Spieth’s rally rocks Kuchar at British Open
SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND— Matt Kuchar felt as if he had the claret jug in his grasp. He said he could taste victory, finally breaking through in a major championship after all those top-10 finishes.
In the end, and without doing much wrong, he was a bystander to one of the greatest shows in golf history.
“All you can really do,” Kuchar said, “is sit back, tip your cap and say, ‘Well done.”’
Kuchar was magnanimous as ever after seeing the British Open title wrested away from him by Jordan Spieth, who played the final five holes in 5 under at Royal Birkdale to win by three shots.
But this one really hurt. “It’s hard to explain,” Kuchar said, pausing to find the words. “It’s crushing . ... You work so hard to get to this position. And to have a chance to make history and win a championship. You don’t get that many opportunities.”
Kuchar’s wife, Sybi, and two kids, Cameron and Carson, had even flown in unannounced for the occasion. He talked to them over the phone Saturday night, and thought they’d be in Colorado. Instead they were at the back of the 18th green when Kuchar saw them for the first time, “a teary surprise” as he called it.
He gave Sybi a kiss then knelt down to hug his boys. Cameron was crying. After a roller-coaster back nine when he held it all together in the most trying of circumstances, daddy’s emotions also showed. Spieth said Kuchar was particularly emotional in the scorer’s tent just off No.18.
Kuchar started the final round three shots back from Spieth but had a frontrow seat as his playing partner’s game, especially his putting, imploded. When Kuchar rolled in a 9-foot birdie putt at No. 9 and Spieth missed a 4-foot par putt moments later, they were tied for the lead.
They still were when they reached the 13th tee, where Spieth sent his drive 60 yards right, over the gallery and into thick rough on top of a hill. He wouldn’t play another shot for 21 minutes, while he decided where to take relief from an unplayable lie.
Graeme McDowell tweeted that Kuchar was “collateral damage” amid Spieth’s travails, but Kuchar said it didn’t interrupt his momentum. He understood the significance of the moment, knew Spieth was in trouble, so he and caddie John Wood “made ourselves comfy and told some stories.”
Spieth escaped with a bogey, but Kuchar made par to take a one-shot lead with five holes remaining.
His game and temperament held up at Birkdale, shooting 66-69 on the weekend. He kept that trademark smile on his face, through the ups and downs. As much as this one stings, he is confident he’ll come again.
“To be so close, to taste a victory and not be able to get it, it’s hard,” Kuchar said. “But I’ll look forward to the challenge of trying again.”
Progress made by McIlroy, optimism for the next major
Rory McIlroy has gone 10 majors without winning, the longest stretch since he turned pro. He at least felt he made progress at the British Open, and he has reason to be excited for the next major.
For one thing, his form is improving.
Despite a horrid start at Royal Birkdale — 5 over through six holes Thursday — he bounced back with rounds of 68-69-67 to tie for fourth, his best finish in a major since he was fourth alone in the 2015 Masters.
And the PGA Championship is at Quail Hollow in North Carolina, where McIlroy has won twice. First up is the Bridgestone Invitational, where he won the last time he played Firestone in 2014.
“I’m excited for the next two weeks,” he said. “I haven’t played at Firestone for a couple of years. The last time I played there I won. And I’ve had some good finishes. Quail Hollow, I’ve played well there. Shot a couple of course records, a couple of wins. Got beaten in a playoff, as well. Another couple of top 10s thrown in there. So I play well at Quail Hollow. I love the golf course. I know they’ve made a few changes, but I’ll have some really good vibes going into that week.”
Rookie Murray holds on at Barbasol for first PGA title
Rookie Grayson Murray won the Barbasol Championship on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title, holing a 5-foot par putt on the final hole for a one-stroke victory.
Murray closed with a 3-under 68 to edge Chad Collins on Grand National’s Lake Course. The 23-yearold former Wake Forest and Arizona State player set up the winning par with a 40-plus foot putt from below the hole. He finished at 21-under 263.
Murray missed the cut last week at the John Deere Classic and arrived in Alabama on Sunday to prepare. It paid off, the win securing him a spot in the PGA Championship in his home state of North Carolina though not the Masters.
LPGA TOUR: In-Kyung Kim rallied to win the Marathon Classic on Sunday to become the second two-time winner this season on the LPGA Tour. Two strokes behind 18-yearold Nelly Korda entering the round, Kim birdied six of the first nine holes and finished with an 8-under 63 for a four-stroke victory over Lexi Thompson.