Spieth tames the elements at Open
LEADER: AMERICAN STAR WILL HAVE TO HOLD NERVE
Southport
Jordan Spieth handled the miserable conditions brilliantly in the second round of the British Open yesterday 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 fourunder-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 2015 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 today.
“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 yesterday.
Scotland’s Richie Ramsay is two-under, while behind him Rory McIlroy has given himself a chance going into the weekend at one under.
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. – AFP