Last year Jordan Spieth danced his way around impending disasters during the final round at Royal Birkdale and won the Claret Jug.
There was disaster lurking all over the place Sunday at Carnoustie as the old girl decided she’d had enough of the birdie barrage on Saturday.
Winds blew constantly, reaching the plus-20 mile-per-hour mark early and often. Car-nasty was back and Spieth was one of the victims to feel its wrath.
Spieth worked his way into a tie for the overnight lead, sitting at nine-under par to start the final round, tied with Kevin Kisner and Xander Schauffele.
Johnny Miller wondered out loud if Spieth’s wide-right miss might cause the defending champion trouble over the final 18. Miller was prophetic.
Spieth was wild early and often, with that block to the right showing up way as predicted. He scrambled and kept his head above water with pars on the first four holes then he suffered his first bogey at the fifth and would come undone at the par five sixth where a three-putt gave him his second double-bogey of the tournament and his first of the weekend. It dropped him all the way back to six-under par and he’d never recover.
In fact, Spieth went 18 holes without a birdie. Last year he played the last five holes on Sunday in five-under par to win the Claret Jug. He played them two-over this go-round.
His final tally read 76 shots, 33 of them were putts. His biggest weapon, his putter, vanished.
After his on-course misery, Spieth didn’t sound too concerned.
“It just wasn’t my day,” Spieth said as he reminded everyone that Jack Nicklaus finished runnerup 19 times in majors. Spieth didn’t even finish in that tie for second at six-under, he fell all the way back to four-under par and dropped into a tie for ninth, barely staying in the top 10 after starting the day tied for the lead.
“Very pleased with my week,” Spieth added. “Just obviously disappointed.”
Prior to that final disappointment, Spieth had called it “a dream come true” to have Tiger Woods in pursuit.
Sometimes dreams turn into nightmares, and Spieth had himself one at Carnoustie.
