Spieth's sizzling 65 grabs share of 54-hole lead at The Open
Another year, another Jordan Spieth appearance atop the leaderboard after three rounds of the Open Championship.
The 24-year-old came to Carnoustie hoping to defend his title from Royal Birkdale last year and sits poised to do so after a sizzling 65 left him tied with Xander Schauffele and Kevin Kisner heading into the final round on Sunday.
Spieth arrived at the course on Saturday with a fresh haircut, and his game was equally as sharp as the new look. Spieth wasted no time announcing to the field that he meant business, driving the green on the 386-yard opening hole and calmly rolling in the eagle putt.
He would scatter four more birdies on his card for the rest of the 17 holes and avoid any bogeys to go to 9-under for the championship.
Thanks to an incredible closing stretch with three birdies in his final five holes, Schauffele will play in the final group alongside Spieth, while the 36-hole leader, Kisner, will be in the second-to-last group with Kevin Chappell.
| Place | Player | Total to par | Round 3 score |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Jordan Spieth | -9 | 65 |
| T1 | Xander Schauffele | -9 | 67 |
| T1 | Kevin Kisner | -9 | 68 |
| 4 | Kevin Chappell | -7 | 67 |
| 5 | Francesco Molinari | -6 | 65 |
| T6 | Tiger Woods | -5 | 66 |
| T6 | Webb Simpson | -5 | 67 |
| T6 | Alex Noren | -5 | 67 |
| T6 | Matt Kuchar | -5 | 70 |
| T6 | Rory McIlroy | -5 | 70 |
| T6 | Tommy Fleetwood | -5 | 71 |
| T6 | Zach Johnson | -5 | 72 |
While Spieth is the headliner, an incredible chase pack will make Sunday a highly entertaining round at the famed Scottish links.
Tiger Woods turned in a vintage performance with six birdies on his way to a 66 and will enter the final round just four shots off the pace. Due to a number of back issues, Woods hasn't played in The Open since 2015 and will have a legitimate shot at his 15th career major with a strong round Sunday.
Other names at 5-under that will catch the attention of the leaders include Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, and Matt Kuchar.
McIlroy had it to 7-under with three holes to play but limped to the clubhouse with two bogeys to fall back to 5-under. The 29-year-old has been a fixture in majors his entire career but hasn't claimed one since the 2014 PGA Championship.
Fleetwood struggled to repeat the brilliance he showed during an incredible 65 in Round 2, posting an even-par 71. His first career major is certainly within reach as the Englishman already showed at last month's U.S. Open that he can close with a bang.
Kuchar, who finished second to Spieth in last year's epic Open Championship, once again finds himself with a chance to win his first major, sitting four shots off the pace heading into Sunday.
Winds are expected to blow significantly harder than they have all week at Carnoustie, so the low scores from Saturday likely won't be replicated. That makes this tournament wide open, and with 12 players sitting within four shots of the lead, anything can happen in the final round.