Spieth’s wild ride to Open glory
During one of Jordan Spieth’s many low points yesterday in the British Open, his caddie reminded him of a photo from a Mexico beach holiday two weeks ago that showed him in All-Star company that included Michael Phelps and Michael Jordan.
The message: ‘‘You belong in that group.’'
Spieth left little doubt with a closing performance that ranks among the greatest finishes in major championship history.
Trailing for the first time all weekend at Royal Birkdale - and lucky it was only one stroke thanks to a shot from the driving range - the 23-year-old Texan followed with a birdieeagle-birdie-birdie stretch that allowed him to close with a oneunder 69 and win the British Open by three shots over Matt Kuchar.
Spieth captured the third leg of the career Grand Slam and heads to the PGA Championship next month with a chance to be the youngest to win them all.
‘‘This is as much of a high as I’ve ever experienced in my golfing life,’' Spieth said.
And it all started in a spot so dire it looked as though he would endure another major meltdown.
The break of the tournament - and a moment that will rate alongside Seve Ballesteros making birdie from the car park when he won at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 1979 - was when Spieth discovered the range was part of the course.
His tee shot was so far to the right on the par-4 13th hole that it sailed some 75m from the fairway and settled in thick grass on a dune so steep he could hardly stand up, let alone take a swing.
The only smart option was to take a one-shot penalty for an unplayable lie.
And that’s when Spieth showed his golfing brain is as valuable as any club in his bag.
He had the presence to ask if the driving range was out of bounds. It wasn’t, which allowed him to go back in a straight line from the flag until he was on the range among the equipment trucks.
After getting free relief from them, he still faced a blind shot over the dunes to a hole littered by pot bunkers. He hit 3-iron just short of a bunker near the green, pitched over it to about 2m and made what he considers the most important putt of the day to escape with bogey.
And then came the finishing kick like Phelps, the go-ahead jumper like Jordan.
Spieth and Jack Nicklaus are the only players to win three different majors at age 23.
‘‘This is a dream come true for me,’' Spieth said, gazing at his name on the silver claret jug. ‘‘Absolutely a dream come true.’'
For so much of yesterday, it felt like a recurring nightmare.
Just 15 months ago, Spieth lost a five-shot lead on the back nine at the Masters, coming undone with a quadruple-bogey 7 on the 12th hole.
It was more of a slow bleed at Royal Birkdale, with three bogeys on the opening four holes and four putts inside 2.4m that he missed on the front nine to fall into a tie with Kuchar.
‘‘I put a lot of pressure on myself unfortunately, and not on purpose, before the round today, just thinking this is the best opportunity that I’ve had since the ‘16 Masters,’' he said.
‘‘And if it weren’t to go my way today, then all I’m going to be questioned about and thought about and murmured about is in comparison to that. And that adds a lot of pressure to me.
‘‘Closing today was extremely important for the way I look at myself.’'
Kuchar, playing in the final group of a major for the first time, could only watch. He had a one-shot lead after 13 holes, played the next four holes with two birdies and two pars and found himself two shots behind and out of luck.
Kuchar walked off the green to find his wife and two sons waiting, a surprise because they had been in Colorado the day before, and it added to the emotions.
‘‘It’s crushing. It hurts. And it’s an excitement and a thrill to have played well, put up a battle, put up a fight,’' said Kuchar, who closed with a 69. ‘‘I can only control what I do, how I play.
‘‘Jordan is a great champion and certainly played that way in the finishing stretch today. It was impressive stuff. All you can really do is sit back, tip your cap and say, ‘Well done.’ And it was certainly a show that he put on.’'