A dramatic final round capped the tournament, with Spieth vying with fellow American Matt Kuchar for the top position. China's Li Haotong finished six strokes back in third place.

Spieth, 23, started the day with a three-shot lead over Kuchar, but temporarily lost it after a shaky performance for the first 13 holes, including an almost catastrophic drive on the 13th that required him to take an unplayable and drop between sponsorship trucks.

But he regained his footing on the home stretch scoring a birdie, an eagle, and two more birdies to win the tournament.

Only 23 years old, Spieth already has two major championship titles, and was heavily favored to win entering Sunday's final round. Kuchar, 39, has never won a major title.

Earlier in the tournament, South African Branden Grace broke the record for lowest score ever in a men's major championship – a 62.

Afterwards, the 29-year-old South African said he wasn't aware of history unfolding because he was in a zone. Said Grace, "sometimes it helps not knowing these things." 62 has been a major tournament holy grail — players have shot 63 31 times, with several near misses. Last year at the British Open, American Phil Mickelson missed a putt for 62 by an inch. But Saturday, Grace calmly sank a putt from a few feet away on the final hole to claim the record.



Jordan Spieth's win at the British Open makes him one of only two golfers to win three of the four major championships before the age of 24. The only other is Jack Nicklaus, who holds the all-time record with 18 major titles. Spieth will try for his fourth next month at the PGA Championship. </s> SOUTHPORT, United Kingdom: Jordan Spieth won the British Open at Royal Birkdale on Sunday (Jul 23) by three shots from fellow American Matt Kuchar.

Spieth, 23, shot a final round of 69 to finish on 12 under par, with Kuchar second at nine-under. He is the first man to post four rounds in the 60s in an Open at Birkdale.

It is Spieth's third major title after he won the Masters and US Open in 2015.

Spieth had been top of the leaderboard after each of the first three rounds and his victory saw him emulate the great Jack Nicklaus in getting his hands on a third different major before turning 24.

He had started the day three shots ahead of Kuchar but he very nearly threw it away, bogeying three of the first four holes as he went out in 37, three-over.

Spieth and Kuchar were level at eight-under standing on the 13th tee, when the former's wild tee shot forced him to take a drop and play his approach to the green from an adjacent practice ground.

He escaped with a bogey to trail by just one shot going onto the 14th, before recovering his nerve to pick up three birdies and an eagle in his next four holes to secure the Claret Jug in astonishing fashion.

Kuchar had four birdies but also three bogeys, including at the 18th, as he finished with a one-under 69 and missed out on what would have been a first major of his career at the age of 39.

China's Li Haotong came from nowhere to finish third on six-under after a stunning seven-under-par last round of 63.

Rory McIlroy, the 2014 champion, finished with a 67 to share fourth on five-under with Spain's Rafael Cabrera-Bello. </s> Jul 23, 2017; Southport, ENG; Jordan Spieth (right) shakes hands with Matt Kuchar on the 18th green after winning The 146th Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Ian Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports

SOUTHPORT, England (Reuters) - American Matt Kuchar said he was "crushed" after he lost out by three strokes to compatriot Jordan Spieth in a classic head-to-head battle at the British Open on Sunday.

The 39-year-old, who has never won a major, had played solid and consistent golf throughout the week and took the lead after Spieth's bogey on the 13th hole of Royal Birkdale.

Although the Floridian did almost everything right -- with birdies on the 15th and 17th -- he entered the final hole two strokes behind after a sensational run down the stretch by Spieth.

The 23-year-old shot birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie, after his slip-up and left Kuchar trailing in his wake.

Kuchar's bogey on the final hole, after an unlucky plug lay in the greenside bunker, counted for nothing more than a little salt in his wounds.

The wounds were still fresh when he was asked to look back on his day.

"It's hard to explain. It's crushing. It hurts. And it's an excitement and a thrill to have played well, put up a battle, put up a fight.

"You work so hard to get to this position. And to have a chance to make history and win a championship. You don't get that many opportunities. And to be this close, to taste it with five holes to go, it's a hard one to sit back and take," he said.

Predictably, thoughts turned to whether Kuchar would be able to use the experience to push himself further towards a maiden major win and although he answered in the affirmative, as any professional would, his sigh before responding said more than his words.

Equally inevitably, Kuchar was given words of encouragement from his family and his caddy John Wood as he contemplated his loss but they did not quite succeed in getting him to brush off the defeat.

"I think everybody's doing their best to put a positive spin on it. I played well. I had four good rounds of golf. I was close. And so I think everybody around me is doing the best to put the most positive spin on this week as possible," he said.

Spieth himself said he witnessed the emotional impact the outcome had on a player he has frequently stated his admiration for.

"I noticed it when I walked up and saw his family hugging him and I think Cameron is his oldest that was in tears. At that moment I'm so happy. And at the same time I see that and I thought to myself, man, put this in perspective, he's a dad.

"Matt didn't lose the tournament at all today. He played well down the stretch. I mean, I just had my long putts go in, his didn't. That was simply it," he said.

"I could tell he was emotional once he had sat down in the scorer's tent.

"I believe Matt Kuchar will win a major championship. And I believe that he'll do it sometime soon. He's a great champion and he's such a great person. And he's a great individual to look up to.

"He's one of these guys, when I talk about having great role models on the PGA Tour, and I'm fortunate in that, he's at the top of the class. And you're able to see it with how he handles that kind of situation right after just a crazy day." </s> SOUTHPORT, England — On a day when Branden Grace made golfing history, shooting the lowest round ever in a major championship, Jordan Spieth continued along the path to making his own.

Playing early, Grace shot a 62 on Saturday in the third round of the British Open at Royal Birkdale. Playing in the last group of the day, Spieth shot a 65 and has a three-stroke lead as he tries to become the second youngest player to win three majors.

“I’m extremely pleased,” Spieth said. “Couldn’t ask for more.”

Spieth, a few days from his 24th birthday, is already a Masters and U.S. Open champion. He could join Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win three major championships by the age of 23.

Spieth’s second bogey-free round of the three so far put him at 11-under par 199. Matt Kuchar, paired with Spieth, is at 8-under 202 after a round of 66.

Tied for third at 205 are Austin Connelly, a young Texan who grew up playing with Spieth and shot 66, and U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka, who had a 68. After his record round Grace shared fifth with Hideki Matsuyama at 206.

Most of the day the weather was pleasant, sunshine and light wind, although light rain arrived when the leaders had three holes to go. After Friday’s storm the golfers went out Saturday to attack the softened course.

“I thought it was a favorable day for scoring,” said Spieth, “And recognizing that ahead of time made it tough mentally because — I was leading by two — you’re in the position you’d think you can play safer, but you had to play aggressive.”

Kuchar, starting the round two strokes behind Spieth, could never quite catch him. He twice made birdies that momentarily tied him for the lead, only for Spieth to pour in birdie putts on top of him to stay in front. Kuchar’s one slip was a drive into the pot bunker on No. 16 when the rain finally arrived, and a three-putt that led to double bogey there.

Spieth had five birdies, including one on the final hole to which the crowd responded with a huge roar.

Walking up 18 at Birkdale toward the white clubhouse is a chilling experience for those on the top of the leader board.

“I kind of take out my notes walking to the green,” said Spieth, “but I saw the 18th, and I’m like I can’t. Everybody is giving us an ovation, and it’s time to appreciate and enjoy the walk.”

Kuchar, 39, who never has won a major, said he wasn’t trying to beat Spieth head-to-head. “I was playing with him but not focused on him. My goal is to go out and play Royal Birkdale. He and I had a lot of birdies.”

Spieth blew the 2016 Masters with a triple-bogey on the 12th hole of the final round, but he believes that will work to his advantage.

“Everything I’ve gone through, the good, the bad,” he said. “I understand that leads can be squandered and quickly, and I also understand you can keep rolling on one.” </s> Jordan Spieth won The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on Sunday in dramatic fashion, earning the golfer his third major championship. 



 Spieth is the youngest American to ever win The Open. He also joins Jack Nicklaus at the only two golfers to win three legs of golf's grand slam before the age of 24. Spieth won both the Masters Tournament and the US Open in 2015. 



 Spieth is only one win away from obtaining golf's elusive "grand slam." He'll have his chance in August at the PGA Championship in Charlotte. Until then, here's everything you need to know about the superstar golfer. </s> * Overnight leader Kisner finishes four shots back (Updates to end of tournament)

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Young American Justin Thomas validated his reputation as one of golf's great talents when he stormed to a two-stroke victory at the PGA Championship on Sunday.

Thomas vaulted to the front with four birdies in a sizzling seven-hole stretch mid-round and held firm over the dangerous final water-lined three holes, known as the 'Green Mile.'

The 24-year-old from Kentucky made a rare birdie at the par-three 17th to all but secure victory and a bogey at the last was academic as he carded 68 to finish at eight-under 276.

Fellow American Patrick Reed (67) bogeyed the last to finish equal second with Italian Francesco Molinari (67) and South African Louis Oosthuizen (70).

Hideki Matsuyama, seeking to become the first man from Japan to win a major, held the lead briefly mid-round before fading with three consecutive bogeys from the 11th.

He carded 72 and finished three shots behind with American Rickie Fowler (67).

Thomas, one of the longest drivers on tour, came into the final major of the year ranked 14th in the world, though not one of the favourites after recent poor form.

But he came through by executing under pressure as some of his rivals withered, joining his good friend Jordan Spieth, with whom he shared a house at the British Open last month, in the major champions club of 2017.

Thomas also joins Spaniard Sergio Garcia (Masters), American Brooks Koepka (U.S. Open) and Spieth (British Open) as the year's major champions. (Reporting by Andrew Both; Editing by Frank Pingue/Rex Gowar) </s> SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — Jordan Spieth is one round away from the third leg of the career Grand Slam, and one year removed from a reminder that it won’t be easy.

On the horizon is a chance to join Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win three different majors at age 23. In the past was his last time leading a major, when he let a five-shot lead get away from him on the back nine a year ago at Augusta National.

All that mattered to him was the present.

Spieth did his part on an extraordinary day of scoring in the British Open, capping off his 5-under 65 by seizing on a good break and making a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a three-shot lead over Matt Kuchar, who did his best to keep pace with a 66.

Spieth had one of seven rounds at 65 or lower at Royal Birkdale, which was never more vulnerable with a light breeze and a clear sky until the final hour. He was warming up on the range when Branden Grace shot 62, the lowest 18-hole score over 157 years of major championships. Spieth then delivered his second bogey-free round of the week in which he never came seriously close to a bogey.

“Pretty stress-free,” Spieth said. “On a Saturday with a lead in a major, that’s as good as I can ask for.”

He was at 11-under 199, breaking by six shots the 54-hole record at Royal Birkdale that Tom Watson set in 1983. Not only did that last birdie give him a three-shot lead, no one else was closer than six shots.

This will be Spieth’s third time taking the lead into the final round of a major. He led by four at the Masters two years ago and won by that margin. More recent was a one-shot lead at Augusta to start the final round, a five-shot lead at the turn and a quadruple-bogey on the 12th hole that cost him another green jacket.

“I think I’m in a position where it can be very advantageous, just everything I’ve gone through — the good, the bad and everything in the middle,” he said. “I understand that leads can be squandered quickly. And I also understand how you can keep on rolling on one.”

He described the Masters last year as a humbling experience that he thought would serve him well down the road.

“If I don’t win tomorrow, it has nothing to do with that,” he said. “And if I win tomorrow, it has nothing to do with that, either.”

Kuchar never quite caught up to Spieth. He twice made birdies that momentarily tied him for the lead, only for Spieth to pour in birdie putts on top of him to stay in front. Kuchar’s one slip was a drive into the pot bunker on No. 16 when the rain finally arrived, and a three-putt that led to double bogey.

He will be playing in the final group of the fourth round at a major for the first time, and the 39-year-old Kuchar sounded up for the occasion.

“It’s not that I ever felt like I was playing Jordan today,” Kuchar said. “We certainly had a great round of golf. I never felt like I was out there trying to beat Jordan. It’s trying to go up against Royal Birkdale and put on the best show you can against the golf course.”

No one put on a show quite like Grace, the 29-year-old South African who had a chance to win the U.S. Open two years ago. He went out in 29, then added two long birdie putts on the 14th and 16th holes, and a two-putt birdie on the 17th to reach 8 under. From 60 feet behind the 18th green, he lagged it to 2 feet and tapped in for a 62.

“Look at that number! That is sweet,” Johnny Miller, now a golf analyst, said as NBC flashed a 62 on the screen. Miller was the first to shoot 63 in a major at the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont. It took 44 years for someone to top it.

Spieth and Kuchar lit it up, too. They combined for 12 birdies, such impressive golf that Kuchar said a couple of times they forgot who had honors on the tee box. Along the way, they created a little separation from the rest of the field.

Austin Connelly, who grew up in Dallas and shares a swing coach with Spieth, extended his remarkable run with birdies on his last two holes for a 66. The 20-year-old who plays under the Canadian flag was six shots behind at 5-under 205, tied with U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka, who had a 68.

Grace wound up seven shots behind even after his 62.

Missing from the mix was Rory McIlroy, who looked to be a big threat when he began with three birdies in five holes, driving the green on the shortened par-4 fifth hole. He lost it around the turn, making back-to-back bogeys, and then a double bogey at No. 10 when he blasted out of one pot bunker left of the fairway and it spun toward another, resting in the thick collar.

McIlroy had a 69, rarely a bad score in the third round of a major. This one left him nine shots behind.

“If you keep it in play, it’s almost hard to make a bogey out there, you know?” McIlroy said. “I’ve always been good when I get off to fast starts, being able to keep it going, and I didn’t today. And I needed to — that’s the disappointing thing.”

Ian Poulter felt even worse. Still lurking, he ran off three straight bogeys early on the back nine and shot 71 to fall nine back.

The tone for Sunday was set over the final three holes, when Kuchar made his double bogey. Kuchar got one back with a birdie from the pot bunker short of the green at the par-5 17th. And then Spieth stole a birdie at the end when his approach narrowly missed the bunker right of the green and had enough spin to stay on the putting surface for his final birdie. Kuchar missed his birdie attempt from 12 feet.

“I played well today,” Kuchar said. “Certainly, I’m not out of it. I’m playing some good golf. I’m very excited for tomorrow.”

Both took time to stop and soak in the best walk in golf, a full grandstand surrounding both sides of the 18th. Kuchar stopped and said to Spieth, “This is pretty cool to be here, walking up the last hole of a British Open.”

They get to do it again Sunday, with a lot more at stake than warm applause. </s> (AP Photo/Alastair Grant). Dustin Johnson of the United States prepares to putt on the 14th green during the third round of the British Open Golf Championship, at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England, Saturday July 22, 2017.

(AP Photo/Alastair Grant). South Africa's Branden Grace celebrates his birdie on the 14th hole during the third round of the British Open Golf Championship, at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England, Saturday July 22, 2017.

(AP Photo/Peter Morrison). Jordan Spieth of the United States plays out of a bunker on the 17th hole during the third round of the British Open Golf Championship, at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England, Saturday July 22, 2017.

(AP Photo/Dave Thompson). Jordan Spieth of the United States on the 18th green after the third round of the British Open Golf Championship, at Royal Birkdale, Southport, England, Saturday July 22, 2017.

SOUTHPORT, England (AP) - Jordan Spieth is one round away from the third leg of the career Grand Slam, and one year removed from a reminder that it won't be easy.

On the horizon is a chance to join Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win three different majors at age 23. In the past was his last time leading a major, when he let a five-shot lead get away from him on the back nine a year ago at Augusta National.

All that mattered to him was the present.

Spieth did his part on an extraordinary day of scoring in the British Open, capping off his 5-under 65 by seizing on a good break and making a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a three-shot lead over Matt Kuchar, who did his best to keep pace with a 66.

Spieth had one of seven rounds at 65 or lower at Royal Birkdale, which was never more vulnerable with a light breeze and a clear sky until the final hour. He was warming up on the range when Branden Grace shot 62, the lowest 18-hole score over 157 years of major championships. Spieth then delivered his second bogey-free round of the week in which he never came seriously close to a bogey.

"Pretty stress-free," Spieth said. "On a Saturday with a lead in a major, that's as good as I can ask for."

He was at 11-under 199, breaking by six shots the 54-hole record at Royal Birkdale that Tom Watson set in 1983. Not only did that last birdie give him a three-shot lead, no one else was closer than six shots.

This will be Spieth's third time taking the lead into the final round of a major. He led by four at the Masters two years ago and won by that margin. More recent was a one-shot lead at Augusta to start the final round, a five-shot lead at the turn and a quadruple-bogey on the 12th hole that cost him another green jacket.

"I think I'm in a position where it can be very advantageous, just everything I've gone through - the good, the bad and everything in the middle," he said. "I understand that leads can be squandered quickly. And I also understand how you can keep on rolling on one."

He described the Masters last year as a humbling experience that he thought would serve him well down the road.

"If I don't win tomorrow, it has nothing to do with that," he said. "And if I win tomorrow, it has nothing to do with that, either."

Kuchar never quite caught up to Spieth. He twice made birdies that momentarily tied him for the lead, only for Spieth to pour in birdie putts on top of him to stay in front. Kuchar's one slip was a drive into the pot bunker on No. 16 when the rain finally arrived, and a three-putt that led to double bogey.

He will be playing in the final group of the fourth round at a major for the first time, and the 39-year-old Kuchar sounded up for the occasion.

"It's not that I ever felt like I was playing Jordan today," Kuchar said. "We certainly had a great round of golf. I never felt like I was out there trying to beat Jordan. It's trying to go up against Royal Birkdale and put on the best show you can against the golf course."

No one put on a show quite like Grace, the 29-year-old South African who had a chance to win the U.S. Open two years ago. He went out in 29, then added two long birdie putts on the 14th and 16th holes, and a two-putt birdie on the 17th to reach 8 under. From 60 feet behind the 18th green, he lagged it to 2 feet and tapped in for a 62.

"Look at that number! That is sweet," Johnny Miller, now a golf analyst, said as NBC flashed a 62 on the screen. Miller was the first to shoot 63 in a major at the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont. It took 44 years for someone to top it.

Spieth and Kuchar lit it up, too. They combined for 12 birdies, such impressive golf that Kuchar said a couple of times they forgot who had honors on the tee box. Along the way, they created a little separation from the rest of the field.

Austin Connelly, who grew up in Dallas and shares a swing coach with Spieth, extended his remarkable run with birdies on his last two holes for a 66. The 20-year-old who plays under the Canadian flag was six shots behind at 5-under 205, tied with U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka, who had a 68.

Grace wound up seven shots behind even after his 62.

Missing from the mix was Rory McIlroy, who looked to be a big threat when he began with three birdies in five holes, driving the green on the shortened par-4 fifth hole. He lost it around the turn, making back-to-back bogeys, and then a double bogey at No. 10 when he blasted out of one pot bunker left of the fairway and it spun toward another, resting in the thick collar.

McIlroy had a 69, rarely a bad score in the third round of a major. This one left him nine shots behind.

"If you keep it in play, it's almost hard to make a bogey out there, you know?" McIlroy said. "I've always been good when I get off to fast starts, being able to keep it going, and I didn't today. And I needed to - that's the disappointing thing."

Ian Poulter felt even worse. Still lurking, he ran off three straight bogeys early on the back nine and shot 71 to fall nine back.

The tone for Sunday was set over the final three holes, when Kuchar made his double bogey. Kuchar got one back with a birdie from the pot bunker short of the green at the par-5 17th. And then Spieth stole a birdie at the end when his approach narrowly missed the bunker right of the green and had enough spin to stay on the putting surface for his final birdie. Kuchar missed his birdie attempt from 12 feet.

"I played well today," Kuchar said. "Certainly, I'm not out of it. I'm playing some good golf. I'm very excited for tomorrow."

Both took time to stop and soak in the best walk in golf, a full grandstand surrounding both sides of the 18th. Kuchar stopped and said to Spieth, "This is pretty cool to be here, walking up the last hole of a British Open."

They get to do it again Sunday, with a lot more at stake than warm applause.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> SOUTHPORT, England >> Jordan Spieth is one round away from the third leg of the career Grand Slam, and one year removed from a reminder that it won’t be easy.

On the horizon is a chance to join Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win three different majors at age 23. In the past was his last time leading a major, when he let a five-shot lead get away from him on the back nine a year ago at Augusta National.

All that mattered to him was the present.

Spieth did his part on an extraordinary day of scoring in the British Open, capping off his 5-under 65 by seizing on a good break and making a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a three-shot lead over Matt Kuchar, who did his best to keep pace with a 66.

Spieth had one of seven rounds at 65 or lower at Royal Birkdale, which was never more vulnerable with a light breeze and a clear sky until the final hour. He was warming up on the range when Branden Grace shot 62, the lowest 18-hole score over 157 years of major championships. Spieth then delivered his second bogey-free round of the week in which he never came seriously close to a bogey.

“Pretty stress-free,” Spieth said. “On a Saturday with a lead in a major, that’s as good as I can ask for.”

He was at 11-under 199, breaking by six shots the 54-hole record at Royal Birkdale that Tom Watson set in 1983. Not only did that last birdie give him a three-shot lead, no one else was closer than six shots.

This will be Spieth’s third time taking the lead into the final round of a major. He led by four at the Masters two years ago and won by that margin. More recent was a one-shot lead at Augusta to start the final round, a five-shot lead at the turn and a quadruple-bogey on the 12th hole that cost him another green jacket.

“I think I’m in a position where it can be very advantageous, just everything I’ve gone through — the good, the bad and everything in the middle,” he said. “I understand that leads can be squandered quickly. And I also understand how you can keep on rolling on one.”

He described the Masters last year as a humbling experience that he thought would serve him well down the road.

“If I don’t win tomorrow, it has nothing to do with that,” he said. “And if I win tomorrow, it has nothing to do with that, either.”

Kuchar never quite caught up to Spieth. He twice made birdies that momentarily tied him for the lead, only for Spieth to pour in birdie putts on top of him to stay in front. Kuchar’s one slip was a drive into the pot bunker on No. 16 when the rain finally arrived, and a three-putt that led to double bogey.

He will be playing in the final group of the fourth round at a major for the first time, and the 39-year-old Kuchar sounded up for the occasion.

“It’s not that I ever felt like I was playing Jordan today,” Kuchar said. “We certainly had a great round of golf. I never felt like I was out there trying to beat Jordan. It’s trying to go up against Royal Birkdale and put on the best show you can against the golf course.”

No one put on a show quite like Grace, the 29-year-old South African who had a chance to win the U.S. Open two years ago. He went out in 29, then added two long birdie putts on the 14th and 16th holes, and a two-putt birdie on the 17th to reach 8 under. From 60 feet behind the 18th green, he lagged it to 2 feet and tapped in for a 62.

“Look at that number! That is sweet,” Johnny Miller, now a golf analyst, said as NBC flashed a 62 on the screen. Miller was the first to shoot 63 in a major at the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont. It took 44 years for someone to top it.

Spieth and Kuchar lit it up, too. They combined for 12 birdies, such impressive golf that Kuchar said a couple of times they forgot who had honors on the tee box. Along the way, they created a little separation from the rest of the field.

Austin Connelly, who grew up in Dallas and shares a swing coach with Spieth, extended his remarkable run with birdies on his last two holes for a 66. The 20-year-old who plays under the Canadian flag was six shots behind at 5-under 205, tied with U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka, who had a 68.

Grace wound up seven shots behind even after his 62.

Missing from the mix was Rory McIlroy, who looked to be a big threat when he began with three birdies in five holes, driving the green on the shortened par-4 fifth hole. He lost it around the turn, making back-to-back bogeys, and then a double bogey at No. 10 when he blasted out of one pot bunker left of the fairway and it spun toward another, resting in the thick collar.

McIlroy had a 69, rarely a bad score in the third round of a major. This one left him nine shots behind.

“If you keep it in play, it’s almost hard to make a bogey out there, you know?” McIlroy said. “I’ve always been good when I get off to fast starts, being able to keep it going, and I didn’t today. And I needed to — that’s the disappointing thing.”

Ian Poulter felt even worse. Still lurking, he ran off three straight bogeys early on the back nine and shot 71 to fall nine back.

The tone for Sunday was set over the final three holes, when Kuchar made his double bogey. Kuchar got one back with a birdie from the pot bunker short of the green at the par-5 17th. And then Spieth stole a birdie at the end when his approach narrowly missed the bunker right of the green and had enough spin to stay on the putting surface for his final birdie. Kuchar missed his birdie attempt from 12 feet.

“I played well today,” Kuchar said. “Certainly, I’m not out of it. I’m playing some good golf. I’m very excited for tomorrow.”

Both took time to stop and soak in the best walk in golf, a full grandstand surrounding both sides of the 18th. Kuchar stopped and said to Spieth, “This is pretty cool to be here, walking up the last hole of a British Open.”

They get to do it again Sunday, with a lot more at stake than warm applause.
In golf, American Jordan Spieth wins by three shots over fellow American Matt Kuchar, becoming only the second male player, after Jack Nicklaus, to win three different major championships before turning 24.