Two-time Major champion Jordan Spieth is 18 holes away from adding The Open Championship to his collection after a 65 on Saturday, writes WADE PRETORIUS.
Spieth set the stage for a Sunday coronation as the Champion Golfer of the Year for 2017 with a birdie on the last that was like a dagger to the heart of his closest competitor, Matt Kuchar.
Playing alongside Spieth, Kuchar hit his approach into 18 stiff but instead of closing the gap to one with 18 to play, Kuchar first watched as his Ryder Cup colleague fist-bumped after sinking his fifth birdie of the day and then slouched to his knees after missing his far more makeable putt to hand Spieth a three-shot advantage going into Sunday.
The age gap is 16 years but it is the young star who holds all the aces at Royal Birkdale after a polished performance in the afternoon sunlight. He has won Majors before, has won eight of the last 9 times when in front after 54 holes on the PGA Tour and Kuchar has never won one of golf’s four elite events.
And despite tearing the course apart over the past three days, Spieth insists his putting is still not 100%.
‘I’m putting decent,’ he said after the round, one which matched Thursday’s 65 except that he took one fewer putt on moving day.
Neutrals and especially the British crowd will be scratching their heads to figure out two things: just how one player has managed to pull away from the field and where the biggest threat will come from on Sunday.
It won’t be Rory McIlroy or Ian Poulter. Both sit an insurmountable nine shots off Spieth’s tally of -11 after Saturday but that was not before McIlroy frightened Branden Grace’s newly-established Major record.
The Northern Irishman’s opening day struggles were erased on Friday and he looked like getting himself into position to challenge Spieth with three birdies in his opening five holes. The crowd were on edge but the roars were quickly muted with two bogeys and a double on 10 that ended a run at Grace’s 62 and Spieth’s solo lead.
Poulter was the only player in the top 38 on the leaderboard to record a round over par on Saturday. The Englishman, looking to write his own fairy tale, finally managed to get under par for his round with a birdie on the 10th but three consecutive dropped shots saw him fall from the select few capable of getting anywhere near Spieth.
Now, only Kuchar (-8), unknown Canadian Austin Connolly (-5), US Open winner Brooks Koepka (-5), Hideki Matsuyama (-4) and Grace (-4) have a realistic chance of lifting the Claret Jug late on Sunday afternoon.
One hope will be a meltdown of sorts but Spieth plans to draw on his 2016 Masters nightmare as inspiration tomorrow.
‘Everything I’ve gone through, both good and bad, is advantageous for me,’ said Spieth.
‘If I win tomorrow, I’ll still be learning and it all goes into my process. Tomorrow will be emotionally draining but I need to stay neutral in my head.’
Spieth will be eyeing a place alongside the great Jack Nicklaus as the only players with three legs of career slam before the tender age of 24.
Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
