Masters demons ‘still haunt Spieth’
Willett may offer a recipe for disaster
Jordan Spieth arrived at Augusta this week looking resplendent in his green jacket, although, judging by the words of Nick Faldo, a straitjacket might be more appropriate until the young American banishes his demons on the 12th hole.
Spieth has cut an unsettled figure these past few weeks, as questions have inevitably rained down on how he expects to cope with the revered 155-yarder, where, 12 months ago, he dunked two balls in the water on his way to losing a five-shot lead, and the tournament, to Danny Willett.
In Austin, at the WGC Matchplay, Spieth snapped: ‘‘It will be nice once this year’s Masters has gone by, to be brutally honest with you.’’
And then last week in Houston, he said he and his caddie, Michael Greller, had nothing to be scared about at the course where he has finished second, first and second again in three attempts. Indeed, Spieth believes he should cause the collywobbles, not suffer them. ‘‘I think we know and the other players that are playing next week know that we strike fear in others next week,’’ Spieth said.
Yet Faldo sees it another way. Spieth has struggled in his past two tournaments, falling in the group stages at the Matchplay and then missing the cut at the Houston Open and Faldo believes those have results have occurred because of what is awaiting around the dogleg.
‘‘For Jordan I think it is all about the 12th on Thursday [Friday, NZ time],’’ Faldo said. ‘‘That’s why he has not played well this month - he’s been winding himself up about it. He’s got to get to that hole and deal with it. He’ll Defending US Master champion Danny Willett has been encouraged to produce a vomit-inducing menu for his champions dinner.
The exclusive dinner is a Masters tradition requiring the defending champion to host previous winners. This year’s dinner will feature six players currently in the world’s top 50 and two of them in the top 10. It will be held two days before the opening round tees off.
Willett has to come up with the menu and his cheeky and outspoken brother Peter has provided some useful suggestions based on their Swedish heritage.
‘‘By utilising a hint of ruthless intelligence, he could give a nostalgic nod towards his upbringing, whilst simultaneously poisoning a number of his direct competitors. Danny, through years of misfortune, has built up a staunch resistance to what could be his secret weapon – our Swedish mother’s cooking,’’ Peter Willett wrote for nationalclubgolfer.com.
feel every eyeball on him. But that’s sport, for you, and sometimes you have to square it up when you go back to a place where something has gone wrong for you.
‘‘So, he’ll have to put the ball down, make a good swing and hit the green. And if he makes a good job of it, then the monkey will be off his back.’’
The 23-year-old would not agree. He feels he performed the exorcism here in a few friendly rounds in December when he made birdie on the par three in consecutive days. But Colin Montgomerie believes Spieth is talking apple and azaleas.
‘‘For starters, a delight from her homeland: hard boiled eggs smothered in a pungent fish roe. This delectable canape´ is served by mum at Christmas. Imagine the claggy, cold, mushy bounce when biting into an overdone ovum and combine it with the musky, saltiness of something squeezed out of the end of a fish. This dish is likely to
‘‘Yeah, Jordan says he’s played the 12th in practice and birdied it, but wait until he gets a card and pen in his hand again and then see what happens,’’ Montgomerie said.
The Scot has suffered his own share of major frustration, most recently in the 2006 US Open when he needed only to hit the 18th green with a seven iron. Montgomerie missed and took a double-bogey.
‘‘It hurts when I go back to Winged Foot, just like it hurts Greg Norman when he comes back to Augusta [where the Australian conceded a six-shot lead to Faldo in 1996]. And that experience will cause illness in at least a third of the attendees.’’
He suggested another Scandinavian approach for the main course but would ‘‘combine it with another haunting echo from our childhood’’.
‘‘Take sliced bread, and lay it out the length of a table, then fill it with multiple layers of congealed horror. Not satisfied with the quadrupledecker monstrosity packed with all manner of pickled vegetables, flaked fish and sweaty cheese, you then lather it with a thick, sweet cream – to quote Ross from Friends: ‘It tastes like feet.’’’
Previous champions have served up dishes reflecting their heritage and own likings.
Jordan Spieth opted for a Texan BBQ, Australian Adam Scott delivered wagyu steak, Charl Schwartzel chose a South African braai (BBQ), Scotland’s Dany Lyle went for Haggis and Tiger Woods served up cheeseburgers, fries and milkshakes.
have hurt Jordan very badly.
‘‘You could see that throughout and afterwards. You know, when you are beaten by a better man who scores 64, 65, to your 68, you say ‘OK, you’ve beaten me, well done’. But the feeling of giving it to somebody, that hurts more than ever.
‘‘And for Jordan it will be a case of, ‘I had both hands on a green jacket again, and this time I just couldn’t button it up’. And that’s the key. He has a very, very old head on young shoulders. If anybody can come over that and through that back nine last year, Jordan can.’’