Spieth ends drought with Texas win
He went 82 events on tour without winning
SAN ANTONIO — Jordan Spieth tapped in for par to win the British Open for his third major and 11th victory in just five years on the PGA Tour. He never imagined he would go 1,351 days before he felt that way again.
He went 82 events on tour without winning. Once the No. 1 player, he was headed out of the top 100 in the world. And now he’s back. Spieth ended a mystifying slump Sunday by giving himself birdie chances and making most of them, closing with a 6-under 66 to hold off Charley Hoffman for a two-shot victory in the Valero Texas Open.
“There’s peaks and valleys in this sport, but I never expected to go this long,” Spieth said. “Back then, in between wins, maybe I took things more for granted than I should have. It’s very difficult to win out here and I’ll certainly enjoy this one as much as I have any other.”
The only surprise was that he figured he would be more emotional. He was too busy holding off a spirited run by Hoffman, who went from a three-shot deficit with six holes to play to one shot behind. Spieth all but sealed it with a wedge to a back pin to 5 feet for birdie.
“This is a monumental win for me,” Spieth said. “It’s been a long road. There were a lot of times that I didn’t know I would be here.”
Now he heads to Augusta National as one of the favorites at the Masters. Even going so long without winning, the 12th win of his career allowed him to join some elite company. In the past 40 years, only Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas have won at least 12 times before turning 28.
The 27-year-old from Dallas showed signs of turning it around after starting the year by missing the cut at Torrey Pines. He was tied for the 54-hole lead in Phoenix. He led by two going into the final round at Pebble Beach. He was two behind going into the last day at Bay Hill. He reached the weekend of the Dell Match Play.
“I’ve had a chance on Sundays three or four different times in the last two months, and today was by far the best that I played,” Spieth said. “Just to see those putts go in, I felt like I was doing everything right those other Sundays and I hit good putts and they wouldn’t go in. Today I hit a couple that I didn’t quite strike very well but they went in.”
Tied for the lead with Matt Wallace going into Sunday at the TPC San Antonio, Spieth moved out in front and didn’t let anyone catch him. He built a threeshot lead with a birdie on the 12th hole, when Hoffman made him sweat.
Hoffman chipped in for birdie on the par-3 13th and holed a 20-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the par-3 16th to get within one shot. But he found a bunker off the tee on the short par-4 17th and had to settle for par as Spieth moved two shots ahead, and they both made par on the closing hole.
“I’ve lost golf tournaments, I’ve won golf tournaments, but today Jordan won the golf tournament,” Hoffman said. “Obviously I put some pressure on. Obviously I would have liked to have hit some better shots coming down the stretch, but gave myself an opportunity coming down the 18th fairway and that’s all you can ask for. Hats off to Jordan.”
Spieth, who finished at 18-under 270, moved to No. 38 in the world.
Spieth typically is a favorite at the Masters, where he was runner-up in his debut in 2014, won wire-to-wire the next year and was runner-up again after losing a back-nine lead in 2016.
LPGA: In Rancho Mirage, California, Patty Tavatanakit survived Lydia Ko’s final-round charge to win the ANA Inspiration for her first LPGA Tour victory.
Five strokes ahead entering the day and six in front after a chip-in eagle on the par-5 second, Tavatanakit shot a 4-under 68 in 100-degree heat to beat Ko by two strokes in the first major championship of the year.
Ko matched Lorena Ochoa’s tournament record with a 62, shooting 7-under 29 on the front nine for the best ninehole score in event’s 50-year history. The New Zealander began the day tied for seventh at 6 under, eight strokes behind Tavatanakit in the tournament played without spectators for the second time in seven months.
KORN FERRY TOUR: In Destin, Florida, Stephan Jaeger closed with a 4-under 66 and beat David Lipsky in the playoff by making par on the first extra hole to win the Emerald Coast Classic at Sandestin on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Jaeger won for the sixth time on the Korn Ferry Tour dating to 2016. This victory moves him to No. 2 on the points list and all but assures a return to the PGA Tour next season.
RAHM BABY: Jon Rahm can play the Masters with a clear head and a happy heart. His wife gave birth to their first child.
Kelley Rahm’s due date was the weekend of the Masters, and Rahm had said he would leave at a moment’s notice to be with her during the delivery, even if that meant pulling out at Augusta National.
He posted on Instagram that Kepa Cahill Rahm was born early Friday, checking in at 7 pounds, 2 ounces and 20.5 inches. Rahm described his son as a “big boy from the Basque Country.”
“Without a doubt, the greatest day of my life!” wrote the Spaniard, the No. 3 player in the world and one of the favorites to win a green jacket.
Rahm met his wife during his four years at Arizona State, where she threw the javelin. Her maiden name is Cahill.