Masters demons ‘still haunt Spieth’
Jordan Spieth arrived at Augusta this week looking resplendent in his green jacket, although, judging by the words of Nick Faldo, a straitjacket might be more appropriate until the young American banishes his demons on the 12th hole.
Spieth has cut an unsettled figure these past few weeks, as questions have inevitably rained down on how he expects to cope with the revered 155-yarder, where, 12 months ago, he dunked two balls in the water on his way to losing a five-shot lead, and the tournament, to Danny Willett.
In Austin, at the WGC Matchplay, Spieth snapped: ‘‘It will be nice once this year’s Masters has gone by, to be brutally honest with you.’’
And then last week in Houston, he said he and his caddie, Michael Greller, had nothing to be scared about at the course where he has finished second, first and second again in three attempts. Indeed, Spieth believes he should cause the collywobbles, not suffer them. ‘‘I think we know and the other players that are playing next week know that we strike fear in others next week,’’ Spieth said.
Yet Faldo sees it another way. Spieth has struggled in his past two tournaments, falling in the group stages at the Matchplay and then missing the cut at the Houston Open and Faldo believes those have results have occurred because of what is awaiting around the dogleg.
‘‘For Jordan I think it is all about the 12th on Thursday [Friday, NZ time],’’ Faldo said. ‘‘That’s why he has not played well this month - he’s been winding himself up about it. He’s got to get to that hole and deal with it. He’ll feel every eyeball on him. But that’s sport, for you, and sometimes you have to square it up when you go back to a place where something has gone wrong for you.
‘‘So, he’ll have to put the ball down, make a good swing and hit the green. And if he makes a good job of it, then the monkey will be off his back.’’
The 23-year-old would not agree. He feels he performed the exorcism here in a few friendly rounds in December when he made birdie on the par three in consecutive days. But Colin Montgomerie believes Spieth is talking apple and azaleas.
‘‘Yeah, Jordan says he’s played the 12th in practice and birdied it, but wait until he gets a card and pen in his hand again and then see what happens,’’ Montgomerie said.
The Scot has suffered his own share of major frustration, most recently in the 2006 US Open when he needed only to hit the 18th green with a seven iron. Montgomerie missed and took a double-bogey.
‘‘It hurts when I go back to Winged Foot, just like it hurts Greg Norman when he comes back to Augusta [where the Australian conceded a six-shot lead to Faldo in 1996]. And that experience will have hurt Jordan very badly.
‘‘You could see that throughout and afterwards. You know, when you are beaten by a better man who scores 64, 65, to your 68, you say ‘OK, you’ve beaten me, well done’. But the feeling of giving it to somebody, that hurts more than ever.
‘‘And for Jordan it will be a case of, ‘I had both hands on a green jacket again, and this time I just couldn’t button it up’. And that’s the key. He has a very, very old head on young shoulders. If anybody can come over that and through that back nine last year, Jordan can.’’