Spieth swing tinker worry

SLUMPING Jordan Spieth might never find his way back from the wilderness unless he stops analysing his swing in such detail and returns instead to his natural ways, says PGA Tour winner turned television analyst Brandel Chamblee.

Chamblee, citing British Open champions David Duval and Australian Ian BakerFinch as prime examples, pointed to a long list of players whose games went into permanent decline when they started tinkering with their swings.

“(Spieth) is part of a problem that is going on in golf right now, almost an epidemic of players (aged from the mid-20s to mid-30s) who just disappear off the planet,” Chamblee said. “If you put (Spieth) on a range and leave him alone he’ll put two and two together better than anybody else. You have to protect your talent and genius and do that at all costs. I see right now an onslaught of information overload.”

Chamblee and former major champion Paul Azinger were speaking on a conference call promoting NBC and Golf Channel’s coverage of the PGA Tour’s three-event FedEx Cup playoff series, which starts Friday with the Northern Trust Open.

Spieth, who won three major titles before the age of 24, was ranked second in the world as recently as last year but enters the playoffs way down in 69th on the FedEx Cup points list. He might not even qualify for the second playoff event next week, which will include only the top 70 in the standings.

The Texan is coming off one of the worst rounds of his career, a seven-over-par 77 at the Wyndham Championship on Saturday that was the day’s worst score by three shots.

Azinger sounded more confident that Spieth would find his way back, but like Chamblee urged the 26-year-old to keep it simple: “I believe he needs to get back to the softness and athleticism that he had when he first came out.”