Spieth finishes strong, at 20 under
WINDERMERE, Fla. — Jordan Spieth rolled in a 50-foot birdie putt on the last hole to cap a Saturday at the Hero World Challenge that was close to perfect.
Spieth opened with three consecutive birdies on his way to a 9-under 63 at Isleworth, matching the best score of the tournament. That gave the 21-year-old Texan a seven-shot lead over Keegan Bradley and Henrik Stenson going into the final round.
Spieth was at 20-under 196. He said he has never been 20 under on any course through 54 holes, and he has never finished a tournament that many under par. That gave him a target today when he goes after his second consecutive victory.
Spieth won six days ago halfway around the world at the Australian Open, where he closed with a 63 for a six-shot victory.
Tournament host Tiger Woods was 20 shots behind and in dire need of his antibiotics taking effect. Woods lost his voice overnight and had nausea on the practice range and on the golf course. He said he felt slightly better at the end of his round when he made three consecutive birdies for a 69. He remained in last place.
Bradley made four consecutive birdies around the turn on his way to a 65. He will play in the final group with Spieth.
Stenson, who played with Spieth on Saturday, recovered from a sluggish start with four birdies over his last eight holes for a 68.
Spieth made two big putts on the 18th hole. He returned Saturday morning to finish his rain-delayed second round, chipped up to 5 feet and holed the par putt. He also watched Steve Stricker hit a putt from about 50 feet across the green, which came in handy later in the day.
Spieth had about the same putt, only going in the opposite direction of Stricker’s putt. That at least gave him an idea of the speed, though he had imagined a 3-foot circle around the hole that he would have accepted to walk off with par.
This turned out even better. The putt dropped for an unlikely birdie, and Spieth was all smiles walking off the green.
He opened with an 18-foot birdie putt on No. 1, got a good bounce with his 7-iron on the par3 second to about 8 feet, and then made birdie on the par-3 third. After that, his iron play and his short game — always exquisite — were so good that he didn’t need to make any big putts.