British Open title shows Spieth can handle just about anything Kim celebrates his birthday with 5-shot lead
Moves within 18 holes of winning John Deere Classic
The scenes were nothing alike and wildly memorable.
Both started with a tee shot that sailed some 60 yards to the right during the final round of the British Open, and that's where the similarities end.
Seve Ballesteros didn't have to take a penalty drop from near the front tire of a black car in a parking lot at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. He had a two-shot lead, and once he dropped his ball away from the cars, he had a short iron onto the green. The great Spaniard went on to capture his first major championship in 1979, and he was jokingly referred to as the "Car Park Champion." Jordan Spieth? He became the "Driving Range Champion" at Royal Birkdale, and it was no joke.
Spieth already had lost his threeshot lead in the final round last year when his drive on the 13th hole flew well to the right toward the dunes, hit a spectator in the head and wound up in a bush. Spieth had no shot, and really no place to drop that improved his chances. His best option was to go back to the tee and play his third shot. But wait. "Is the range out of bounds?" Spieth asked.
The rest was a blur, until he arrived home in Dallas with the claret jug and watched replays for the first time.
"I couldn't help but turn on the final round and actually fast-forward until the tee shot on 13. I didn't watch the first 12 holes," Spieth said. "For me, it went by pretty quickly because it was, 'OK, decision here, decision here, now I need to drop here.' But with the coverage, with the commercials, and then they come back and it seems like we haven't even moved, it was like, 'Man, that really did take a long time.' That was kind of tough to watch." The ending was remarkable. Once it was determined the range was in play, Spieth hit 3-iron over the dunes toward a green he couldn't see, coming up just short. He pitched that delicately over a pot bunker and made the putt for a bogey.
And then it was pure Spieth after that.
He nearly holed his tee shot on the par-3 14th with a 6-iron for birdie. He made a 50-foot eagle putt on the 15th, a 30-foot birdie putt on the 16th, an 8-foot birdie putt on the 17th and just like that, he was three legs home to a career Grand Slam.
"After the 13th hole, everything went slower to me than what's on TV," he said. "So it's kind of this flip based on what I was watching and how I was feeling. For me, it was this whole regrouping and re-motivating and resetting a goal. And all that kind of took place pretty quickly in real time."
Spieth rarely makes it easy on himself. Of his three majors, only his wireto-wire, four-shot victory at the 2015 Masters lacked any real drama. His U.S. Open title that summer at Chambers Bay featured a signature, 25-foot birdie putt on the 16th, a three-putt double bogey on the 17th and help from Dustin Johnson, who three-putted from 12 feet for par on the final hole.
Spieth had a five-shot lead on the back nine at the 2016 Masters, made quadruple-bogey 7 with two shots into Rae's Creek, and never recovered. He couldn't put away the Travelers Championship last year until he was forced into a playoff, and then holed a bunker shot.
Still only 24 for another few weeks, Spieth is looking at the big picture of his career, the British Open is a big part of it.
"I've kind of had a career's worth of experience in four years, which is I think advantageous going forward, the way I look at it," he said. "Having a positive experience off of losing a lead and being able to regain it within a major championship Sunday is one that not many people have.”
Silvis, Ill. — Michael Kim spent his 25th birthday moving within 18 holes of his first PGA Tour victory.
Kim took a five-shot lead Saturday at the John Deere Classic in a third round delayed twice for a total of roughly four hours because of bad weather and concerns over lightning.
Kim, who has just one top10 finish in 84 career PGA Tour starts, shot a 7-under 64 — closing with four straight birdies — for a three-day total of 22-under 191.
Bronson Burgoon (66) was 17 under and Australian Matt Jones (66) was 16 under. But if Kim plays as well on Sunday as he did while celebrating his birthday, the former Cal star will likely cruise to victory.
"Coming into the day I told myself, 'It's your birthday. Try and have as stress-free a day as possible.' I'm very satisfied with the score I shot," Kim said.
Harold Varner III (66) was alone in fourth at 15 under. Andres Romero of Argentina was 14 under after shooting 64, as was Sam Ryder (67).
Tyler Duncan had the day's best round with a 63.
The players who weren't able to complete Friday's second round because of bad weather, a group that included Kim, did so earlier Saturday. The field was then subjected to two more weather delays — this time of 2 1/2 hours and then 1 1/2 hours.
The interruptions didn't bother the birthday boy.
Kim was the NCAA player of the year for Cal in 2013, but he's yet to stand out as a pro. His best finish on tour was a tie for third at the 2016 Safeway Open.
On Friday, Kim was four strokes ahead and in the middle of playing the 18th hole when play was suspended for the second and final time. He missed an 8-footer for par when play resumed early Saturday, his only bogey of the second round.
Kim was both steady and, at times, spectacular. He pushed his lead to three strokes by hitting his approach from 144 yards to 7 feet on the par-4 13th. A 20-foot birdie putt on the par-4 15th kicked off his strong finish. Kim's final three birdies were all from inside 15 feet.
What's gone right for Kim this week?
"Everything," he said. "I'm hitting it good. Hitting a lot of fairways, a lot of greens and making a lot of putts. It's just been a great three days so far."
Burgoon's round was highlighted by one of the best shots of the tournament so far. His tee shot on the 226-yard, par-3 seventh hole got within 18 inches of the cup for a tap-in.
Jones, in search of his second PGA Tour win, moved up the leaderboard with a 37-footer for eagle on 17.
Duncan entered the day barely above the cut line. He was 9 under through his first 14 holes, setting up a potential run at Paul Goydos' course-record 59 from 2010. But Duncan cooled off and then finished with a bogey.
He was 12 under alongside Steve Wheatcroft, who fell out of contention with a 71.
"I thought about it once. I knew there were a lot of chances left," Duncan said of the possible 59.
"I hit a couple good shots, but it played a little tough coming in."