SPIETH’S ON THE CHIP AND CHARGE
Wonderkid makes move by holing from bunker
On the bus to t he golf course yesterday morning, Jordan Spieth’s l i ttle sister ellie laid out her wish. ‘I want to see a hole in one from you,’ said the 13-year-old.
Well, her big sibling didn’t quite oblige, but goodness, the wonderkid did practically everything else. the Masters and US Open champion chipped in f rom a bunker at the 18th and then, at the par-three third hole — his 12th — took dead aim with a mid-iron, the ball coming up 3ft short.
trying to become just the third golfer in the modern era after Ben hogan (1953) and tiger Woods (2000) to win three majors in the same season, the texan, 22, took f ull advantage of t he i deal morning conditions to move into contention at the halfway stage.
that chip on his shoulder he confessed to having after coming up one shot short at the Open at St Andrews last month could well fall into beautiful Lake Michigan tomorrow afternoon.
Followed by a massive gathering, who all deserved medals as they climbed up hill and down dale on this treacherous terrain, he inspired playing partner Rory McIlroy as well, as the defending champion did a Spieth at the parfive second hole and chipped in for an eagle three. It was a gutsy r esponse f r om t he world no 1 to a bad double bogey at the 18th, where he tugged his approach i nto a horrible spot.
McIlroy could have gone birdie-eagle-birdie over the previous three holes, so well did he play them, but only picked up one gain during the sequence, with a four at the long 16th, where his second shot finished 18ft from the flag. then came that blow to the solar plexus at the 18th. But after the eagle came a birdie at the sixth and a successful defence remains a possibility.
Spieth carded a 67 to s t and s i x- under, with McIlroy, who shot 71, f our behind his great rival.
At the start of this season, Spieth and caddie Michael Greller had a bet on the number of chip-ins the former would manage this year. they settled on 13 as a fair target, with Greller buying an expensive meal if it was more than that amount and Spieth picking up the tab for less.
So well has Spieth played this year that we’re still only in the middle of August and the shortgame maestro has blitzed that total. ‘now I’m just cheering him on to make as many as he can,’ said Greller, after Spieth chipped in for the 15th time during the opening round.
his 16th, however, might well prove one of the most significant yet. If truth be told, he looked more likely to drop a shot than pick one up after pushing his approach to the daunting 18th. he looked to have short- sided himself.
A bogey at that point and he would have been out in level par, which would have been disappointing given perfect scoring conditions.
But, like all the great players, he has that knack of making things happen. After the chip-in, he hit two beautiful shots to the first and birdied that one as well. then came another birdie at the third and one more at the sixth.
Arguably the best round on day one came from in-form Swede David Lingmerth, who shot 67 in the worst of the winds on thursday afternoon.
he looked as if he was ready to continue where he left off when he birdied three of his first five holes. But, having progressed to eight under for the championship, he fell back to four before finally settling for a seven-under-par total at the halfway stage.
Lingmerth came to prominence earlier this year when he defeated Justin Rose in a sudden- death play- off at Jack nicklaus’s Memorial tournament in Ohio.
Primarily American- based, he can surely expect a tap on the shoulder from Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke to join the european tour and be eligible for next year’s match at hazeltine if he keeps playing like this.
Lingmerth’s better- known countryman henrik Stenson atoned mightily for an indifferent opening round of 76.
he finished six under for the day and back in the picture to claim his first major.
One man in the clubhouse with a 65 secured was South African George Coetzee, who roared into contention with around containing eight birdies.
Japanese hiroshi Iwata shot a fabulous 63, the 27th such score in major championship history. the game is still awaiting the first 62. Iwata’s i ncredible back nine read: Par, eagle, birdie, birdie, par, birdie, birdie, birdie, par.
In years to come it might not be just Spieth giving McIlroy problems but his best mate as well. Spieth and Justin thomas first met when they were 14 and while the former might have stolen a march, the latter is some talent as well.
After a decent 72 in the teeth of the wind on thursday afternoon, the 22-year- old from Kentucky had six birdies in 13 holes to move to five under.
With a par five to follow, he looked poised to be tied for the lead but showed his inexperience by being too aggressive at this dangerous long hole and running up a double bogey. he would settle for a 70 and two under.
Scots Russell Knox and Richie Ramsay both finished four over. Knox followed up an opening 77 with a 71, while Ramsay improved 14 shots on an 81 with a fine 67.