SOUTHPORT, England — Jordan Spieth’s ball was nestled in the knotty grass on a knoll, more than 120 yards right of the fairway he had aimed to reach. His hands flew to his head in mortification as he watched the shot’s wayward path. His first thought was that he would be lucky to escape with a double-bogey 6 on the hole, No. 13.
The three-stroke lead that Spieth had carried into the final round of the 146th British Open at Royal Birkdale was gone when he reached the 13th tee on Sunday. Spieth was tied with Matt Kuchar, the other competitor in his pairing, and he tried to block out memories of the last time he had frittered away a final-round lead at a major.