Jordan Spieth arrived earlier than usual for Sunday’s third round at The Open Championship. He started his pre-round routine ahead of schedule to spend more time practicing his putting.
The shortest of clubs was threatening Spieth’s bid for a third consecutive major victory. His 37 putts in a second round that took place over two days dropped him five shots off the pace and threatened his Grand Slam candidacy.
The problem? Spieth realized he was aligned left at setup. The fix finally clicked as he made the turn Sunday at St. Andrews, after he’d missed a 6-foot par putt at No. 9 that incited violence against a defenseless golf bag.
“I didn’t want to hit Michael (Greller, his caddie), so I figured I’d hit my golf bag,” Spieth said. His bogey at the ninth hole, where he had just a lob wedge for his approach shot on one of the course’s easiest holes, put him three shots off the lead.
It also preceded one of the most important nine-hole stretches of his Grand Slam quest. Spieth made four birdies and no bogeys on St. Andrews’ inward half to pull within one shot of the lead. His three consecutive birdies on Nos. 10-12 revived his chances. Spieth shot 66 on Saturday to finish 11-under par for three rounds.
Three players – Jason Day, Louis Oosthuizen and Irish amateur Paul Dunne – are tied for first, one shot ahead of him. The Open’s garish yellow scoreboards were ever-changing on Sunday, and Monday should be the same. It’s a tightly packed leaderboard. Fourteen players are at 9 under or better.
“I highly doubt somebody really breaks through the pack tomorrow, given this golf course can yield a lot of birdies,” Spieth said. “It will be a pretty bunched leaderboard.”
Sunday’s third round was the easiest of the week, with St. Andrews playing to a sub-70 scoring average as players faced little wind and soft conditions.
Rain and wind are scheduled to return to the forecast Monday. Showers are scheduled to hit in the mid-afternoon, as are gusts up to 25 mph. The final group of Dunne and Oosthuizen is scheduled to tee off at 2:30 p.m. local time (9:30 a.m. ET). The second-to-last group of Spieth and Day tees off at 2:20 (9:20 a.m. ET).
“Tomorrow is going to be a tough round,” Day said. “There’s going to be a lot of wind, there’s going to be a lot of rain, there’s going to be a lot of guys who are going to shoot low scores. It’s a pretty tight leaderboard. … There’s a lot of good players who are behind us trying to chase that lead.”
Players can make birdies on the Old Course’s outward nine, but things get tough as the course heads for home. Five of the Old Course’s six hardest holes are on the inward nine, including the Road Hole, which plays more than half a stroke over par. The short, par-4 18th allows for a closing birdie, though, and is the course’s second-easiest hole. Even when weather is an obstacle, players can shoot low scores at the Old Course.
“This is not a golf course that the leaders tend to come back on,” Padraig Harrington said.
The low score in each round has been no higher than 66. Marc Leishman shot 64 on Sunday, while Harrington fired 65. Another five players shot 66 in the third round as the course was soft and there was little wind.
Spieth said he will not look at the leaderboard much in the final round, though. His focus will be on his yardage book, with hopes that proper execution will put his name in the record book. He’s trying to become the only player besides Ben Hogan in 1953 to win the year’s first three majors.
“It hasn’t come up in my head while I’ve been playing yet,” Spieth said about the Grand Slam chase. “I can’t speak for tomorrow, given it’s the last round. If I have a chance coming down the stretch, if it creeps in, I’ll embrace it. I’ll embrace the opportunity that presents itself.”
Spieth insists that his pursuit of the Grand Slam hasn’t increased the pressure this week. Already owning two majors allows him to relax, he said, and will help him sleep a little easier tonight.
“If we have a chance to win and we don’t execute tomorrow, then we’re going to be OK,” Spieth said. “And with that attitude, it actually frees me up a little bit to say, ‘I can take these extra chances.’ ”
Spieth isn’t the only one who has a chance to make history. Dunne is looking to become the first amateur to win The Open since Bobby Jones. Oosthuizen could become just the third player after 1910 to win The Open twice at St. Andrews. The other two? Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. Harrington is seeking a third Claret Jug.
The £10 tickets for Monday’s final round are a bargain considering what is at stake. The Old Course’s finish is one of golf’s unique atmosphere. The hole is lined by grey stone buildings, where people watch from balconies and open windows. The Links, the road that runs down the hole’s right side, is open to the public, allowing them to catch a glance of the hole named “Tom Morris.” His shop still sits across the street from the 18th hole.
It’s a historic setting where history could be made once again.