Spieth takes pride in the ability to close
The club throw. The body bump.
Those are the indelible images from Jordan Spieth’s victory in the Travelers Championship, where he holed a 60-foot bunker shot in a playoff to defeat Daniel Berger and capture his 10th title on the PGA Tour a month before his 24th birthday.
Not to be overlooked was a more serene snapshot — Spieth posing with the trophy.
It was the most comfortable he looked all day, even though he never trailed. This did not appear to be a case of enjoying the journey.
“I wanted the holes to go by quickly,” Spieth said. “That’s the only time I could say that about my wins.”
At the heart of such uneasiness was the uncertainty with his putting stroke on the greens of the TPC River Highlands. A normal putting round, at least by his standards, and there would have been no drama, no playoff and no celebration that ended with Spieth slinging his sand wedge with his left hand (he’s a natural southpaw), running out of the bunker and colliding with caddie Michael Greller.
The fact that Spieth had the 54-hole lead by one shot only exacerbated the tension he felt on the back nine. At stake was more than just a victory, but the chance to build on his reputation as a closer. That’s what Tiger Woods did better than anyone else.
Winning is winning. Comebacks are cool. But great players take pride in closing.
“I take more pride in it because I feel totally different,” Spieth said. “I’m a lot more uncomfortable in the closing scenario, playing with the lead. It’s more uncomfortable and makes it more challenging. The expectation is as long as I play the same as these guys, I win. If I’m not leading and I don’t win, then it wasn’t my day.”
Don’t get the idea Spieth is a nervous wreck when leading a tournament. He talks about chasing a ghost when he has the lead, which is a target score, and that can be more difficult than having to make up a deficit. “He already has been there 13 times.
Spieth isn’t big on comparisons with anybody, least of all Woods. That’s a good thing when it comes to closing, because there is no comparison.
Woods won at a 92 percent clip (57-5) when he had at least a share of the lead going into the final round on the PGA Tour. That includes a 3-1 mark for Match Play, which effectively is the same as being tied for the lead with one round to play.
With his victory at Hartford, Spieth improved to 8-5. And what would he call that?
“A phenomenal rate,” he said. “I think 50 percent is an awesome rate — 50 percent is fantastic.” July 10-11 - U.S. Amateur qualifying, Moon Valley July 18-20 - Southwest PGA Match Play Championship, Desert Forest GC 22-23 - AWGA Mixed Stix Tournament, Oakcreek Country Club, Sedona July 24 - U.S. Senior Amateur qualifying, Alta Mesa July 25-Aug. 5 - 93rd Arizona Amateur Championship, Moon Valley Aug. 3 - U.S. Senior Women's Amateur qualifying, Gallery GC, Marana Aug.14-16 - AWGA State Amateur Stroke Play
PGA TOUR
Championship, Quintero Golf Club, Peoria. Aug. 17-19 - Arizona Open, Troon Aug. 23-27 - Senior Match Play Championship, Trilogy Aug. 23-24 - Southwest PGA Senior Championship, Mesa CC Aug. 28 - U.S. Mid-Amateur qualifying, Phoenix CC Aug. 28 - U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur qualifying, Mesa CC Aug. 29 - AWGA Just 4 Fun Days, Aspen Valley Golf Club, Flagstaff