Spieth shrugs off Captain Caveman antics just in time for the Masters
Jordan Spieth came into this Houston Open desperate to find some form before next week’s Masters and, on the evidence of this firstround 68, he may just be on the verge of a precious discovery.
Much has been said and breathlessly hyped of all the game’s greats being on their “A game” for the season’s first major, yet there has been one consistent caveat – “what about Jordan?”
The 24-year-old has missed two cuts in his past six events and although his results otherwise have been far from disastrous – with one top 10 and three other top 20s – he has hardly hit the heights of Justin Thomas, Rory Mcilroy, Jason Day, Phil Mickelson and even Tiger Woods.
In truth, Spieth has been chugging along while his fellow superstars have all been in speedboat mode.
Yet Spieth is hardly sending up the distress flares, quietly stating “it will turn around” and reminding that what truly counts is Georgia in the first week of April not the east coast in March or the west coast in February.
Yet it is the detail of the world No4’s comparative mediocrity which has inspired the experts’ concern. Regarded as the game’s best operator on the greens – until the resurrection of Woods, of course – Spieth is down in 172nd in the PGA Tour putting stats.
At times, it has been akin to watching Zorro turning into Captain Caveman and however vehemently Spieth has sought to play down his faltering touch – “it’s technical and once that clears up, then it’ll get right back to where it was” – the thrashing has been obvious.
It was much better here at the Houston Golf Club yesterday, as he moved to within three of the early leader, 2009 US Open champion Lucas Glover.
There were three converted putts from more than 10 feet and some fine lags. But this four-under beginning owed more to his iron play. “It was an exciting day for me,” Spieth said. “I might be talking as if I shot eight-under, but sometimes you’ve just got to take one step forward to start climbing up the hill again.”
Like his Ryder Cup team-mate, Rickie Fowler has been flying under the radar in this Masters buildup, but his 66 should highlight that he is a realistic contender. One further back on five-under is Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, the three-time major winner who needs to win on Sunday to secure his Masters berth and at least made a promising start.
In the first women’s major of the season at the ANA Inspiration in Palm Springs, California, Bronte Law, the 23-year-old from Stockport, shot an opening two-under 70 to leave her four off the early pace set by Japan’s Ayako Uhera. Georgia Hall posted a 74.