Jordan’s demons return at Augusta
JORDAN SPIETH’S Augusta demons returned to haunt him yesterday as he took another quadruple bogey – this time with a shocking NINE on the 15th hole.
Last year the 2015 champion, who had led for 129 consecutive holes, slapped two balls into Rae’s Creek on his way to a seven on the par-three hole.
He then finished three shots behind winner Danny Willett.
The Texan visited Augusta in December in a self-confessed bid to exorcise the memory of his Masters meltdown – and birdied the 155-yard hole twice.
He returned to the 12th for the first time in competition to huge applause and hit a solid short iron through the wind to the fringe on the back of the green.
Spieth’s long birdie putt came up short and he tapped in for par.
When the world No.6 rolled in a birdie putt at 13, he was just a shot off the lead. But after bogeying 14 to return to level par, he unravelled again in eerily similar style to last year.
Spieth’s third shot to the parfive 15th went into the lake and he sailed his fifth way over the putting surface. His return chip flirted with going back into the same water and he three-putted to drop to four-over par.
He hit his tee shot at the par-three 16th to three feet to follow his nine with a two. And a fine par-saving putt at 18 saw him finish with a three-over 75.
Ryder Cup star Thomas Pieters raced to the top of the leaderboard with five birdies in his opening 10 holes.
But after racking up his first bogey at 11, the world No.35’s tee shot at the 12th fell into Rae’s Creek and he missed a 12-footer to card a double bogey.
Pieters said: “If you catch the wrong gust at the wrong time, you look stupid. Like I did on 12.”