By AP -- Jordan Spieth enactment connected a Sunday complaint that gave him a accidental to triumph the British Open.
When it came up short, each helium could deliberation astir was his Saturday meltdown, a bogey-bogey decorativeness erstwhile helium was successful presumption to marque birdie.
"Had I finished par-par, I'd person been successful the last group. And if you're successful the last group, you consciousness similar you person control," Spieth said. "Obviously, those 2 strokes were important."
Slowed by 2 bogeys implicit the opening six holes successful the last circular astatine Royal St. George's, the three-time large champion began his rally with an eagle putt connected the par-five seventh spread and played the last holes successful six-under for a closing circular of four-under 66.
He coiled up 2 shots down Collin Morikawa, who played bogey-free implicit the last 31 holes and didn't springiness Spieth oregon anyone other the assistance they needed.
Even much disheartening for Spieth is that the hallmark of his crippled — wedge and a putter — is what yet outgo him a changeable astatine his 4th major, and 2nd British Open.
"The decorativeness yesterday was astir arsenic upset arsenic I've taken a decorativeness of a circular to the house," said Spieth, who refused to talk to the media aft his 3rd round. "I walked successful and wanted to ... I said, 'Is determination thing that I tin break?' I knew that was truthful important due to the fact that I would person been successful the last group."
Tied for the pb arsenic helium stood successful the 17th fairway Saturday afternoon, conscionable nether 60 yards to the pin, helium came up abbreviated of the mendacious front, deed putter from the fairway excessively beardown and turned a birdie accidental into a bogey. And past it got worse.
He had an uphill 15-foot birdie putt connected the 18th that helium missed, and what should person been a tap-in par from 2 feet hardly deed the hole. Another bogey.
Instead of being successful the last group, helium was 3 shots down and looking implicit his shoulder.
On the 1 hand, having to pursuit tin springiness him state to occurrence astatine flags. But helium spent the backmost 9 making birdies and wondering what Morikawa was doing down him.
"It's a batch nicer erstwhile stuff's happening successful beforehand of you and you tin control, you tin inactive birdie that hole," Spieth said. "I get disconnected the 16th contiguous and it's like, 'Well, they could birdie behind, and there's thing I tin bash astir it now.'
"When you're the past to travel successful you've got the past accidental connected 18, and I deliberation that's the easiest spot to travel from, particularly erstwhile it's easier conditions."
Spieth birdied the 13th and 14th holes to get wrong 1 shot. His birdie putt connected the 15th spread burned the borderline of the cup.
Behind him, Morikawa came up abbreviated of the ridge connected the par-five 14th, leaving himself a 20-foot birdie attempt. He poured it successful to reconstruct the pb to 2 shots. On the 15th, the 24-year-old Californian had a uncommon miss with an iron, pulling it into heavy writer near of the green. He chipped connected to 12 feet and made arsenic important a par putt arsenic helium made each day.
"I needed a break, and I didn't get it from him," Spieth said. "I did each I could. So I'm upset due to the fact that I truly felt similar I played good capable to triumph and made a mates of truly dumb mistakes that possibly, if I had possibly played the week before, wouldn't person made."
That was a notation to taking 3 weeks disconnected aft the US Open, returning to contention astatine the last large of the year. Then again, a three-week interruption earlier the British Open worked for him erstwhile helium won astatine Royal Birkdale successful 2017.
"But astatine the aforesaid time, I did everything I could successful the past fewer hours to triumph this championship," Spieth said.
He had 1 past bully look from 12 feet by the 17th spread that stayed retired to the right, and helium recovered heavy writer near of the 18th fairway. He did good to get it connected the green, immoderate 40 feet away, and had to settee for par.
Ultimately, helium had to settee for the metallic medal. It was his archetypal runner-up decorativeness successful a large since helium mislaid a five-shot pb connected the backmost 9 successful the 2016 Masters and had to assistance Danny Willett into the greenish jacket.
The majors are implicit for the year, though Spieth's crippled intelligibly is trending.
He ended astir 4 years without a triumph astatine the Texas Open successful April. This was his seventh decorativeness successful the apical 15 successful his past 14 tournaments dating to February. He is backmost up to No.14 successful the world, 1 spot up of Rory McIlroy. Spieth was astatine No.92 immoderate six months ago.
"I deed shots that are inactive uncomfortable for me, getting implicit immoderate scar tissue," helium said of his caller slump.
"It was a bully week. I played good capable to triumph this week. I haven't felt that mode successful a large successful rather a while. Under large title unit connected the weekend, my plaything held up nicely."
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