Nine years ago, Jordan Spieth won the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale. It was his third major at the age of 23. Everything seemed to be in front of him. Golf sometimes has different ideas.
Spieth arrived back at Royal Birkdale this week having won just two times since that victory in 2017. He remains stuck on three career majors, and, despite his claims that he’s close to being back, has yet to show any real tangible sign that he has found the key to returning to the top of the golf world. But there was hope that this week, back at the site of his last major win, Jordan Spieth could find Jordan Spieth again.
“I’ll never believe that until I’m at a point in my career where my health or whatever would be that because, I mean, if you give up on reaching your ceiling, then I don’t see a point in playing anymore,” Spieth said on Monday. “For me it’s always about I’ll do everything I can to be trying to be at the very best in the world because I know that I can be. I have been. It’s nice to have the blueprint.”
Spieth might have the blueprint, but what he’s been building is still under construction. An ETA on the finish date is unknown, but it wasn’t this week in Southport.
He opened with a three-over 73 and then bombed out on Friday, shooting a 77 that included a three-putt from three feet and a quadruple bogey on the par-5 17th.
He’s one of nine surprising players who missed the cut at Royal Birkdale. Players at one over par or better will play the weekend.
Surprising players who missed the Open cut
Jordan Spieth
What he shot: 73-77 (10-over)
Why it’s surprising: Spieth has played good golf this year but has failed to put it all together in a single tournament. He came into the week having made 16 of 18 cuts on the year but was without a top 10. Royal Birkdale felt like a place where Spieth could put the pieces together. Instead, he limped out of the gates and then jettisoned on Friday as he tried to push the pedal down to make the weekend.
Justin Rose
What he shot: 75-68 (3-over)
Why it’s surprising: Another player with good Birkdale memories, Rose was a trendy pick to be in the mix this week in Southport. But he made six bogeys and a double in the first round and didn’t have enough to get it back inside the cutline on Friday.
Matthew Fitzpatrick
What he shot: 72-72 (4-over)
Why it’s surprising: Fitzpatrick has been one of the four best players in the world this year. He has three wins and arrived at Royal Birkdale off a T3 in Scotland. The Englishman never got it going at Royal Birkdale and bemoaned some bad links golf luck after missing the cut by three shots.
“It is disappointing, but like I say, I didn’t really feel like I played that bad,” Fitzpatrick said on Friday. “I’ve hit three shots today that I’ve hit them exactly how I wanted them, and one is in a bush 30 yards long. One has basically been on the green for basically 15 seconds and then dropped off the green, and that’s another dropped shot. Then I’ve hit one that somehow has gone less than the normal number, and there’s 15 yards of help downwind. Now all of a sudden you’re plugged in the face of a bunker. So I’ve got four shots, and three shots I’ve hit good. That’s the way links golf is. When it’s this firm, there’s a lot of luck of the bounces and luck of the lies. It is what it is.”
Viktor Hovland
What he shot: 70-74
Why it’s surprising: Another trendy pick to compete this week, Hovland is just a few weeks removed from beating Scottie Scheffler in a playoff to win the Travelers. He followed that up with a solid week in Scotland and seemed like he was in a good spot to potentially win the first major of his career. Instead, Hovland played holes 4-10 in five over on Friday and missed the cut by two.
Wyndham Clark
What he shot: 73-70
Why it’s surprising: Clark has been arguably the hottest player in the world since missing the cut at the PGA. He won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson and then went wire-to-wire at Shinnecock Hills to win his second U.S. Open. Clark tied for 13th in Scotland and arrived as a popular pick to once again be in the mix at a major championship. But a 73 in Round 1 put him behind the gun, and two early double bogeys on Friday sealed his fate. Clark made a late charge, going birdie-birdie-eagle from 15 through 17, but it was too little, too late.
Tom Kim
What he shot: 70-73
Why it’s surprising: Kim just won the Scottish Open and is a talented links player. He opened with a steady even-par 70, putting him in position to be a factor at Birkdale. But Friday was a different story. Kim opened with a bogey and never got back on track, eventually making six bogeys to three birdies to head home early.
Cam Smith
What he shot: 73-69
Why it’s surprising: Smith appeared to have turned a corner at majors when he tied for seventh at the PGA Championship. He missed the cut at Shinnecock but still seemed to be in good form, arriving at Birkdale. A former Open champion who won on a fast and fiery St. Andrews, Smith seemed like a good bet to get into the mix this week. But Smith opened with a three-over 73 and needed a solid Friday to secure a weekend tee time. Early on Friday, Smith seemed to have found his groove. He birdied two, four, seven and eight, around a bogey at six, to jump back inside the cut line at even par. Smith made five straight pars to start the back nine, but then trouble struck at the par-3 15th. He missed the green with his tee shot and then hit his chip just four feet. His second chip left him 12 feet for bogey, but he missed the putt and tapped in for double. He was unable to pick up a shot in the final three holes and will miss his eighth major cut in his last nine starts.
“Just one bad swing. That’s the golf course in major championships,” Smith said of the double bogey on 15. “They just constantly ask questions. If you hit a poor one, you’ve got to back it up with a good one. Yeah, I wish I could take that back.”
Joaquin Niemann
What he shot: 76-68
Why it’s surprising: Niemann’s major championship struggles are well-documented. But after a T18 at Aronimink and a T7 at the U.S. Open, it looked like Niemann had finally turned the corner. But a first-round 76 with no birdies led to an early major exit.
Padraig Harrington
What he shot: 80-69
Why it’s surprising: The 54-year-old missing the cut isn’t surprising in itself, but the opening-round 80 was unexpected. Harrington finished T18 at Aronimink and won the U.S. Senior Open a few weeks ago. He’s a two-time Open champion who still has the game to be around at majors. He improved by 11 shots on Friday but didn’t see a big difference in his game.
“I was trying to beat the fat lady for quite a while on Thursday. The fat lady is 88. Two fat ladies: 88. I tried on every shot, and I was trying to break 80. I shot 80,” Harrington told GOLF’s Michael Bamberger on Friday.
“Today, 69. The difference between Thursday and Friday? Just golf. I didn’t play any better today than I did yesterday. I can tell you after yesterday, I was keen to go out there and shoot a good number. I didn’t play well yesterday and probably should have shot 75. I didn’t play much better today. Yesterday I had a few breaks that didn’t help me. Today I got a few breaks that did. But there wasn’t a massive difference.”
