Matt Kuchar's 29 on front nine of British Open matches 1991 mark

SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — On a day when players made plenty of birdies at the British Open, no one made more on the front side than Matt Kuchar.

Kuchar matched a mark set by Ian Baker-Finch 26 years ago when he shot a 29 on the front nine today at Royal Birkdale.

Kuchar can only hope he ends up holding the claret jug, as Baker-Finch did when he shot his 29 on the final day of the British Open in 1991.

Kuchar made five birdies against five pars on the par-34 front nine, moving into a tie for the lead at 5 under with Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka. After making birdie on No. 9, he made five straight pars on the back nine and remained tied.

Kuchar's 29 was 10 shots better than the 39 shot by Rory McIlroy on the front nine. McIlroy was playing several groups behind Kuchar in the afternoon pairings.