SOUTHPORT, England – Notes and observations from the final round of The Open Championship, where Jordan Spieth played the final five holes in 5 under to shoot 69 and win by three shots over Matt Kuchar. Spieth’s third victory of the season also gives him the lead in the FedExCup standings. ‘A GOOD START’ Jordan Spieth needed inspiration as he struggled through Sunday’s front nine at Royal Birkdale. He started the day with a three-shot advantage, but it took just four holes for that lead to evaporate. Spieth was two ahead by the seventh tee, but his ballstriking wasn’t up to the standard he’d displayed earlier in the week. That’s why his caddie, Michael Greller, decided to deliver a pep talk to his boss, using a photo from Spieth’s recent vacation to Mexico as motivation. The photo showed the golfer hanging out with a group that included Michael Phelps and Michael Jordan. “He said, ‘Do you remember that group you were with? You’re that caliber of an athlete. But I need you to believe that right now. … This is a new tournament. We’re starting over here,â€� Spieth said. Spieth was among select company in Cabo San Lucas, and now he has the opportunity to join another elite group. Spieth, 23, now owns three legs of the career Grand Slam, needing a victory in the PGA Championship to become just the sixth player to win all four of golf’s major championships. The other five? Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen. Nicklaus is the only player besides Spieth to win three different majors before the age of 24. (Spieth turns 24 on Thursday). “Growing up playing golf, I just wanted to be able to play in major championships and compete with the best in the world. Things have happened very quickly,â€� Spieth said. The PGA Championship will be held Aug. 10-13 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. The course also serves as the annual host of the PGA TOUR’s Wells Fargo Championship. Spieth has played that event just once, finishing T32 in 2013. Spieth was runner-up to Jason Day in the 2015 PGA, finishing three shots behind the Australian. Woods was 24 when he completed the career Grand Slam at the 2000 Open Championship, the youngest player ever to do so, but Spieth could surpass that record with a win at Quail Hollow. “To be in that company is absolutely incredible, and I certainly appreciate it,â€� Spieth said. “We work really hard to have that, … therefore I enjoy moments like (this). But I’m very careful as to what that means going forward because what those guys have done has transcended the sport. And in no way, shape or form do I think I’m anywhere near that, whatsoever. “So it’s a good start, but there is a long way to go.â€� KUCHAR CRUSHED Matt Kuchar is known for his wide smile, but he couldn’t hide his disappointment after his best shot to win a major championship was thwarted by Spieth’s magical finish. “It’s crushing. It hurts,â€� said Kuchar, whose final-round 69 matched Spieth’s Sunday score. Spieth started the day with a three-shot advantage, but Kuchar took a one-shot lead after Spieth’s bogey at No. 13. Kuchar made two birdies on the next four holes, but lost three strokes to Spieth over that stretch. “It’s an excitement and a thrill to have played well, put up a battle, put up a fight,â€� Kuchar said. “You work so hard to get in this position, to have a chance to make history and win a championship. You don’t get that many opportunities.â€� The runner-up was Kuchar’s best major finish, besting his third-place finish at the 2012 Masters. He was fourth at Augusta National this year, his fourth top-10 in the past six Masters. Kuchar’s wife, Sybi, and their two sons, Cameron and Carson, flew to England to watch Matt compete in Sunday’s final group, surprising him after the round. “I played well. I had four good rounds of golf. I was close,â€� Kuchar, 39, said. “I think everybody around me is doing the best to put the most positive spin on this week as possible.â€� LI’S HISTORIC 63 Haotong Li started Sunday 12 shots off the lead. He was warming up for a potential playoff after his round, though. Li shot 63 to finish at 6-under 204. As the final group struggled, Li had a slimmer of hope. Kuchar was 8 under par, and Spieth was one behind, with five holes remaining in the tournament. Until yesterday, 63 was the gold standard for major-championships. Branden Grace shot 62 on Saturday, though. Li, 21, still finished third, securing the highest major finish by a Chinese man. “For some reason since hole No. 8, I just start holing everything,â€� said Li, who made birdie on seven of the final 11 holes. He won PGA TOUR China’s Order of Merit in 2014 and claimed the 2016 China Open. Li, No. 107 in the Official World Golf Ranking, will make a large move in the International Team’s Presidents Cup standings. He started the week ranked 26th. His third-place finish also is expected to earn him an invitation into next ERRATIC RORY Rory McIlroy’s erratic week began with five bogeys on his first six holes and an exhortation from his caddie that included an expletive for emphasis. It ended in a tie for fourth. The week was full of fits and spurts, but the miscues too often dampened the momentum, leaving McIlroy seven shots behind Spieth. It was McIlroy’s first top-10 in just six starts since finishing T7 at Augusta National in April. He arrived at Royal Birkdale having missed the cut in three of his past four starts. McIlroy will make his next start at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational in two weeks. It’s his first appearance in Akron since his 2014 victory there. Then it’s on to the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, where Spieth has won twice, set the course record twice and has finished in the top 10 in six of seven starts. “I wish I could have had that start back, obviously, but these things happen and I’m just proud of how I held it together and battled,â€� McIlroy said. “But I feel like with the way my game is I’ll definitely have a great chance at Akron and the PGA.â€� NOTABLE NOTES Marc Leishman shot 66-65 on the weekend to finish sixth at 4-under 276. It was his third top-six in the past four Open Championships, including his runner-up in 2015, where he lost a three-man playoff won by Zach Johnson. Leishman cracked the top 10 despite making the cut on the number after a second-round 76. U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka also tied for sixth at 276 (65-72-68-71). Koepka has finished no worse than T11 in 2017’s three majors, and has finished in the top 25 in nine consecutive majors. One day after shooting the lowest round in major-championship history, Grace shot 70 to also finish sixth at 276 (70-74-62-70). His 62 was his only sub-par round of the week. Grace made eight birdies Saturday and just six in the other three rounds. He had two birdies and two bogeys in the final round. This was Grace’s fifth top-six in his past 11 majors. Local favorite Tommy Fleetwood, who grew up within walking distance of Royal Birkdale, finished T27 at 1 over par. He followed a first-round 76 with three consecutive rounds of par or better (69-66-70). “After the first day, you know, I’d have taken anything to be playing on Sunday,â€� said Fleetwood, who was runner-up at this year’s World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship and fourth at the U.S. Open. “It’s easy to be frustrated because you wanted to do so well, but to complain would be a bit off.â€� BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA
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