Jordan Spieth had a wild ride to his third major championship, finishing on a five-under-par run after a disastrous outing on the 13th hole. And when the roller-coaster ride was over, Spieth gave a little speech that was by turns gracious, amusing and kind.
He thanked fans and the people who put on the tournament, but he also honestly appraised his behavior on 13, where his shot landed atop a rise and left everyone with short tempers as he took more than 20 minutes to decide how to play his way out of trouble. He carded a bogey, but went on to leave Matt Kuchar in his dust, pondering a tough loss. Afterward, in a speech on the Royal Birkdale 18th green, he thanked Kuchar for his indulgence and sympathized with the experience of not winning.
...Matt took it in stride, smiled and … there’s not many people who would have done that. And it speaks to the man you are, and you set a great example for all of us.
“Matt, I really enjoyed battling with you, buddy,” Spieth said. “Obviously it could have went to either one of us, I got the good breaks today. What a great champion Matt Kuchar is, and what a class act. I took about 20 minutes to play one of my shots today, and Matt took it in stride, smiled and … there’s not many people who would have done that. And it speaks to the man you are, and you set a great example for all of us.”