McIlroy, Spieth take hits, keep getting up
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Patience. Belief. Execution. In golf, without the first two it’s difficult for a player to achieve the third. At the Masters, without the first two it’s
impossible for a player to achieve the third. Without the first two this week at Augusta National, neither Jordan Spieth nor Rory McIlroy would be in the contention to win the Masters — both are 4-under and in a tie for fourth behind leader Patrick Reed — as the iconic tournament enters weekend play.
Without the first two, neither Spieth nor McIlroy would be among the three players with a chance to achieve the rare career grand slam this year — Mclroy needing a green jacket to complete his slam and Spieth needing a PGA Championship Wanamaker Trophy. (Phil Mickelson needs a U.S. Open win.)
Golf is a trying game in ideal, windless conditions. But ideal, windless conditions were not present for Friday’s second round at Augusta, where tricky breezes blew through the tall pines and the tournament greens committee doubled down by setting some treacherous pin positions on the diabolical greens.
Spieth, who began the day at 6-under with a two-shot lead, was a threat to separate himself. But he didn’t help himself early in his round when he blocked his tee shot on the first hole into the trees right of the fairway and took double bogey.
A drive into the trees to the left of the fairway on the gettable par-5 second hole did not bode well for the 24-year-old Texan, who conceded on Thursday he’ll always have “demons’’ at Augusta because of the five-shot lead he blew on the final-round back nine in 2016.
But remember this: For as horrible as that unforced-turnover giveaway was in 2016, Spieth won the 2015 Masters. So there are a lot of positive memories in the bank, too.
Spieth knows as well as anybody that pa- tience and belief must be achieved before execution is even a part of the conversation. Even after starting his day off with the dreaded two-way miss and shooting a 40 on the front nine, Spieth stayed patient and never lost belief.
“I’ve taken a lot of punches on this golf course,’’ Spieth said. “To come back from 3over through two holes and only shoot 2-over with a limited number of [birdie] looks … I’m still in this golf tournament.’’
So, too, is McIlroy, who hasn’t looked as if he has had his best stuff yet, but has remained in touch with the lead — thanks to his patience and belief.
“I’ve always felt comfortable being up around the lead,’’ McIlroy said. “It’s a place that I’m thankfully quite familiar with and know how to deal with. Being up there around the lead going into the weekend, it’s a good position to be in.’’
Asked how he’s been able to master being patient, McIlroy, who like Spieth has demons lurking around Augusta National, where he lost a four-shot lead in the final round to throw away the 2011 Masters, said, “Experience.’’
“With the amount of times that I’ve been in contention or around the lead, every experience that you have in that arena in those situations, you learn a little bit from it,’’ he said. “I don’t have to go out there and make a birdie on every hole, especially not on this golf course. In these conditions, pars are OK.
“Sometimes pars might be a little bit boring and you might feel as if you want to get a little bit more out of your round, but as you look up the leaderboard and you’re still there around the lead. That’s taken a while for me to adjust to.’’
Both McIlroy and Spieth have adjusted well, learned from their mistakes in the largest arenas under the hottest spotlights.
That’s why they’re both in great position to win this weekend.