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Spieth joins elite company
Jordan Spieth coughed up six shots in three holes to destroy his hopes of back-to-back titles.
PT1M2S 620 349Jordan Spieth is a fascinating psychological specimen.
To his everlasting credit and the joy of sportswriters everywhere, he doesn't seem to have a pause button from his brain to his mouth. He feels what he says and says what he feels, and we should all hope that never changes.
Tough day: Jordan Spieth on the 18th green at Augusta. Photo: Chris Carlson
He told reporters on Saturday night that he would have a difficult time getting over the double-bogey six he made on his final hole of the third round, even though he still was leading the Masters for the seventh straight round.
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"Probably go break something," he said, flashing just enough of a smile to convince us he wasn't really going to do it.
Spieth admitted on Sunday evening (Monday AEST), after he'd blown a five-shot lead on the back nine to lose to Danny Willett, that he actually said to caddie Michael Greller, "Buddy, it seems like we're collapsing."
That was the money quote, but what came after it was more interesting.
"I wanted to be brutally honest with the way I felt towards him," Spieth said, "so that he could respond with what was necessary to get us to rebound. And we did. I rebounded."
Spieth shows bulldog resilience, but also an indecision and lack of confidence at times that makes him appear as not a dominant pro athlete and more what he really is - a 22-year-old still finding himself.
Greller is a former grade-school teacher, and at times it seems like he's just trying to get Spieth to stay in his seat and look at the board.
He plays the role of brother, mentor and psychologist. He takes in Spieth's constant chatter and processes it as best he can. For one shot on Sunday, Spieth could be heard on the microphone seeking assurance about a club selection. Greller gave him a strong "yes." Spieth responded to the effect, "You really think so?"
It's comical, really, the banter and the psychological game that goes on between them. Spieth uses "we" all of the time, and it sounds great when things are going peachy, less so when they're not.
What the tournament proved is that Spieth has a lot still to learn about handling his thoughts and emotions, but he seems to understand that better than anybody.
That Spieth was leading the Masters after three rounds said a lot about how great his short game is, because he struggled badly with his driver and irons.
His back-nine collapse is marked by four poor swings: the approach at 10 that went into the right greenside bunker; the drive near the trees at 11 that didn't allow him a clear shot to the green; and the tee shot and woefully chunked third shot at 12.
It is well-documented that the most telling statistic for success at Augusta National is greens reached in regulation, and Spieth only hit 60 percent of them for the week. The average for the field was 59 percent, so he was no better than the middle of the pack.
Willett tied for sixth in the field, hitting 66 percent of the greens.
"Listen," Spieth said. "I had my B-minus game tee to green, and I made up for it around the greens with my putter. Ultimately, you just have to have our 'A' game every single part, and I just didn't' have those iron swings, as it showed on the back nine."
McClatchy Newspapers