Golf's oldest major championship has a 2017 winner: Jordan Spieth, an American.
A dramatic final round capped the tournament, with Spieth vying with fellow American Matt Kuchar for the top position. China's Li Haotong finished six strokes back in third place.
Spieth, 23, started the day with a three-shot lead over Kuchar, but temporarily lost it after a shaky performance for the first 13 holes, including an almost catastrophic drive on the 13th that required him to take an unplayable and drop between sponsorship trucks.
But he regained his footing on the home stretch scoring a birdie, an eagle, and two more birdies to win the tournament.
Only 23 years old, Spieth already has two major championship titles, and was heavily favored to win entering Sunday's final round. Kuchar, 39, has never won a major title.
Earlier in the tournament, South African Branden Grace broke the record for lowest score ever in a men's major championship – a 62.
NPR's Tom Goldman reported on Saturday:
Afterwards, the 29-year-old South African said he wasn't aware of history unfolding because he was in a zone. Said Grace, "sometimes it helps not knowing these things." 62 has been a major tournament holy grail — players have shot 63 31 times, with several near misses. Last year at the British Open, American Phil Mickelson missed a putt for 62 by an inch. But Saturday, Grace calmly sank a putt from a few feet away on the final hole to claim the record.
Jordan Spieth's win at the British Open makes him one of only two golfers to win three of the four major championships before the age of 24. The only other is Jack Nicklaus, who holds the all-time record with 18 major titles. Spieth will try for his fourth next month at the PGA Championship.
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