With a one-shot lead after powering his way around St. Andrews for 36 holes, he was the last player in the field to make a birdie, and that wasn’t until the 15th hole.
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The R&A brought everyone back out at 7 a.m. local time on Saturday in near 40 miles per hour winds, which caused golf balls to oscillate on the greens – and some to flat out blow away.
With victory on Monday, the 21-year-old Spieth would join fellow Texan Ben Hogan as the only players to win the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open in the same year.
Danny Willett got the day off and was one shot behind.
Jordan Spieth, chasing the third leg of an unprecedented calendar year grand slam, also dropped his first shot of a long day at the Road hole when his approach went long from the middle of the fairway and he three-putted from distance. He was five behind.
South African golfing legend Gary Player has suggested he could fix Tiger Woods in an hour after the American was again well below his best to miss the cut at the British Open.
Watson, playing in golf’s oldest major for the last time, missed the cut on his swansong appearance, but he was given an emotional send-off by the crowd when he walked off the final green with flashbulbs illuminating the gloaming.
American Dustin Johnson birdied the 18th hole to take the outright lead on ten under par at the Open Championship Saturday after a marathon 10hr 28min delay due to high winds at St Andrews.
British Open debutant Eddie Pepperell moved briefly into a tie for the lead at the 16th but at the next hole a wild drive saw his ball land in the Old Course Hotel’s garden. Needing mostly birdies, he resumed his round with three straight bogeys and shot 75 to finish his two rounds at 7-over 151.
His 6-under-par 66 on Sunday didn’t crown a new British Open champion or give him the modern Grand Slam no one has ever won.
Faldo, who turned 58 yesterday, also failed to qualify for the weekend on his last outing at a St Andrews Open, although he refused to close the door unequivocally on his major championship career.
“I only made three birdies in two days”, he told reporters. “I will get a good night’s rest and get back out here tomorrow”.
Suddenly, Spieth started to see putts fall – both for birdie and par. For me, I think it could be advantageous.
Several deadlines came and went and finally, in mid-afternoon, the R&A took the decision it had been putting off all day – the final round would be held on Monday with the third round on Saturday and the 42 players unfinished in their second rounds to conclude on Saturday evening.
However, India’s Anirban Lahiri completed his second round on Friday.
He needed his putter to heat up in a hurry, but instead it turned stone cold. “To stay out here all day and to have that kind of a warm reception is awfully special”.
“I’m just not scoring”, he said. Spieth ran over, then quickly moved out of the way as Johnson’s ball rolled by.
Overnight leader Dustin Johnson is tied with 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson for second at seven under the card.
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“It’s surreal I’m leading the Open”, said Dunne, a graduate of the University of Alabama-Birmingham who finished fifth at the NCAA championships in May.
