Jordan Spieth: A Lookback at His 7 Career PGA TOUR Wins
By Ryan Andrade
2016 Hyundai Tournament of Champions
Jordan Spieth starts off 2016 with an 8 shot win in winner’s only field in Maui.
Jordan Spieth came into the week having to answer questions about whether he could have the same type of year in 2016 that he enjoyed in 2015. He preferred to look at this coming year as a continuation, rather than just starting over.
Why would he want to look at in any other way? The only thing changing is date you have to write down. And it’s not like Spieth has taken it easy since the TOUR Championship. He traveled to South Korea for the President’s Cup, then to China for a WGC event, down under for the Australian Open, and finally to the Bahamas for the Hero World Challenge.
The Hyundai Tournament of Champions is a winner’s only field from just the prior season. It consisted of around 30 players who had won on the PGA TOUR. It was very stout, no question about it. The Plantation course in Kapalua is the only Par 73 on the entire PGA TOUR schedule. The course is huge with immense elevation changes throughout. It’s a tough course for the caddies for sure. Typically it comes down to a putting contest because the greens at the Plantation course are giant. You’re going to be hitting a lot of greens and fairways as well, so that increases the pressure on the flat stick.
Spieth was paired with defending champion and Ryder Cup teammate, Patrick Reed. They fed off each other extremely well again in the first round, as Reed finished in the lead by shooting an 8-under-par 65. Spieth would sit one back of Reed with a 66. Because of the small field, they regrouped players after every round, so Spieth and Reed would play together again on Friday.
The second round was Jordan Spieth’s lowest round of the week as he torched the Plantation course for 9-under-par 64. The biggest highlight from Spieth’s second round was this chip for eagle he had at the 9th.
When all 36 holes were completed, Jordan Spieth held a 4 shot lead already. He couldn’t have started 2016 much better than his first two rounds in Kapalua. At a course like this, however, there was little time to relax. Spieth had to keep making birdies if he wanted to keep that lead.
Spieth would make 4 straight birdies on the front nine to widen his lead. Unfortunately, he would make his first bogey of the entire week on the 8th hole. His back nine was tremendous. He made three birdies before he came to the par-5 18th hole. After a terrific drive, it left Spieth with a 3-iron and he very nearly made a 2.
Brooks Koepka was 19-under-par through 3 rounds. He was 5 shots back of Jordan Spieth. 24-under-par for the world #1. If he was able to shoot another 65 he would break Ernie Els’ record for lowest score in relation to par in a PGA TOUR event. Els’ accomplished that feat on this very course back in 2003 with a 31-under-par total.
Spieth wasn’t quite able to reach 31-under-par on Sunday. He settled for a 67 and a 30-under-par tournament total. He blew away the rest of the field as he won be 8 shots. The 67 he shot was his worst round of the week. When 6-under-par is your worst score in the tournament, it is very likely that you are going to take home the trophy.
Spieth was just fantastic in all aspects of his game. Yes the fairways and greens are huge, but he was getting everything to start on the lines he wanted. His putting spoke for itself as well. Spieth called it the third best putting performance of his career, with #1 being the Masters and #2 being the TOUR Championship last year.
The statement was made, even if Spieth isn’t a statement-maker kind of guy. The rest of the world was now on notice that 2015 was no fluke. It is what you had to expect from Spieth. Runaways like this can create an awe factor in his competitors that give Spieth an advantage over them whenever he is near the top of the leaderboard.
Next: Jordan Spieth: Playing Augusta National with His Dad
Will 2016 be even better than 2015? Well, Jordan Spieth has gotten off to the perfect start.