SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — During one of Jordan Spieth’s many low points Sunday in the British Open, his caddie reminded him of a photo from a Mexico beach holiday two weeks ago that showed him in All-Star company that included Michael Phelps and Michael Jordan.
The message: “You belong in that group.”
Spieth left little doubt with a closing performance that ranks among the greatest finishes in major championship history.
Trailing for the first time all weekend at Royal Birkdale — and lucky it was only one stroke thanks to a shot from the driving range — the 23-year-old Texan followed with a birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie stretch that allowed him to close with a 1-under 69 and win the British Open by three shots over Matt Kuchar.
Spieth captured the third leg of the career Grand Slam and heads to the PGA Championship next month with a chance to be the youngest to win them all.
“This is as much of a high as I’ve ever experienced in my golfing life,” Spieth said.
And it all started in a spot so dire it looked as though he would endure another major meltdown.
The break of the tournament — and a moment that will rate alongside Seve Ballesteros making birdie from the car park when he won at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 1979 — was when Spieth discovered the range was part of the course.
His tee shot was so far to the right on the par-4 13th hole that it sailed some 75 yards from the fairway and settled in thick grass on a dune so steep he could hardly stand up, let alone take a swing. The only smart option was to take a one-shot penalty for an unplayable lie.
And that’s when Spieth showed his golfing brain is as valuable as any club in his bag.
He had the presence to ask if the driving range was out of bounds. It wasn’t, which allowed him to go back in a straight line from the flag until he was on the range among the equipment trucks. After getting free relief from them, he still faced a blind shot over the dunes to a hole littered by pot bunkers. He hit 3-iron just short of a bunker near the green , pitched over it to about 7 feet and made what he considers the most important putt of the day to escape with bogey.
And then came the finishing kick like Phelps, the go-ahead jumper like Jordan.
Spieth hit 6-iron to the 14th that landed in front of the flag and came within inches of an ace, leading to a short birdie putt to regain the lead. On the par-5 15th, he rolled in a 50-foot eagle putt and playfully barked at caddie Michael Greller to pick it out of the cup. “Go get that,” he said, pointing to the hole.
And he wasn’t done.
Spieth rolled in a 30-foot putt across the 16th green for a two-shot lead, and he kept that margin by pouring in a 7-foot putt to match birdies with Kuchar.
The final putt for par was a tap-in, as easy a shot as he had all day.
“To follow that bogey on 13 with great golf shots and great putts, and play the final five holes in 5-under par, I was just very happy for him and very impressed to watch all that guts, determination and skill,” Jack Nicklaus posted on Facebook.
Spieth and Jack Nicklaus are the only players to win three different majors at age 23.
“This is a dream come true for me,” Spieth said, gazing at his name on the silver claret jug. “Absolutely a dream come true.”
For so much of Sunday, it felt like a recurring nightmare.
Just 15 months ago, Spieth lost a five-shot lead on the back nine at the Masters, coming undone with a quadruple-bogey 7 on the 12th hole. It was more of a slow bleed at Royal Birkdale, with three bogeys on the opening four holes and four putts inside 8 feet that he missed on the front nine to fall into a tie with Kuchar.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself unfortunately, and not on purpose, before the round today, just thinking this is the best opportunity that I’ve had since the ‘16 Masters,” he said. “And if it weren’t to go my way today, then all I’m going to be questioned about and thought about and murmured about is in comparison to that. And that adds a lot of pressure to me.
“Closing today was extremely important for the way I look at myself.”
Kuchar, playing in the final group of a major for the first time, could only watch. He had a one-shot lead after 13 holes, played the next four holes with two birdies and two pars and found himself two shots behind and out of luck.
Kuchar walked off the green to find his wife and two sons waiting, a surprise because they had been in Colorado the day before, and it added to the emotions.
“It’s crushing. It hurts. And it’s an excitement and a thrill to have played well, put up a battle, put up a fight,” said Kuchar, who closed with a 69. “I can only control what I do, how I play. Jordan is a great champion and certainly played that way in the finishing stretch today. It was impressive stuff. All you can really do is sit back, tip your cap and say, ‘Well done.’ And it was certainly a show that he put on.”
Zach Johnson, Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler were among those who waited by the 18th to watch Spieth capture yet another major. Johnson won at St. Andrews two years ago, when Spieth missed the playoff by one shot in his bid for the calendar Grand Slam. Spieth drank wine from the jug that year, which he was told was bad luck for anyone wanting to possess the trophy one day.
“I started to believe them a bit through nine holes today,” he said. “It feels good to have this in my hands.”
From the driving range to the claret jug, Spieth put himself in hallowed territory just four days before his 24th birthday. Gene Sarazen in 1923 was the only other player with three majors before turning 24.
Spieth won for the third time this year, moved to No. 2 in the world and already has 11 victories on the PGA Tour.
Li Haotong of China shot a 63 and finished third at 6-under 274. He was on the practice range in case the leaders came back to him, and it was odd to see Spieth join him there as he tried to figure out how to get out of his jam.
Moments later, when he heard one massive roar after another, Spieth delivered the answer.

British Open Scores
Sunday
At Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Southport, England
Purse: $10.25 million
Yardage: 7,156; Par: 70
Final Round
Jordan Spieth (600), $1,845,000    65-69-65-69    —    268
Matt Kuchar (330), $1,067,000    65-71-66-69    —    271
Hao Tong Li, $684,000    69-73-69-63    —    274
Rafa Cabrera Bello (135), $480,000    67-73-67-68    —    275
Rory McIlroy (135), $480,000    71-68-69-67    —    275
Branden Grace (95), $281,000    70-74-62-70    —    276
Brooks Koepka (95), $281,000    65-72-68-71    —    276
Marc Leishman (95), $281,000    69-76-66-65    —    276
Alex Noren, $281,000    68-72-69-67    —    276
Matthew Southgate, $281,000    72-72-67-65    —    276
Paul Casey (72), $175,333    66-77-67-67    —    277
Chan Kim, $175,333    72-68-67-70    —    277
Henrik Stenson (72), $175,333    69-73-65-70    —    277
Austin Connelly, $128,917    67-72-66-73    —    278
Jason Dufner (58), $128,917    73-71-66-68    —    278
Zach Johnson (58), $128,917    75-66-71-66    —    278
Hideki Matsuyama (58), $128,917    68-72-66-72    —    278
Ian Poulter (58), $128,917    67-70-71-70    —    278
Chris Wood, $128,917    71-72-68-67    —    278
Charley Hoffman (50), $104,500    67-73-72-67    —    279
Xander Schauffele (50), $104,500    69-75-70-65    —    279
Richard Bland, $88,000    67-72-70-71    —    280
Rickie Fowler (42), $88,000    71-71-67-71    —    280
Jamie Lovemark (42), $88,000    71-69-70-70    —    280
Richie Ramsay, $88,000    68-70-70-72    —    280
Adam Scott (42), $88,000    69-74-70-67    —    280
Aaron Baddeley (29), $64,500    69-76-72-64    —    281
Daniel Berger (29), $64,500    68-76-70-67    —    281
Jason Day (29), $64,500    69-76-65-71    —    281
David Drysdale, $64,500    72-73-66-70    —    281
Tony Finau (29), $64,500    70-73-67-71    —    281
Tommy Fleetwood, $64,500    76-69-66-70    —    281
Thongchai Jaidee, $64,500    70-73-68-70    —    281
Andrew Johnston (29), $64,500    69-74-67-71    —    281
Bubba Watson (29), $64,500    68-72-71-70    —    281
Lee Westwood, $64,500    71-74-69-67    —    281
Laurie Canter, $45,286    70-72-72-68    —    282
Sergio Garcia (18), $45,286    73-69-68-72    —    282
Russell Henley (18), $45,286    70-70-75-67    —    282
Martin Kaymer, $45,286    72-72-70-68    —    282
Soren Kjeldsen (18), $45,286    71-71-72-68    —    282
Webb Simpson (18), $45,286    71-74-70-67    —    282
Steve Stricker (18), $45,286    70-72-69-71    —    282
Yi Keun Chang, $31,070    71-71-71-70    —    283
Andrew Dodt, $31,070    69-75-69-70    —    283
Ross Fisher, $31,070    70-72-66-75    —    283
Matthew Fitzpatrick, $31,070    69-73-68-73    —    283
Sung Kang (11), $31,070    68-73-76-66    —    283
Joost Luiten, $31,070    68-72-70-73    —    283
Kevin Na (11), $31,070    68-75-68-72    —    283
Thomas Pieters, $31,070    69-75-68-71    —    283
Jon Rahm (11), $31,070    69-74-70-70    —    283
Peter Uihlein, $31,070    72-72-69-70    —    283
Scott Hend, $25,843    71-74-65-74    —    284
J.B. Holmes (6), $25,843    71-72-71-70    —    284
Dustin Johnson (6), $25,843    71-72-64-77    —    284
Kevin Kisner (6), $25,843    70-71-74-69    —    284
Justin Rose (6), $25,843    71-74-69-70    —    284
Toby Tree, $25,843    70-75-69-70    —    284
Jimmy Walker (6), $25,843    72-72-70-70    —    284
Ernie Els (5), $25,000    68-73-70-74    —    285
K.T. Kim, $24,500    73-71-69-73    —    286
Michael Lorenzo-Vera, $24,500    75-70-70-71    —    286
Shaun Norris, $24,500    71-74-65-76    —    286
Sean O’Hair (4), $24,500    72-73-71-70    —    286
Thorbjorn Olesen, $24,500    70-72-74-70    —    286
Charl Schwartzel (4), $24,500    66-78-71-71    —    286
Young-han Song, $24,500    71-74-69-72    —    286
Alfie Plant, $0    71-73-69-73    —    286
Joseph Dean, $23,556    72-72-70-73    —    287
Brandon Stone, $23,556    73-72-68-74    —    287
Andy Sullivan, $23,556    70-75-69-73    —    287
Gary Woodland (3), $23,556    70-69-74-74    —    287
James Hahn (3), $23,163    68-76-70-74    —    288
Bernd Wiesberger, $23,163    69-75-71-73    —    288
Danny Willett (3), $22,975    71-74-73-71    —    289
Kent Bulle, $22,850    68-72-74-76    —    290