'm not. This year I recognise that that kind of year, hopefully, we can have another one or two like that.
"But if we keep on trying to improve each part of the game, stick to the process, then we'll have the results that we want."
(Reporting by Simon Evans,; Editing by Neville Dalton)
source: nSOUTHPORT, England - Golf is unlikely ever to be dominated again by a single player in the way that Tiger Woods ruled the sport, world number three Jordan Spieth said on Tuesday ahead of this week's British Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
Spieth has come the closest to any player of repeating the kind of dominance that Woods enjoyed, producing a magnificent 2015 season when he captured the U.S. Masters and U.S. Open titles and came close to winning the Open and U.S. PGA Championship.
But the 23-year-old American was unable to maintain that extraordinary level of performance in 2016 and says those hoping for a new king of golf may be waiting in vain.
"I wouldn't get your hopes up. What Tiger's done, I just -- having experienced a year like he continued to do for years. It just takes a lot out of you. It's very tough to do," he told reporters.
"What I'm saying is, I doubt you'll see a dominance like that maybe ever again in the game. I just think guys are learning, guys are getting stronger.
"Guys are winning younger, playing more fearless, even in major championships, and I just think that it's so difficult now.
"I wouldn't get your hopes up for a domination like that whatsoever," he added.
However, the Texan believes that the sport will still provide plenty of drama even without an undisputed number one.
"I think it's going to be a very exciting time. You'll see a group of 10-to-12 guys over the next 15, 20 years that are going to have a lot of different competitions that come down the stretch with each other.
"It's different than one person being the guy to beat. But I think it's exciting, exciting for us as players. You just never know, and if you play well, you're going to have a chance with these other guys who are equally as capable," he said.
Spieth will probably always be judged against his remarkable break-out year and he said that his current form was not far off that level - even if he now acknowledges there won't be many years like 2015.
"I haven't been making as many putts as I did that year this year," he said. "I've struck the ball better than I did in '15. I've actually been in better positions. If you took hole by hole, I've been in a better position tee to green than I was that year.
"If I putted the same as '15 I'd be having a better year right now. It's hard to do. So, certain parts of the game I think I've improved on. And others ... it's just fluctuated. And that's how it will go. It will go like this," he said.
"I recognise that, being five years in now, and five years doesn't make me a veteran but it helps me realise ... how things go.
"Last year I was pretty caught in 2015, and this year I'm not. This year I recognise that that kind of year, hopefully, we can have another one or two like that.
"But if we keep on trying to improve each part of the game, stick to the process, then we'll have the results that we want."
(Reporting by Simon Evans,; Editing by Neville Dalton)
source: news.abs-cbn.com
