Spieth chews up course to take early Open lead
American, complete with lucky gum, in three- way tie at Royal Birkdale
With the help of a lucky piece of chewing gum, Jordan Spieth breezed to an effortless five- under 65 to place himself firmly in contention at the Open Championship yesterday.
Prophets of doom predicted a brutal morning at Royal Birkdale but Spieth made light of their pessimism with a bogey- free, though not flawless, opening round. Perhaps thrown out of kilter by pre- round nerves, Spieth ate breakfast after brushing his teeth so chomped on a single piece of mint gum for his entire round, reluctant to dispose of it in case it halted his fine play.
The American said: “I brushed my teeth and then I ate breakfast. And then I got out here and Cameron [ McCormick, coach] offered me a piece of gum, I was one- under through two, and I thought I better keep it in and it’s still in now. It’s probably about time for a new piece. Payne Stewart used to do it and it served him well.”
On a day dominated by Americans, US Open champion Brooks Koepka, with no competition and barely any practice since capturing his first major a month ago, ran off three straight birdies and holed a tough shot from a pot bunker for eagle on the par- 5 17th hole for a 5- under 65.
Matt Kuchar, who first endeared himself to these British fans as a 19- year- old amateur in 1998 at Royal Birkdale, tied the course record with a 29 on the front nine, only to fall into a routine of pars the rest of the way. He still shot 65, his best score ever in a major.
They had a one- shot lead over Paul Casey and Charl Schwartzel on a day that started nasty and ended with 39 players breaking par.
The biggest question after a long day on the links was what was in store for the second round, when high wind and occasional showers were in the forecast.
“I thought [ yesterday’s] round was extremely important, as they all are,” Spieth said, atop the leaderboard at a major for the first time since last year’s Masters.
“But given the forecast coming in, I thought you really needed to be in the red. You can certainly make up ground [ in the second round], and we’ll see it happen.
“But being able to kind of play with shots, or play a little more conservative because you don’t try to do too much on a day like tomorrow, that’s nice and very helpful.”
Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy fall into that category.
Johnson, the No 1 player who hasn’t played the weekend at a major since the British Open last year, managed only one birdie on a decent day for scoring and shot 71.
McIlroy also shot 71 and was relieved. Coming off three missed cuts in his last four events, he was five over through six holes when his cad- die gave him a pep talk. McIlroy closed with three birdies over the last four holes to stay in the game.
Phil Mickelson failed to make a birdie, the first time that has happened in a major in five years, and shot 73.
Kuchar was the only one at 65 who played in the afternoon. The wind remained strong, though the course was manageable for everyone who stayed out of bunkers and deep grass and who holed putts.
“I watched some of the golf this morning on TV. It looked awfully challenging,” Kuchar said. “It looked like anything under par was going to be a good score. Seemed like the later your tee time, the better draw you got. For me to start my British Open with a 29 on the front nine is a great way to start.”
Charley Hoffman had the best start, holing out from the rough on the daunting opening hole for an eagle. He was set to join the leaders when he reached five under with a birdie on the 15th, only to drop shots on the next two holes. Hoffman shot 69 and was in a group that included Ian Poulter and Rafa Cabrera Bello.
Defending champion Henrik Stenson, who played with Spieth, had a 71. Stenson also played with Spieth the first two rounds of the 2015 Masters that the Texan won wire- to- wire and knew what to expect.
“He was rolling it superbly that week and I don’t think it was that far behind [ yesterday],” Stenson said.
Spieth rated it among the top five or six rounds he has ever played in a major, not bad for someone who came close to the Grand Slam two years ago. “I couldn’t have done much better,” he said.
Cameron offered me a piece of gum, I was one- under through two, and I thought I better keep it in. Jordan Spieth