Jordan Spieth said so many nice things about Austin Connelly this weekend it was easy to believe the 20-year-old Canadian could mount a respectable chase on the final afternoon of the 146th Open at Royal Birkdale. He almost did, in a rollercoaster round of highs and lows. There will be plenty of the same, and better, to come.
A skinny, self-possessed kid born in Texas of an American mother and Canadian father, Connelly will leave the Lancashire coast with fond memories of his first appearance in a major, as well as a few lessons about the cruelty of the game. He handles himself like a seasoned pro in front of the microphone, neither overawed by his circumstances nor indifferent to them.
When he eagled the the 422-yard par four second on Saturday, he said he was determined to ignore the cheers of the gallery, and set a steely gaze on the horizon to complete the round in 66, to go with 67 on day one and 72 on the Friday, when the rain and wind struck the tournament like a torpedo. That sort of attitude so closely mirrors the single-mindedness of Spieth it can be no coincidence that they share a swing coach in the Texas-based Australian, Cameron McCormick.
On Sunday, four key mistakes on the front nine and a double bogey on one of the toughest holes on the course – the 499-yard par four 13th – plus another near the end put a hole in Connelly’s closing score, but he also found enough touch with four birdies coming to post 73 for a 278 total and a share of 14th place.
While he struggled to match his friend’s mastery of the course on a day not as benign as Saturday but friendlier than the first two rounds, he showed there is plenty of fight in him. Other prodigies flickered briefly here and there, but Connelly shone brightest.
Muscle and style
And there was a contrast of muscle and style alongside his partner for the run home, Brooks Koepka, who goes to the tee like a heavyweight boxer entering the ring. Flyweight Connelly pecked away while Koepka swung hard, closing three under with 71, four under for 276.
The inbuilt schadenfreude in golf is most starkly evident on the final afternoon, especially so when the leader starts 11 under par and owns a putter with its own radar. But Connelly harboured no such dark thoughts about the overnight leader they all hoped would fall in a heap.
Perhaps it was because Spieth said this about him: “I’ve played quite a bit of golf with him. He’s been working with Cameron for a long time, just like myself. He’s got a great head. He’s got a killer instinct. He’s a guy that’s not afraid of the moment, as you can tell. And it will only be a matter of time before he breaks through.”
Connelly, who plays on the European Tour, does not have Spieth’s swing, of course, and he has to operate with firepower some way short of the American’s, but he knows how to use his irons and putter. On Sunday, he hit half the greens in regulation and took 28 putts. Hanging out with Spieth has its obvious upside.
Connelly started on six under, five shots behind Spieth, slipped off the leader board before he turned for home and briefly clambered back on to it with birdies at 11 and 12, before a double bogey dragged him to one under with six to play and the wind kicking up to around 20 miles an hour.
He hit back immediately with a third birdie, at the 200-yard par three 14th. The 15th fell to him, as well. Were we about to witness something remarkable? Elsewhere, Spieth had descended into a 17-minute drama of his own creation, going out beyond the broadcaster’s trucks, agonising over his response in drawn-out discussions with the rules adjudicator, taking a penalty drop and, from an unplayable lie, somehow escaping with a bogey. What happened thereafter hit the realms of the unbelievable.
Routine finish
By comparison, Connelly’s finish was routine. He was back on the leaderboard, tied for 10th at five under, with three holes to work with. He parred 16. Could he make another dent on 17, where eagles and birdies have flown all week? No. He bogeyed again, while Koepka grabbed a third birdie. A par at the end was a relief.
Never the less, Connelly can reflect on the best summer of his young career. He qualified for the Open with a 15-foot putt on the first extra hole to grab the third and final place in the 36-hole qualifying tournament at the Royal Cinque Ports course in Kent last month, and he made the most of his opportunities here.
Although he has been invited to the Canadian Open next week, he wants to secure his European Tour card, revealing “I really, really believe that I’ll come away a stronger player after spending a few years on the European Tour. I’m very content with being out there right now.”
As Paul McGinley observed, “He’s got to be very proud of himself this week. He’s challenged and done well at the biggest tournament in the world.”
To finish just 10 shots behind one of the finest winners the Open has had in many years, four clear of Masters champion Sergio Garcia and six ahead of world No1 Dustin Johnson was some achievement.
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