Valero Texas Open
Spieth Ends Title Drought With Hometown Win
Spieth Ends Title Drought With Hometown Win
Former world number one Jordan Spieth ended his near four-year victory drought, gearing up for The Masters with a triumph at the US PGA Tour Texas Open.
Spieth, who hadn’t won since capturing his third major title at the 2017 British Open at Royal Birkdale, signalled he’s again a force to be reckoned with as the game’s best looked toward the first major championship of 2021 at Augusta National.
“This is a monumental win for me,” Spieth said. “It’s one that I’ve certainly thought about for a long time.”
Spieth fired seven birdies in a six-under-par 66, holding off tenacious playing partner Charley Hoffman to win by two strokes with an 18-under-par total of 270. Hoffman had cut Spieth’s lead to one before Spieth birdied the 17th hole at TPC San Antonio, Hoffman’s own 66 putting him on 16-under 272.
With the win, Spieth headed to Augusta National, where he was just 21 when he won his first major title at the 2015 Masters, going on to win the US Open the same year.
After years in the wilderness the 27-year-old has been knocking at the door, holding the 54-hole lead at both Phoenix and Pebble Beach this year.
“I actually felt really light, felt like I just wanted to come out and smile and try to have some fun,” Spieth said, adding that “lightness” was something he’d struggled to find even as he contended earlier this year. “I never really doubted in myself to be able to get back to where I wanted to go, but when you lose confidence it’s a lot of times hard to see the positives going forward,” he added.
Spieth got his day going with birdies at the second and third, where he stuck his tee shot two feet from the pin. A bogey at the fourth was redeemed with birdies at the sixth and eighth holes. He kept the momentum going with a par save at the 11th from a greenside bunker, then rolled in a 13-footer birdie at the 12th for a three-shot lead.
Hoffman meanwhile, followed three birdies in his first six holes with par saves,
then a chip-in birdie at the 13th again narrowed the gap to two strokes. After matching birdies at the par-five 14th, Hoffman applied the pressure with a 20foot birdie putt at the par-three 16th, where Spieth’s putt from off the green left him a tense short putt for par.
Spieth’s birdie at 17th then pushed his lead back to two, before matching pars at the par-five 18th left Spieth with the win.
“I honestly thought that I would be more emotional at the end, but I’m kind of glad I’m not,” Spieth said. “It was a fun battle,” he added, saying Hoffman’s challenge made the victory all the more rewarding.
“It feels amazing right now,” Spieth said. “There’s peaks and valleys in this sport. I never expected to go this long. Back then, in between wins, (I) just kind of took a lot -maybe 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.”