Spieth Back in Race for British Open Title

By Steve Lansdale

Former University of Texas star Jordan Spieth made up four strokes on the field in the third round of The Open Championship at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, firing a six-under-par 66 to finish the round at 11-under-par 205 overall, just one stroke off the tournament lead.[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)] 

Spieth, 21, trails three golfers — Jason Day, 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen and amateur Paul Dunne — who are tied atop the leaderboard entering Monday’s final round.

Spieth, of course, is trying to win his third major tournament of the season, having already won the Masters and U.S. Open. If he wins Monday, he would become the first player to win three consecutive majors since Tiger Woods pulled it off in 2000-01. The only player to win the Masters, the U.S. Open and the British open in the same year was Ben Hogan, who did it in 1953 — the only year in which he played The Open.

If Spieth wins the Grand Slam — victories in the same calendar year in the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship — he would be the first since Bobby Jones won all four titles in 1930. The fourth leg of this year’s Slam, the PGA Championship will be played Aug. 13-16 at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis.

Spieth’s improvement Sunday came on the greens. In the second round, that stretched over parts of Friday and Saturday, Spieth — considered by some to be the best putter on the PGA Tour — putted 37 times, but needed just 27 to finish his round Sunday. After three-putting three times in the second round, he holed is first putt five times in six holes of his last nine holes Sunday. He sizzled down the stretch, picking up four birdies on the back nine.

He began Sunday’s round trailing tournament leader Dustin Johnson by five strokes. Johnson fired a three-over-par 75 Sunday, and enters Monday’s final round tied for 18^th with a three-day score of 209.[/s2If]

[s2If !current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]

[article-offer]

[/s2If]