A groveling Jordan Spieth found himself signing a golf glove in the dappled shade of the eighth fairway on Friday. A rare sight for a player in the midst of their second round of The Masters. Yet, not a foreign environment for Spieth.
To the bellow of ‘fore left’ from caddie Michael Greller, the former champion had found himself among the pines of Augusta. Again. This time, his errant missile had ricocheted off an unsuspecting patron.
It was not an unusual position for the American to find himself in these days. And it was certainly not the worst predicament he’s landed himself in at Augusta National. No, that, of course, belongs to the 2016 Masters.
10 years ago, Spieth had the world at his feet; already a Masters champion at the age of 21 and on the brink of defending his title. Then, he suffered one of the greatest collapses Augusta has ever witnessed. Now 32, Spieth has failed to win at Augusta since, his demons yet to be slayed.
It felt that the devil had indeed come down to Georgia to join Spieth’s demons on Friday. Augusta was a cauldron of heat, the sun beating down on the fiery inferno. And Spieth battled to refuse the baking sun to ignite another Masters meltdown.
He didn’t make it easy, when it comes to Spieth, it rarely ever is. A one-over second round was enough to secure his ticket to the weekend. But whether it will be enough to rid him of the ghosts of Masters past? Unlikely.
Jordan Spieth finished one-over for the tournament and the day on Friday at The Masters
The former champion found himself scattered in the pines following multiple errant shots
The three-time major champion’s on-course escapades have become a running joke in the golf world – a gag fueled by his frequent detours into bushes and trees, leaving spectators’ heads on a cautious swivel.
And Spieth certainly took the scenic route around Augusta National on Friday. Yet, in typical Spieth fashion, the American’s rescue missions – or in some cases, sheer dumb luck – were enough damage control.
He got lucky at the eighth. His latest victim bailed him out. The errant tee shot may have left a nasty bruise on the spectator’s hand, but there was no blemish on Spieth’s scorecard. The ball ricocheted off the poor patron’s limb and back onto the fairway. A most fortunate bounce – for Spieth, that is, not the spectator.
One hole prior, Spieth had not been so fortunate. His drive found itself tucked behind one of the towering trunks on the edge of the seventh fairway. The pattern continued on 14 and 15 when he took additional trips into the trees running alongside the fairways. Yet, each time he walked away unscathed with a plucky par.
But that inevitable stumble came later.
Spieth demanded one par-save too many of himself. By the time he reached the 18th, he simply had nothing left in the tank. An approach shot into the right-hand side bunker proved too costly and a bogey on the last blighted his card.
Earlier, he had teetered on the brink of derailment at the very spot the carnage spiraled on that unforgettable Sunday 10 years ago.
At the infamous Golden Bell, Spieth spun his tee shot into the rough off the back of the green. His chip shot sailed 13 feet past the pin and he was forced to agonizingly watch his par putt back up the slippery green lip around the left edge of the cup.
Despite his detours, the American managed to pull off multiple par-saves
Yet, the greenside bunker at the last proved to be Spieth’s downfall as he finished with a bogey
When it all began to unravel in 2016, Spieth turned to caddie Greller in despair.
‘Buddy, it seems like we’re collapsing,’ he said. He had just stuck his tee shot into the treacherous trap of Rae’s Creek.
He wasn’t wrong. The horror that unfolded at Amen Corner was one of the greatest capitulations in The Masters’ storied history. It was one of Augusta’s most brutal slaughters.
But the collapse has now rumbled on for a decade. And each year, the question whether Spieth, now a shadow of the young man who first conquered Augusta in historic fashion, can ever do so again grows louder.
Yes, he managed to fend off Matt Kuchar for the 2017 Open Championship. But since then, he has failed to clinch another major title to add to his tally of three.
Nor has he re-entered Butler Cabin as a newly-minted Masters champion. There was notably the heartbreak of 2018, when, after forcing himself into a share of the lead with Patrick Reed, only to fall short again.
One major in a decade. It is not a record to be ashamed of, per se. But for a golfer who once promised to be one of the game’s greatest rising stars, who had the world at his feet after winning the Masters at the ripe age of 21, it is lackluster.
Yet, the fans of Augusta have not given up. And, if Friday’s grueling battle of a round is anything to go by, neither has Spieth.
Spieth suffered one of the greatest capitulations in Masters history back in 2016
He slipped into the green jacket at the ripe age of 21 at the 2015 Masters tournament
Despite his toiling, Spieth remains one of America’s golfing darlings. Fans leaned over the rope for high-fives as he strolled to the first tee in quiet determination. Cheers greeted him as he stepped onto the box. It was a hero’s welcome, even for a player whose former glory is a decade old.
Even when his round began its customary detours, the patrons warmly welcomed him behind the ropes. He’s still a champion Augusta would love to see.
‘What I’ve learned the last 10 years is a lot,’ Spieth said on Thursday, reflecting on the 2016 meltdown. ‘Anything can happen. You just have to be staying within reach.’
Staying within reach. That’s all Spieth had to do on Friday. While his playing partner Justin Rose soared to five-under, the reach grew wider. Too wide perhaps to be bridged. He may be fighting back but the demons of Augusta may live to haunt Spieth for another year.
