5 things to look forward to in the final round of the 144th British Open
The Old Course delivered an exciting British Open Sunday. The best part? There’s still one day to go at St. Andrews.
Storylines abound. An amateur is co-leading. The guy who won the last time the Old Course hosted is there, too. And, oh yeah, Jordan Spieth still has a chance at the third leg of the single-season Grand Slam.
Here are the five things we’re looking forward to on Monday at the Open:
1. Spieth and the Slam: The Slam is alive! Jordan Spieth’s Sunday 66 has him a shot behind the joint leaders Day, Oosthuizen and Day, which is closer than he thought he would be just after he finished his round. Spieth said he found something on the greens on Sunday, so look out on Monday.
2. Paul Dunne: The 22-year-old – actually eight months older than Spieth – is the first amateur since Bobby Jones in 1927 to have a share of the 54-hole lead at the Open. That’s bonkers. Now, can he forget that this is for the Claret Jug and do it again on Monday?
3. Louis and the Old Course Double: In the 28 prior Opens played at St. Andrews, four players have won back-to-back at St. Andrews, including Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. Were Louis Oosthuizen (-12) to win on Monday, six of the last nine Opens at the Old Course would be owned by three people.
4. A new Day: Jason Day (-12) has never been anything spectacular in the Open. In four prior starts, he had never finished better than T-30. Now Day is in position to win his first major at the one of the four where he has the worst record.
5. The wild cards: Padraig Harrington (-10), Sergio Garcia (-9), Justin Rose (-9), amateur Jordan Niebrugge (-9), Adam Scott (-9), Zach Johnson(-9), Retief Goosen (-9) and Robert Streb (-9) all lurk, no worse than three behind the lead. With tougher winds expected late in the day, it’s anyone’s ball game.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
