Jordan Spieth got his Open Championship campaign off to a strong start at St Andrews on Thursday, but in the end he had to bow to playing partner Dustin Johnson.
You never know over here. The temperature in the last 45 minutes has suddenly dropped, too. It can be sunny the one moment and very cold the next
Spieth got the better of Johnson on the 18th hole last month when he added the US Open to his triumph in April at the Masters.
But no hard feelings were evident between the American pair as they happily bantered away together and bagged birdies on a morning of low scoring.
Both reached the turn at fiveunder 31 after which it was Johnson who excelled down the more difficult back nine.
Tiger Woods laboured to a disappointing four-over par on day one at St Andrews and faces a mammoth task to survive until the weekend. Photo: AFP
He moved out to seven under 65, while Spieth’s normally reliable putter suddenly sputtered, coughing up bogeys at 13 and 17, the notorious Road Hole.
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The 21-year-old Texan, however, sunk a snaking 20-footer for birdie at the last and a round of 67.
Both Americans clearly stated their case that they are the men to beat at the fabled Old Course this weekend.
Dustin Johnson, beaten so narrowly at the US Open earlier this year, is the clubhouse leader at seven-under par. Photo: EPA
In the absence of the injured Rory McIlroy, Spieth is the focal point of the tournament as he can add the British open crown to the Masters and US Open titles he already owns, thus becoming just the second player, after Ben Hogan in 1953, to do so.
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Johnson just wants to win a major after near misses in all four grand slam tournaments in recent years.
His mid-morning draw, he agreed, had been beneficial.
