Spieth will take lucky Las Vegas roll
Jordan Spieth, arguably the shiniest star at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open this week, has the quote of the week so far.
“It’s always nice having a little bit of luck in Vegas, right?” Spieth said following an opening round 5-under 66.
The luck he was referencing was making several key putts — something he has been unable to do for the past year — and recording a positive 2.86 in the strokes-gained-putting statistic.
“Satisfaction is what comes to mind,” Spieth added. “I put in a lot of good work this offseason. I stepped on the tee not really feeling that tight with my ball striking and driving, and kind of testy with the short game, but I know it is going in the right direction. I am certainly satisfied to really trust it all and see it pay off into a good round.”
Spieth is making his first appearance in Las Vegas and knows good scores are possible at Summerlin. He also has a formula he believes will allow him to claim his first win since the 2017 British Open.
“I think if I shoot three more rounds like today, it’s probably good enough,” Spieth said. “This course is going to bake out.
Even with the lack of wind it’s still difficult enough to feed it in close to holes. We had some of the easier pins on a few of the holes today. It was gettable.”
Piercy endures sloppy round
As per usual, Las Vegas’ Scott Piercy was dressed to impress, but his game during the first round didn’t match his duds. Piercy shot a 2-under 69.
“It was sloppy,” Piercy said. “I had irons into both par 5s on the back and made two pars. I hit some bad shots coming in and missed a couple putts. I just hung in there. I am going to hit a few balls and work on the putter a little bit and hopefully get some things cleaned up.”
Furyk’s evaluation continues
A three-time Las Vegas champ, Jim Furyk hasn’t played much lately because of his duties as Ryder Cup captain. He said he’d use this week to evaluate his game.
“I did a lot of things out there that I was pleased with,” Furyk said after an opening-round 71. “I hit the ball pretty solidly, but didn’t score very well. My short game was decent, but I didn’t make a ton of putts, which at the end of the day will kill a score.
“I hit my irons very well and gave myself some very good looks. I also hit the driver pretty well, so I will have some confidence heading into tomorrow.”
Bryson being Bryson
Bryson Dechambeau, he of the same-length-for-each-club philosophy, was tight-lipped when asked to describe it.
“It comes from a lot of theory, but I am not going to give anything away,” he said with a laugh after a 66. “I try and understand how the club face is affected based on how I am moving my body, and that’s really all I am going to give on that.”
He did reveal during a recent photo shoot with Golf.com that due to the new rules of golf that go into effect in 2019, he will putt with the flagstick left in next year.
He also told me that he will write a book someday. It will be a must-read.
Brian Hurlburt can be reached at bhurlburt5@gmail.com or @ Lvgolfinsider.