ST ANDREWS // The Old Course had its fair share of golfers who ended up short on the final stretch when it mattered. Leaders for a while, Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott and amateur Paul Dunne faded away after promising much.
Spieth’s bid for an unprecedented golfing grand slam ended agonisingly at the British Open on Monday after he missed joining a three-way play-off by one stroke.
The 21-year-old American, who was seeking to become the first man to land the year’s first three majors since compatriot Ben Hogan in 1953, moved into a share of the lead with a wondrous birdie putt on the 16th.
He then missed a six-footer for par on the difficult 17th Road Hole. Needing a birdie on the last he then saw his long putt from the so-called Valley of Sin in front of the green, miss by inches.
“Right now it’s a tough feeling to be that close in a major,” Spieth told ESPN. “It does not matter about the historical element, to be that close on our biggest stage and come up short, how many chances do you get? It’s tough to swallow for a bit.
“My goal was four under for the round and we got there on 16. Ideally you can finish par, birdie and that would have got it done.
“It stings a little bit. We gave it a really good run but that was some phenomenal golf by those guys,” the world No 2 said.
Former Masters champion Scott relived his Open nightmare from three years ago after collapsing over the final five holes on Monday.
The Australian was tied for the lead at the 144th championship midway through the back nine, but bogeyed the 614-yard 14th and then criminally missed from a foot for par at the next.
He compounded matters by bogeying the 17th and then hitting his drive at the last out of bounds to produce a finish reminiscent of his 2012 capitulation.
On that occasion he reached the 14th with a four-shot lead, but bogeyed his last four holes to hand the Claret Jug to Ernie Els.
“It’s hard to digest it all at the moment,” said the visibly shell-shocked 34-year-old Queenslander, who broke his major drought by winning the green jacket in 2013, after coming home in 40.
“I probably needed a really good back nine and I had a really poor back nine. I feel like I wasn’t even in it at that moment.”
Irishman Dunne’s hopes to become the first amateur to win since 1930 were jolted from the beginning. The battle of nerves went against him as he bogeyed the first two holes.
He recovered those two dropped shots by the fifth but by then his rivals were pulling away and a back nine of 40 saw him finish on six under.
“I was nervous but nothing anything different to the last three days,” he said. “But the last three days I got off to a steady start and settled into the round and today I had a couple shots I hadn’t seen in any practice or any range sessions I’ve had. It kind of just rattled me a little bit. I didn’t really know where they came from and I just never settled in after it.
“I don’t think there are many positives to put on a 78 in a final round but I’m sure there’s still stuff I can learn from it that’ll be positive going forward and help me in the future.”
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