Spieth seeks strong finish
JORDAN Spieth suspects he could be on the cusp of a banner year.
It is why Spieth is trying to strike the right balance of fun and focus when he teams with good friend Ryan Palmer in New Orleans this week for the Zurich Classic.
He said he might see some music, considering the city’s renowned Jazz and Heritage Festival also is this weekend.
He is certain he will have some memorable meals. He might even take Saints coach Sean Payton up on an invitation to be in New Orleans’ “war room” during the NFL draft, as he did last year.
But when he is on the TPC Louisiana course he also wants to capitalise on the momentum he gained with top-three finishes in his past two events, the Houston Open and the Masters.
“I finally feel like I got the short game back on track in Houston and Augusta,” Spieth said.
This marks the second year two-player teams have competed at the Zurich Classic, held on a course carved out of cypress swamps.
Justin Thomas, the 2017 PGA Championship winner, has teamed with Bud Cauley for a second straight year.
Many teams have been founded not only on friendships but regional or college affiliations. Those include the Spanish team of 2016 Masters champ Sergio Garcia and Rafa Cabrera Bello. Other examples include Australians Jason Day and Ryan Ruffels; South Africans Retief Goosen and Tyrone Van Aswegen; and South Koreans K.J. Choi and Charlie Wi.
Bubba Watson, who attended college at Georgia, has joined former Georgia Tech player Matt Kuchar.
Organisers made one change this year; on the final day the format will be alternate shot instead of best ball. The move raises the stakes and could lead to more drastic changes on the leaderboard.
The first and third rounds will be best ball. Spieth said teams could be four or five shots behind going into the final round, “and still in it in an alternate shot format. But in best ball it’s probably too difficult to overcome”.