Jordan Spieth was very frustrated through the first 15 holes at TPC San Antonio, and it’s no surprise. He was 4 over after 15 holes and on the verge of being unable to get off the course.
However, as Spieth later explained, he feels his golf swing is in a better place than recent scores indicate.
“We’re playing a lot better than we’re scoring, but it doesn’t seem that way. It’s hard to explain,” Spieth said.
“I’ve played much worse than I’ve ever missed and finished in the top 10 in back-to-back years. It’s very strange. I’m feeling good in the game, but I’m not getting much done. Hmm. I’m very disappointed because I hit the raw piss out of the ball today, and I picked the wrong line on number 14. To be honest, that’s one of the drives I missed. It was about 5 or 6 yards to the right of where I was. I couldn’t find it.
A lost ball on the 14th resulted in a double bogey, dropping him to 4 over.
But he quickly rebounded two holes later. Par 3 16thwhere he made his own 4th career ace on the PGA Tour.
“I had to take my 7-iron off a little bit, so I lined up to hit it at about 185.” [yard] I hit the shot and it faded a little bit in the wind, so I was able to ride the hill then,” Spieth said.
“I did what I wanted to do, so I hit it, and I picked up the tee. And when I landed and started moving, [roll towards the cup], everyone started standing up and I was just the one who lined up, so I thought maybe I had a chance, and I got it. ”
Spieth then explained how the club he used for the hole-in-one was brand new.
“I like to hit a 7-iron, so when I test a gap I can hit it to the point where it’s five yards past the gap. I didn’t know why,” Spieth added.
“Wednesday after the Pro-Am, I was hitting at the back of the range. I had a new 7-iron brought in to create a new groove, but it was in the correct spin window and it hit 4-5 yards. If I hadn’t changed my 7-iron yesterday, I wouldn’t have been successful. That’s crazy.”
Spieth is the only player to make this change the day before a tournament, and the decision has paid off.
Now, if Spieth can find some consistency, he could bounce back from a 1-over 73 and be in contention for a championship at the Valero Texas Open. Thursday was certainly a fun round with 5 bogeys, 4 birdies, 1 double bogey, and 1 eagle. But it also led to a lot of frustration for Spieth, and rightly so.
“I feel like it’s kind of like a bad blackjack game, where I can’t even get up from the table and maybe a hole-in-one will turn things around a little bit,” Spieth said.
“Again, I think I’m being patient and optimistic. Just to show that in terms of results, I feel like this year has been a lot better than what we’ve had in the past. I just want to get results.”
His last top-10 finish was at the WM Phoenix Open, and since then Spieth was disqualified at Riviera, tied for 30th at Bay Hill and missed two cuts to cap off his swing in Florida.
Perhaps his ace can turn things around and help him get back on the competitive playing field. If that happens, it may prove that Spieth has discovered something in time for Augusta National.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
