SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – One day after Jordan Spieth shot a bogey-free 61 to validate the hard work to resurrect his game, he showed there is still work to be done in order to return to the winner’s circle.
Spieth shot 1-over 72 at TPC Scottsdale to finish in a share of fourth place, his first top-10 finish in nearly a year and his best result since finishing T-3 at the 2019 PGA Championship. Spieth expressed disappointment at shooting over par, but was pleased with the progress he’s made in shedding bad habits that infected his once-dependable swing.
“It is far from where I want it to be as far as how it feels, but, boy, I was debating not even playing this week, dropping out on Friday afternoon last week.”
When asked why he almost skipped playing in Phoenix, he said, “I felt like I was really far from where I needed to be and this golf course in general isn’t a great golf course for me historically, so I thought I could then go in to Pebble a little fresher. Boy, I’m glad I came.”
Waste Management Phoenix Open: Photos | Leaderboard | Winner’s bag | Money
Spieth opened with a pair of 67s and then blitzed TPC Scottsdale on Saturday to the tune of 10-under 61. He did it despite still struggling off the tee. He hit just 23 of 56 fairways, which ranked dead last of the 66 players that made the 36-hole cut. (Last season, he ranked 165th in SG: off-the-tee and entered the week No. 219 so far this campaign.)
On Sunday, Spieth missed the first fairway to the right with an iron. That proved to be an ominous sign of things to come. He made bogey at the first hole and took three putts from 59 feet at the par-3 7th hole. One day after canning a slew of long-range birdie putts, Spieth’s putter let him down.
Jordan Spieth finds the water on 15 and 17. He's +2 today after shooting 10-under yesterday.
He's T6 and three back. pic.twitter.com/2NGZuHMe33
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 7, 2021
“I needed to one-putt the last two to not have more than 36 putts today,” said Spieth, who made just 43 feet of putts on Sunday and lost nearly two strokes to the field with the flat stick. “Felt like I hit good putts, and as much as the lid was open other days, it was closed today.”
Spieth fanned his tee shot at No. 11 into the desert and was forced to chip out and made bogey. He didn’t make a birdie until the 13th hole. Yet he still had a chance until he tugged tee shots into the water at Nos. 15 and 17. His closing birdie was too little, too late.
Spieth played in the final group on Sunday for the first time since the 2018 British Open. On that day at Carnoustie, Spieth was paired with Xander Schauffele and they both spit the bit. On Sunday beneath a cloudless blue sky, it was déjà vu.
“We had an opportunity to get out and make it a two-man race on the front nine and we brought everybody back in. So that part is really frustrating,” Spieth said.
Spieth lead the field in Strokes Gained: approach, and he accentuated the positives from a tournament where he shot three rounds in the 60s, including a bogey-free 61, with a career-best 10 birdies.
“I was comfortable in the position I was in, and that’s a very new position for me, because it’s been a little while,” said Spieth. “You got to relearn what tendencies you have and then just keep on getting there, keep on getting in position. Then they go your way sometimes.”
Spieth’s journey back to relevance took a big step forward, but he still needs to find a dependable ball flight off the tee and avoid a two-way miss. He played a draw this week, but still missed too many fairways by a wide margin. Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee had plenty to say about Spieth’s game, but he also paid the following compliment, comparing Spieth to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“Jordan’s better when he’s out of the pocket, or out of play. It’s like his weakness allows him to show his greatness. With Patrick Mahomes, most quarterbacks are trying to limit their losses but he’s looking down field and trying to make a big play. That’s Jordan Spieth in a nutshell,” Chamblee said. “That was No. 10 (on Saturday). He hit it off the golf course. Shotlink couldn’t find it. He missed the green but got it back in play. And then he chips it in. Who chips that in? Who makes birdie from that position? Who makes those putts at 16 and 17 back to back? Who does that? Tiger Woods is the only person I’ve seen who does that.”
It was five years ago that Tiger struggled with the chipping yips here and he found his game to win another Masters in 2019. Can Spieth build on this week to achieve something as memorable as his first act?
“I’m only looking forward. Only looking at this from a positive angle right now. I really am,” he said. “I believe in what I’m doing. A result like this just helps confirm what I was already feeling, and that just moves the needle the right direction.”
from Golfweek https://ift.tt/3a0oxQV