Three clear of Matt Kuchar overnight, Jordan Spieth looked nervous from the start and after three bogeys in the first five holes, combined with a bogey at the ninth left him tied for the lead at the turn. And when the 23-year-old bogeyed the 13th, having taken an age to find his ball after a wayward drive and get a ruling, he trailed Kuchar by one and memories of his capitulation at last year’s Masters must have come into his mind.
But as he has done throughout his young career, the American found his inner calmness to come out the other side and his last five holes – birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie, par – were pure magic.
“I don’t know how I made five on 13, I don’t think I’ll ever know, it’s like I got away with murder,” Spieth said, the joy of his third Major still sinking in.
Even when he won his first Masters in 2015, Spieth was compared to the likes of Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. Woods was among those to congratulate Spieth, focusing on the manner of his win and he is the second-youngest man, after Nicklaus, to win three of the four Majors.
Nicklaus was also impressed with Spieth’s final spurt, tweeting, “Wow! What a wild back nine! Is @Jordanspieth something else?”
Explaining his mind-set after the 13th, Spieth said he knew he was capable of closing these majors out – it all boiled down to staying calm and not be affected by nerves. Calm on the course and humble off it, the Texan’s even-tempered persona belies an inner steel. He was already the fourth-youngest man to capture two majors with his 2015 double, having previously become the youngest winner on the PGA Tour in over 80 years at the John Deere Classic in 2013.
Adding to his achievements, Spieth warmed up for Birkdale with a victory at the Travelers Championship last month which allowed him to match Woods in reaching double digits for tour wins by such a young age.
Along with Nicklaus, the other players to have completed the career Grand Slam are Woods, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen. The youngest British Open champion since a 22-year-old Seve Ballesteros won at Royal Lytham in 1979, the American is in exalted company.
But with age on his side, not to mention his unflappable temperament, it won’t be a surprise if he outdoes many in the list by the time he is finished playing.
