Jordan Spieth survives mini meltdown to win The British Open at Royal Birkdale

The 23-year-old went into Sunday with a three-shot lead, but shot three early bogeys to throw away that advantage early on in his round.

And Spieth seemed on the verge of a famous collapse – evoking memories of his disastrous final round at the Masters in 2016 – when his tee shot on the 13th was sliced so far off line that he was forced to take a drop on the adjacent driving range.

But with Matt Kuchar waiting for any further slip-ups, Spieth regained his composure with three birdies and an eagle in the final five holes to win The Open by three shots on 12 under par.

"I don't know how I made five on 13, I don't think I'll ever know, it's like I got away with murder," Spieth said after his win.

"This took as much out of me as any other round of golf I've played. I've had a couple of pretty dramatic final rounds in major championships but I'd have preferred 17 pars and a birdie.

"I knew I'm capable of closing these majors out. I put a lot of pressure on myself unfortunately before my round, as this was my best chance since the 2016 Masters. I didn't want my performance to be compared to that but, after four holes, it was even worse."