Sparkling Spieth charges through Open field with 66

By Paul Ingrassia ST ANDREWS, Scotland (Reuters) - Jordan Spieth was so frustrated on Sunday after a first nine holes that ended in a bogey and saw him slipping down the British Open leaderboard that the normally unflappable 21-year-old American wunderkind punched his bag in frustration. Then everything clicked. "I had pretty poor putting on the front nine, missing just left, but on (holes) 10 and 11 I made an adjustment," Spieth said. The result: four birdies and no bogeys on a back nine that had bedeviled him during the 144th British Open here. Spieth's 66 left him at 11 under par after three rounds, one stroke behind three co-leaders as he strives to become the only man since 1953 to win the first three of golf’s four majors -- this one, the U.S. Open and the Masters. If he prevails in the final round, being played on Monday due to weather delays on Friday and Saturday, and then wins the US PGA next month, Spieth will become the only golfer ever to win golf’s fabled Grand Slam in the same year. The quest for history "hasn’t crept into my head," Spieth said in his post-round news conference. "I’m focused on winning this golf tournament. I do recognise what's at stake but I want to simplify things and go about my business." Spieth, already jet-lagged after an overnight flight to Scotland a week ago after winning America’s John Deere Classic, got less than five hours sleep on Friday after rain delayed the second round and forced him to play late. He then rose at 4:45 a.m. on Saturday only to play for half an hour before the tournament was postponed again for high winds. Spieth, who criticised the decision to send players out on Saturday morning in gusty conditions, finally finished the second round on Saturday evening after an 11-hour delay. He said he got "enough sleep to catch up," before playing round three on Sunday, but his first nine holes were lacklustre at a time when everyone else seemed to be bagging birdies. "To be (only) two under at that point, I was extremely frustrated," said Spieth, who has impressed observers with his calm demeanour under pressure. "But I bounced back, even though the inward nine gave me trouble the first two rounds." He was helped by tricky par-saving putts on the 13th, 14th and 17th holes and by a nifty up-and-down to save par after an errant chip rolled off the 18th green. Spieth now goes into Monday's battle with a vast array of players still in the hunt. A shot ahead are Louis Oosthuizen, who won the Open at St. Andrews when it was last played here five years ago, Jason Day, ranked ninth in the world (Spieth is ranked second) and Paul Dunne, an Irish amateur enjoying a dream week. Fourteen players are within three shots of the lead, though second-round leader Dustin Johnson slumped to a 75 and stands five strokes off the pace. Spieth is relishing the battle. "Maybe I’ll be a little more confident after finishing strong on Sunday," he said. "I’d like to have a chance to do something nobody has ever done." (Editing by Mitch Phillips)