The American spectators can be picked out from miles away here on the Old Course, clad as they are in sportswear adorned with the logos of midwestern universities or the occasional pair of star-spangled drawstring pants. The most enthused will acknowledge one another with knowing nods or even a rowdy cheer, lending a touch of Rambo III to an event that is more Chariots of Fire.
They had plenty to hoot and holler about on Sunday. Four of the 28 players from across the pond who survived the cut made the most of “moving day” at the 144th Open Championship and will enter Monday’s final round within three shots of the lead. Still five more lurk within five strokes. No Tiger, no Bubba, no problem.
One by one they walked up the 18th fairway amid positively benign conditions, the crowd on Links Road clogged beyond hope as the drone of a busking bagpiper outside the grounds flirted with the cries of the seagulls overhead: the amateur Jordan Niebrugge (67, nine under for the championship) first, followed by Robert Streb (70, nine under) and Zach Johnson (70, nine under)
But none made a bigger impression than Jordan Spieth, the pre-tournament favourite whose bid for an historic calendar-year grand slam regained the momentum it had lost after the previous round’s even-par 72. The freakishly composed 21-year-old surged up the leaderboard with a six-under 66 on Sunday, positioning himself within striking distance of a third consecutive major championship.
After a frustrating second-round spanning two days that saw him putt 37 times – the most of any round in his professional career and nearly 10 more than his tour-leading average – he needed only 27 on Sunday afternoon. Around the course pockets of fans broke away from the action before them to park themselves in front of the large video screens as the young Texan opened the back nine with consecutive birdies on the 10th, 11th and 12th to pull briefly into a share of the lead.
Spieth is the fourth player to enter the Open with a chance at capturing each of the year’s first three majors since Ben Hogan last did the treble in 1953. None of the previous three entered the final round closer to the lead than Spieth’s one-stroke deficit: Tiger Woods had fallen behind 12 shots in 2002, Jack Nicklaus was six off the pace in 1972 and Arnold Palmer was four adrift in 1960.
Yet while it was Spieth who drew the biggest crowds on Sunday afternoon, a gaggle of lesser heralded Americans made runs of their own to position themselves nicely for the Open’s first Monday finish since 1988.
Niebrugge, the 21-year-old entering his senior year at Oklahoma State who punched his ticket by finishing second in April’s Open final qualifying tournament, had made his presence known with a five-under 67 in Thursday’s first round to equal the lowest ever score by an amateur in any Open round on the Old Course. Remarkably the Missouri native matched that mark on Sunday to move to nine under for the championship.
“We’ll just see where tomorrow takes me,” Niebrugge said afterwards. “I feel like I’m playing well enough and giving myself a lot of opportunities out there, so it’s just a matter of making some putts tomorrow and getting things going the right way.”
Streb fired a two-under 70 – extending a run of consistent golf that has seen him card 11 straight rounds under par – to join the former Masters champion Zach Johnson in a tie for sixth at nine under for the championship. The Kansas City resident, who won last year’s McGladrey Classic and made his major championship debut at this year’s Masters, had never been to St Andrews until this week – but spent Tuesday picking the brain of the five-times Open champion Tom Watson during a practice round.
Dustin Johnson, the clubhouse leader through 36 holes, bogeyed the final three holes to finish with a three-over 75.
“I played the worst round and I don’t feel like I played that bad,” the South Carolina man said. “I’m definitely going to have to put together a special round tomorrow to have a chance. But I’ll definitely be way out before the leaders, so get out early and get off to a really good start maybe. Anything can happen.”
The other Americans to make a move on Sunday included Rickie Fowler (66), Patrick Reed (67), Ryan Palmer (67) and Stewart Cink (68), who each came in under par to move within five strokes of the pace. All will need something special to break through against a top-heavy field.
“If conditions stay the same, then I hope that no one really takes off,” Fowler said. “Tomorrow I’ll have to put up a really good round to have a chance.”
