The 13th hole at The Open Championship was an unlucky one for Jordan Spieth, but he pulled it together to bring home the third major tournament win in his career.
The 23-year-old had a rollercoaster of a day Sunday, as Spieth went into the final round with a three-stroke lead over fellow American Matt Kuchar, only to lose that lead and another two-shot lead at different points over the last 18 holes. And it looked like things were going downhill when he took possibly the worst shot of his career on the 13th hole at Royal Birkdale.
Wayward again…@jordanspieth finds the rough from the 13th tee. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/rqEHekwL8F
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 23, 2017
⬇️ Tee
✖️ Target
📍 Where Spieth dropped pic.twitter.com/cOzQdc6dYz— Jamie Kennedy (@jamierkennedy) July 23, 2017
. @jordanspieth in huge trouble at the 13th. What is he going to do here? #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/yvhcDmW602
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 23, 2017
Spieth’s shot landed on a giant sand dune at least 100 yards right of the fairway, and he was forced to drop the ball at the driving range, which runs parallel to the 13th hole. Amazingly, Spieth recovered and ended up bogeying the hole.
Remarkable recovery from @jordanspieth. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/VAR5J3lsgp
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 23, 2017
Spieth built up more momentum from there, going birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie and hitting par on the 18th hole. He shot a 5-under on his final five holes, while Kuchar shot a 2-under in the same frame. Both finished with a score of 69 in the final round, allowing Spieth to keep his three-shot lead and win the tournament at 12-under.
The win was Spieth’s first in the British Open, putting him one PGA Championship away from a career grand slam. He won both the Masters and the U.S. Open in 2015.
Thumbnail photo via Ian Rutherford/USA TODAY Sports Images
