ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – Jordan Spieth played like he had a Grand Slam to win.
Dustin Johnson played like he had a score to settle.
The two main characters from last month’s U.S. Open at Chambers Bay brought their games across eight time zones and an ocean Thursday, setting the tone at St. Andrews for what could be another riveting battle at the British Open.
Spieth – already the 2015 Masters and U.S. Open champion – quickly seized on his opportunity for a third straight major with six birdies in his first 11 holes, fought through a chilly wind on the inward nine and closed with a birdie for a 5-under-par 67 that put him two shots out of the lead.
Johnson, whose three-putt from 12 feet on the final hole cost him a shot at the U.S. Open title, looked as daunting as ever. He simply overpowered the Old Course with such force that he hit wedge into 10 of the par 4s and had an eagle putt on another. With a pair of big par saves on the tough closing holes, he played bogey-free for a 65 and for at least a day delivered on a warning he made earlier in the week.