It appears that the only player who can stop Jordan Spieth might be Spieth himself.
On a day made for low scores, Spieth responded to a record 62 by Brandon Grace and a 66 by playing partner Matt Kuchar with a little 65 of his own that gave him a three-shot lead going into Sunday’s final round of the 146th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
Spieth was surgical, unflappable, made key putts when he needed them and put together his second bogey-free round of the tournament. He finished his day with an impressive 16-foot birdie putt that got him to 11-under par, three clear of playing partner Matt Kuchar, who will go out with Spieth again for Sunday’s final 18.
“I thought it was phenomenal,” Spieth said of his performance, not pulling any punches. “It was a great tee-to-green performance, about as good as I can ask for.”
Kuchar stayed close to Spieth all day and was within a shot until he ran into trouble at the par four 16th. His drive found a penal pot bunker, his third left him a lengthy par putt and he three-putted for a disastrous double-bogey. He bounced back with a birdie at 17 but missed a golden opportunity when his six-foot birdie putt at 18 missed. That missed putt and the wreck at 16 could have set up a different scenario.
But it is Spieth who holds all the cards now. He is at 11-under par to eight-under for Kuchar.
“I played well today,” said Kuchar, still smiling despite the short miss to finish his day. “I’m not out of it. I’d like to be a little closer to Jordan. It was a battle — both of us pushing each other.”
Spieth acknowledged his own mental toughness through the first 54 holes.
“A lot of it is between the ears. I just tried to play the golf course. I need to hold true to what I’m doing. Set a goal and keep our heads down. I’m confident we are tough. Total belief in yourself, trust in what you’re doing, focus on whatever goal we set for ourselves tomorrow. I’m playing great, putting adequate, keep striking it tomorrow the way I did today and everything will take care of itself,” Spieth said.
That in and of itself sounds ominous for the rest of the players near him.
Saturday was the lowest scoring day in the Open’s long history since it went to 72 holes in 1892. Average was 69.
There were only nine players under par after Friday’s brutal conditions. There were 17 in red numbers after 54 holes.
Good news for Spieth is that he’s six clear of Brooks Koepka and upstart Austin Connelly and seven better than 62-shooter Grace and Hideki Matsuyama.
2 Comments
RM
That last hole could be pivotal . Kuchar had to be thinking he was probably going to pick up a stroke, worst case stay within 2. Instead, Speith drains a tough long putt to crank up the pressure. They do this for a living but after that tough approach shot he put within 5 feet, Kuchar has to be thinking at least a bit, “what do I need to do to beat this guy?”
Tom Edrington
I feel for the Koooch, Jordy feels for the Kooch……nice guys don’t finish last, as least this time a nice guy finished first and another one finished second.