Johnson still up
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland—The grand pursuit of Jordan Spieth, redemption for Dustin Johnson, the mystery that has become Tiger Woods. It all came to a momentary halt Friday in the gloaming of St. Andrews when Tom Watson said goodbye to the British Open.
Watson, the most prolific winner of golf’s oldest championship in the last century, finished his 129th round with lights from the Royal & Ancient clubhouse illuminating the 18th green. The five-time champion made bogey. The score was irrelevant.
“There were no tears,” Watson said. “This is a joyous occasion. I have a lot of great, great memories. And those memories filled me up.”
A heavy downpour at dawn flooded the Old Course and disrupted the start by more than three hours. Johnson and Spieth teed off shortly before 6 p.m. and were headed in different directions when it was too dark to continue.
Johnson had three birdies in four holes on the front nine and built a two-shot lead before he made his first bogey of the tournament. He three-putted on the 11th in wind so severe he had to back off a putt and wipe his eyes.
Johnson was at 10-under par.
Spieth three-putted for bogey three times in 11 holes to offset three birdies and was five shots behind Johnson, whom he beat by one shot in the US Open last month to capture the second leg of the Grand Slam.
Both were just short on the par-5 14th hole in two shots when they chose to mark their golf balls and return at 7 a.m. Saturday to resume the round.
Danny Willett of England had to cope with the wind, too, and he had a 3-under 69 to walk off the 18th green with his name atop the leaderboard at 9-under 135.
Nick Faldo, the three-time Open champion regarded as Britain’s greatest champion, also came out of the TV tower to play St. Andrews one last time. He thrust his arms in the air atop the Swilcan Bridge and saved par for a 71.
And then there was Woods, headed toward the wrong kind of history. Barring a burst of birdies when he returns Saturday morning—the kind of form he has not shown in two years—he was likely to miss the cut in the US Open and the British Open for the first time in the same year. Woods was 5 over with seven holes to play. AP
