Jordan Spieth Loves Riviera – Paired with Couples and Thomas
Jordan Spieth is more than ready to take on Riviera.
Jordan Spieth has played nearly 30 rounds at Riviera in his young career. That’s more, he said at his press conference, than he has played at most tournament venues. He is not anyplace close to getting tired of the course.
“It’s one of my favorites in the entire world,” he said at his early week meeting with media. “It’s one of the very few with the history that it has, past champions, not only just the champions, but just those who have walked these fairways.”
He knows about Hogan’s play there, and that it’s one of the courses called Hogan’s Alley, along with Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth. It’s also where the University of Texas golf team won the NCAA Championship in 2012 with Spieth on the team, so it has special positive memories.
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He was a shot out of a playoff last year and is looking to improve that position.
“Last year, it was a crazy finish and it kind of taught me a little something about this golf course is that you just never know exactly what’s going to happen at Riviera coming down the stretch,” he recalled.
After a series of not quite perfect shots, he bogeyed the 18th.
“My approach shot landed on the fringe, he said. “If it lands on the green, I’ve got probably about 18 feet for birdie, which I’m going to make.”
But that’s not what happened. He overshot the chip and had an eight-footer for par, which he missed.
“I ended up one out of the three-way playoff,” he added.
That’s not what he wants this week.
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“For me to win on a golf course that I consider one of the top few in the world, I mean, that’s always a goal,” he added. “It would be pretty amazing.”
Jordan Spieth played Riviera on Monday in the collegiate event held before the tournament. He has already checked out the rough. He knows what he needs to practice.
“You’ve got to be in the fairways, even with little rough, to be able to hold these greens, he explained. “You can hit perfect mid-iron shots into these greens, but if it lands on the front fringe, it will stick, and all of a sudden you’re left with 20 feet kind of sliding. And if it lands on the green, a lot of times it will pitch past the hole.”
For that reason, he will practice hitting some high floaters that drop out of the air and don’t roll much on the green.
Speaking of the greens, like Pebble Beach, they are Poa Annua, but they putt differently, according to Spieth.
“I can picture all the holes, I know where the pins are, I know where the breaks are on those greens,” he said. “But you’ve still got to get on to the practice greens and then dial in the feel, dial in the speed.”
Spieth will be paired with Fred Couples and Justin Thomas on Thursday and Friday.
“Played with Freddie here before. I always know what to expect out here with him with the crowds. They love Freddie here,” Spieth acknowledged.
Couples is a two-time champion at Riviera and if Jordan Spieth pays attention, he may learn the way the course should be played.
Next: A Lookback at Spieth's 7 PGA TOUR Wins
Spieth will tee off at 3:12 Eastern, 12;12 Pacific, on Thursday and at 10:32 Eastern, 7:32 Pacific, on Friday.