Americans take charge
SPIETH, KUCHAR, KOEPKA POST 1-SHOT EDGE
SOUTHPORT, United Kingdom – Jordan Spieth produced one of his best major championship efforts to take a share of the lead alongside fellow Americans Brooks Koepka and Matt Kuchar after the first round of the British Open.
The trio all shot five-underpar rounds of 65 at Royal Birkdale on Thursday and hold a collective one-stroke lead over Paul Casey and South African former Masters champion Chad Schwartzel.
It is extremely tight at the top of the leaderboard, with those players who missed some unpleasant weather coming in off the Irish Sea early in the morning succeeding in shooting low scores.
But some of Spieth’s big-name rivals were left trailing, with Rory McIlroy and world No. 1 Dustin Johnson both one over par for their rounds.
Spieth, the world number three, avoided the grim earlymorning conditions on the Southport links as he went out with reigning champion Henrik Stenson and promptly fired a flawless round featuring five birdies and not a single dropped shot.
“I couldn’t have done much better today,” admitted the Texan, even if he agonizingly failed to convert a putt for birdie at 18.
“Everything was strong. I thought I’d give it a nine across the board for everything – tee balls, ball-striking, short game and putting. So things are in check. It’s just about keeping it consistent.”
Winner of both the Masters and US Open in 2015, Spieth had failed to break par in his last five opening rounds at a major before coming to the north-west English coast this week.
Koepka, fresh from a month off after winning his first major at the recent US Open, was one-under at the turn before a rollercoaster ride on the way home.
That saw the 27-year-old birdie three holes in a row from the 11th, bogey 16 and then eagle the parfive 17th in sensational fashion as he holed out from a bunker.
A victory for either man this week would end the recent run of seven consecutive majors going to first-time major winners. But Kuchar could extend that sequence.
The giant 39-year-old had five birdies in his first nine holes as he went out in just 29.