Surge earns Li third, not playoff
SOUTHPORT, England — With the leaders — eventual-winner Jordan Spieth and runner-up Matt Kuchar — faltering, Haotong Li looked like he might have a chance at winning the British Open from way back in the pack Sunday.
Li, playing hours before Spieth and Kuchar teed off in the final pairing, shot a 63 and was the leader in the clubhouse at 6-under. When Spieth and Kuchar both fell back to 8-under, Li went to the driving range to warm up for a possible playoff.
Spieth eventually won and Kuchar was second, leaving Li, a 21-year-old from China, alone in third.
“For some reason, since hole No. 8 I just start holing everything,’’ Li said. “Unbelievable. It’s kind of a dream come true.’’
Before Sunday, Li was best known for his antics at the recent French Open, where he was so angry at missing a putt he threw his putter into a lake and his mother entered the lake to fish it out.
“She didn’t know I [broke] my putter in the lake … she just tried to help me,’’ he said. “I was really sorry for her.’’
One day after making history by becoming the first player to shoot a 62 in a men’s major, Branden
Grace could muster only an even-par 70 on Sunday to finish eight shots behind Spieth.
“If you told me after making the cut, ‘You’re going to tie for sixth,’ I would have taken it, and being in the history books,’’ Grace said. “This is the best finish for me in an Open Championship, so there are a lot of positives to take from the week. [Sunday] was just a bonus, really.’’
Rory McIlroy, who finished tied for fourth at 5-under after shooting 67 Sunday, called this week “a step in the right direction.’’
“The game is in much better shape than it was heading into this week,’’ he said. “I feel like the way my game is I’ll definitely have a great chance at the PGA.’’
The PGA Championship is being played at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C., where McIlroy has won before.
Alfie Plant, the only amateur of five to make the cut this week, finished tied for 62nd. Making his Open Championship debut this week, he joins Justin Rose (1998) and Chris Wood (2008) as Silver Medal winners over the last three Opens contested at Royal Birkdale.