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2017 / Royal Birkdale
Jordan Spieth showed remarkable resilience and skill to bounce back from a poor start to his final round in The 146th Open at Royal Birkdale and secure a victory that ensured he joined the pantheon of Champion Golfers of the Year.
A record-breaking crowd of 235,000 spectators were enthralled by events at Royal Birkdale, as Spieth moved to within one win of a grand slam of majors and, by the age of 23, had the Masters, the US Open and The Open crowns to his name.
Only Jack Nicklaus has been quicker to win three of golf’s most coveted titles. Whereas Nicklaus achieved the feat in his 16th major, Spieth was playing at Birkdale in his 19th, while Tiger Woods took one more.
“I don't compare myself (to Woods or Nicklaus),” explained Spieth. “And I don't think comparisons are appropriate or necessary. To be in that company, no doubt, is absolutely incredible. And I certainly appreciate it.
“But I'm very careful as to what that means going forward because what those guys have done has transcended the sport. And in no way, shape or form do I think I'm anywhere near that. It's a good start but there is a long way to go.”
Despite leading The Open after each of the first three rounds, the American found himself behind on the leaderboard for the first time after an eventful 13th hole of the final round and trailed compatriot Matt Kuchar by one stroke.
What happened next was the stuff of legend; Spieth proceeded to birdie the par-three 14th, where he almost had a hole in one, ran in a putt of around 40 feet at the 15th for an eagle, birdied the 16th from around 20 feet, and rolled in another good putt for a birdie at the 17th. It was golf that belied what had gone beforehand.
A par on the 72nd hole enabled the 23-year-old to sign off for a round of 69, a 12-under-par total of 268 and a winning margin of three strokes over Kuchar.
During the third round, Branden Grace of South Africa fired eight birdies to post the first ever round of 62 during a major.
Alfie Plant of England followed in the footsteps of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy to win the Silver Medal as the leading amateur who plays all four rounds of The Open.
“I don't compare myself (to Woods or Nicklaus),” explained Spieth. “And I don't think comparisons are appropriate or necessary. To be in that company, no doubt, is absolutely incredible. And I certainly appreciate it.
“But I'm very careful as to what that means going forward because what those guys have done has transcended the sport. And in no way, shape or form do I think I'm anywhere near that. It's a good start but there is a long way to go.”
Despite leading The Open after each of the first three rounds, the American found himself behind on the leaderboard for the first time after an eventful 13th hole of the final round and trailed compatriot Matt Kuchar by one stroke.
What happened next was the stuff of legend; Spieth proceeded to birdie the par-three 14th, where he almost had a hole in one, ran in a putt of around 40 feet at the 15th for an eagle, birdied the 16th from around 20 feet, and rolled in another good putt for a birdie at the 17th. It was golf that belied what had gone beforehand.
A par on the 72nd hole enabled the 23-year-old to sign off for a round of 69, a 12-under-par total of 268 and a winning margin of three strokes over Kuchar.
During the third round, Branden Grace of South Africa fired eight birdies to post the first ever round of 62 during a major.
Alfie Plant of England followed in the footsteps of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy to win the Silver Medal as the leading amateur who plays all four rounds of The Open.
Name
Finish
R1
R2
R3
R4
Total
Par
Jason DUFNER
T14
73
71
66
68
278
-2
Austin CONNELLY
T14
67
72
66
73
278
-2
Charley HOFFMAN
T20
67
73
72
67
279
-1
Jamie LOVEMARK
T22
71
69
70
70
280
-
Aaron BADDELEY
T27
69
76
72
64
281
1
Thongchai JAIDEE
T27
70
73
68
70
281
1
David DRYSDALE
T27
72
73
66
70
281
1
Soren KJELDSEN
T37
71
71
72
68
282
2
Steve STRICKER
T37
70
72
69
71
282
2
Sung KANG
T44
68
73
76
66
283
3
Yikeun CHANG
T44
71
71
71
70
283
3
Andrew DODT
T44
69
75
69
70
283
3
Peter UIHLEIN
T44
72
72
69
70
283
3
Ross FISHER
T44
70
72
66
75
283
3
JB HOLMES
T54
71
72
71
70
284
4
Toby TREE
T54
70
75
69
70
284
4
Scott HEND
T54
71
74
65
74
284
4
Sean O'HAIR
T62
72
73
71
70
286
6
Mike LORENZO-VERA
T62
75
70
70
71
286
6
Younghan SONG
T62
71
74
69
72
286
6
KT KIM
T62
73
71
69
73
286
6
Alfie PLANT
T62
71
73
69
73
286
6
Joe DEAN
T70
72
72
70
73
287
7
Andy SULLIVAN
T70
70
75
69
73
287
7
Brandon STONE
T70
73
72
68
74
287
7
James HAHN
T74
68
76
70
74
288
8
Kent BULLE
77
68
72
74
76
290
10
David LIPSKY
M/C
68
78
-
-
-
M/C
Roberto CASTRO
M/C
76
70
-
-
-
M/C
Shiv KAPUR
M/C
73
73
-
-
-
M/C
Alex LEVY
M/C
71
75
-
-
-
M/C
Anirban LAHIRI
M/C
73
73
-
-
-
M/C
Mark FOSTER
M/C
75
71
-
-
-
M/C
Julian SURI
M/C
74
72
-
-
-
M/C
Adam BLAND
M/C
75
72
-
-
-
M/C
Martin LAIRD
M/C
68
79
-
-
-
M/C
Paul WARING
M/C
74
73
-
-
-
M/C
Paul BROADHURST
M/C
75
72
-
-
-
M/C
Russell KNOX
M/C
74
73
-
-
-
M/C
Robert STREB
M/C
69
78
-
-
-
M/C
Kevin CHAPPELL
M/C
73
75
-
-
-
M/C
Kyle STANLEY
M/C
70
78
-
-
-
M/C
Giwhan KIM
M/C
73
75
-
-
-
M/C
Haydn McCULLEN
M/C
73
75
-
-
-
M/C
Jbe KRUGER
M/C
76
72
-
-
-
M/C
Ryan McCARTHY
M/C
76
72
-
-
-
M/C
Ryan MOORE
M/C
74
74
-
-
-
M/C
William McGIRT
M/C
77
72
-
-
-
M/C
Bill HAAS
M/C
71
78
-
-
-
M/C
Ashley HALL
M/C
75
74
-
-
-
M/C
Stuart MANLEY
M/C
68
81
-
-
-
M/C
Charles HOWELL III
M/C
74
75
-
-
-
M/C
Pat PEREZ
M/C
74
75
-
-
-
M/C
Michael HENDRY
M/C
73
77
-
-
-
M/C
Yuta IKEDA
M/C
71
79
-
-
-
M/C
Jeunghun WANG
M/C
77
73
-
-
-
M/C
Prayad MARKSAENG
M/C
76
74
-
-
-
M/C
David HORSEY
M/C
75
75
-
-
-
M/C
Jhonattan VEGAS
M/C
75
76
-
-
-
M/C
Nick McCARTHY
M/C
74
77
-
-
-
M/C
Luca CIANCHETTI
M/C
75
76
-
-
-
M/C
Hideto TANIHARA
M/C
77
75
-
-
-
M/C
Maverick McNEALY
M/C
78
74
-
-
-
M/C
Darren FICHARDT
M/C
71
81
-
-
-
M/C
Wesley BRYAN
M/C
74
78
-
-
-
M/C
Harry ELLIS
M/C
77
75
-
-
-
M/C
Matthieu PAVON
M/C
74
78
-
-
-
M/C
Adam HADWIN
M/C
71
82
-
-
-
M/C
Brendan STEELE
M/C
76
77
-
-
-
M/C
Phachara KHONGWATMAI
M/C
74
80
-
-
-
M/C
Adam HODKINSON
M/C
80
76
-
-
-
M/C