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Jordan Spieth’s woes after winning the 2017 Open Championship were such that he had reason to wonder if he had fallen victim to some form of royal and ancient curse. Spieth looked invincible at the Royal Birkdale in July of that year; at the start of 2021, it was ranked 92nd in the world. At only 27 years old, he has already encountered the extremes of golf.
Spieth’s victory at the Texas Open in April, his first since lifting the Claret Jug, signaled a return to form. His 65 to start the 149th Open continued the theme: Spieth’s first round four years ago included the exact same number of strokes. Louis Oosthuizen’s 64 left the South African in the driver’s seat once again, but Spieth was the name on everyone’s lips in Kent. Golf loves its stories of redemption.
Spieth can’t say if it will be any different from claiming what would be a fourth major given the extent of his previous collapse. “I hope to answer this question for you in a few days,” he said with a smile. “The path I’m on and where I’ve been in the game before, I feel really good about my chances to move forward. As good as they have been historically.
“I feel like I have followed the right trend and I have certainly already had a chance this year at Augusta. I made mistakes in the first round and in the second round that I shouldn’t have made. I could very well have won this golf tournament this year.
Indeed, it was a quirk that Spieth’s major performances were never disastrous despite glaring technical and confidence issues at regular events. He finished third at the Masters this year; after Birkdale, there were another half-dozen major arrivals from 21st or better. The context, of course, is that in 2015 in particular, Spieth looked to be emerging as the dominant figure in the sport.
“I look back and had a chance to win at least one of the majors every year when I felt like I didn’t know where the ball was going,” Spieth said. “Which I guess could be bad and good. Golf is a game played between the ears. A confident Spieth is a dangerous Spieth.
He sat an above par after three holes, with a birdie blitz from the 5th, meaning he reached the turn in 32. More shots were collected in the 15th and 16th during a stress-free inner half of 33. An elephant’s ears are not needed to pick up moans about St George’s but Spieth, on his first visit, can be considered a fan. He said: “There were times lately where I said, ‘Dude, I really don’t like this place. I came here and was in a very good mood about it. I played a 12 hole loop on Sunday and I was like, ‘This could be a really fun and complicated track.’ The R&A must want to be able to commercialize this.
Oosthuizen, who like Spieth was part of the morning wave, played the last nine in just 31. His no-frills approach is ideal for this environment. It will treat this 64 the same as a 74 or any number in between.
Brian Harman tied Spieth’s score with Mackenzie Hughes, Dylan Frittelli, Stewart Cink, Benjamin Hébert and Webb Simpson all signing for four 66s under par. Frittelli was once a college teammate of Spieth. Collin Morikawa’s 67 stood out due to his status as the best iron player in the world. If St George’s, as expected, gets more and more fiery over the last 54 holes, players will be inclined to leave their antlers in bags for the tee shots. Morikawa advantage.
“Being creative is what I do,” he said. “Being creative, especially with my iron shots, is what I love to do. I feel like I have a huge boost for the next few days. Slower greens, widely seen as a leveler, may also be in Morikawa’s favor. Putting is the glaring weakness of his game.
Justin Rose, Jack Senior, Tommy Fleetwood, Andy Sullivan and Danny Willett provided an English dashboard company for Morikawa. Could it be the return home? “I hope Royal St George’s with St George’s Cross is some kind of a lucky omen this week,” Rose said. “At the moment, I think it’s probably as strong a chance as we’ve had, maybe never.” The lack of shots on goal can help.
Dustin Johnson appeared happy with his 68. Not so Brooks Koepka, who skipped media homework after his 69. Koepka endured a scorching day on the greens. Rory McIlroy owes his credit to his 70 years in the most difficult conditions of the day. The fact that the Northern Irishman hit the air after finally birding it involved a sense of accomplishment. He had passed two hours in high winds after seven. “My goal is to get back to normal,” said McIlroy.
Phil Mickelson huffed and puffed to reach an 80. No wonder the PGA champion of the United States looked shocked as he stepped off the last green. Weeks after Mickelson, the recipient of about as much media criticism as the Tooth Fairy, gave an almighty shoulder to a Detroit reporter who shed light on a dubious gameplay episode by ‘in the past, one can only hope that East Kent Mercury proceeds cautiously.
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