Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour/Asian Tour via Getty Images
Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour/Asian Tour via Getty Images(SOUTHPORT, England) — Another Major victory for American Jordan Spieth. The 23-year-old defeated countryman Matt Kuchar by three strokes, shooting a 12-under par to win the 146th British Open at Royal Birkdale.
Spieth said he had flashes of the 2016 Masters in his head when he started the front-nine with four bogeys, which put him and Kuchar neck-and-neck heading into the 13th hole of the day. On 13, Spieth hooked his tee shot to the right. The ball ended up being behind a hill that made it impossible to play, so Spieth decided to lose a stroke, and drop the ball in a place where he would be able to have a line of sight to the hole. Nearly a half hour later, Spieth mustered a bogey on the hole and fell behind Kuchar by a stroke.
Given the circumstances, a bogey seemed fortunate for Spieth, and it ended up being a huge momentum shift for him. From the 14th to the 17th holes, Spieth birdied, eagled, and birdied twice before tapping in a par on 18 for the victory.
Spieth is now just a P.G.A. Championship away from completing a career Grand Slam, a feat only accomplished by five other golfers: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. Spieth is now the second male golfer to win three majors before his 24th birthday, joining Nicklaus, who won 18 majors.
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