Two-time major winner Jordan Spieth said his opening round in the British Open at Royal Birkdale on Thursday was one of the finest he had ever produced in a major after he took a share of the clubhouse lead with a five-under par score of 65.
The 23-year-old former US Masters and US Open winner carded a bogey-free round in tricky, but not treacherous, conditions. With heavy rain forecast for Friday, he said getting off to a strong start was vital.
"Given the forecast coming in, I thought you really needed to be in the red today," he said.
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Spieth missed the green just twice in his round, his putting was solid and when he did get into tricky rough, he retained his composure.
"I couldn't have done much better today. I missed two greens ... in some 15-mile-an-hour winds," he said. "This course has a lot of crosswinds, so it's tough to judge how far the ball is going to fly depending on what shot you play. So that speaks a lot to the ball-striking of the day.
"Everything was strong. I thought I give it a nine across the board for everything - tee balls, ball-striking, short game and putting. So things are in check. It's just about keeping it consistent."
His bunker shot at the par-four 16th to help avoid a bogey was something he was particularly proud of.
"That was a really, really nice bunker shot," he said.
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Paul Casey, right, celebrates with his caddie John McLaren on the 18th hole during the first round of the British Open. Andrew Redington / Getty Images -
Haotong Li hits his tee shot to the 15th hole during the first round. Andrew Boyers / Reuters -
David Horsey hits his second shot on the 2nd hole. Christian Petersen / Getty Images -
Alex Noren of Sweden hits his second on the 3rd hole. Christian Petersen / Getty Images -
Stuart Manley lines up his putt on the 4th green. Richard Sellers / PA Wire -
Ryan Moore hits a bunker shot on the 4th hole. Gregory Shamus / Getty Images -
A camera operator wipes rain from his lens during day one of the British Open. Andrew Matthews / PA Wire -
Alex Noren plays from a bunker during the first round. Andrew Redington / Getty Images -
Dustin Johnson plays a shot on the 5th hole. Christian Petersen / Getty Images -
Lee Westwood putts on the 10th green. Dave Thompson / AP Photo -
Rory McIlroy putts on the 16th green. Andrew Matthews / PA Wire -
Jon Rahm chips onto the 7th green. Dave Thompson / AP Photo -
Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy celebrates his birdie on the 18th during day one of The Open Championship 2017 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Southport. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday July 20, 2017. See PA story GOLF Open. Photo credit should read: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Editorial use only. No commercial use. Still image use only. The Open Championship logo and clear link to The Open website (TheOpen.com) to be included on website publishing.
"I've been practicing out of uneven lies this entire week in preparation for a shot like that. And that certainly won't be the last one I'll have either, but that up-and-down was harder than hitting a 7-iron to 15 feet and making it. And I was only 35 feet from the hole."
Spieth, the current world number three, has built up a close friendship with 23-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Phelps and said the swimmer was proving a helpful psychological support.
"He's become a good friend and somebody who I could call at any time, and he's offered that," Spieth said. "Certainly I'd be doing myself a disservice if I don't keep taking him up on it."
* Reuters
