Jordan Spieth: Why Should We Be Concerned?

Jordan Spieth hasn’t played up to expectations recently, but does that mean we need to be concerned about him?

Jordan Spieth is the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world. He had one of the greatest seasons ever last year. He won by eight shots to start off this 2016 campaign. But should we be concerned about him heading into the Masters?

It’s no question that Spieth has had plenty of things to keep him busy. Whether it has been actually playing tournament golf or having to do all kinds of different media responsibilities that come with being the face of golf. So much so, that Jason Day recently said he was worried that Spieth might get burnt out.

Let’s be clear, however, the only reason we are questioning Spieth’s mental and physical fatigue is because of his play. Since his eight shot victory in Maui, Spieth has finished T-21, MC, T-17, and T-18 in his four other PGA TOUR tournaments. Other than the missed cut, those results are very acceptable for most people. Jordan Spieth isn’t most people though.

When we see a player not play up to his full capability it is concerning for us. Spieth has just purely struggled as of late when we compare that to his lofty standards. There is a few glaring statistics this season that have accounted for these struggles.

Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports /

The first is his greens in regulation percentage. It sits at almost 65% which ranks him 148th on tour. At times he can get overly aggressive when it isn’t really necessary. He has the ability to make more mid-range putts than anyone out there. When he plays things safer and lets the flat stick do the work he has played better.

When you have a wedge in your hand, however, you need to be getting the ball close. Spieth has really struggled in that regard this year as well as he ranks 145th on tour from approaches from 50-125 yards. This was a statistics that Tiger in his prime was always leading. It’s really important to take advantage when you have scoring clubs like this. That makes a huge difference in the most important stat, scoring average.

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I think Spieth would say the most disappointing stat for him so far this year is his putting from 4-8 feet. He only made 63% of those putts, which ranks him 167th of tour. While it isn’t really a secret that Spieth has struggled with short putts it’s odd to see him this low. This is about the range in which you are not really sure if he will look at the hole or at his ball. Maybe if he just decided which one he was going to do he would putt better from this range. Regardless, these length putts are what keeps the momentum of a round going. Missing short putts can really start getting in your head.

So now to the real question, should we be concerned about Jordan Spieth? My answer right now is no.

Spieth, along with the other highly ranked players in the world, knows how much major championships mean. You want to peak in those four weeks every year. These past few weeks have just been a progression. He has been getting better since his missed cut at Northern Trust. Ball striking is starting to come back to where he needs it to be. I’m never going to doubt Spieth’s putting ability, and there is just something he loves about those Augusta National greens.

I liken Spieth’s current funk to the Kansas City Royals September last year before their World Series Championship run. The Royals were 80-50 heading into September. They already knew they would win their division and they were still heavy favorites to become the #1 seed in the American League. The Royals would finish September with a 11-17 record for the month. It was their only month all year with a record below .500.

The people of Kansas City were concerned about their team’s performance heading into the postseason, as were a good majority of baseball media. The team never seemed to be concerned at all, so it seemed. It was almost like they we’re just so ready to get to the postseason and make up for what happened last year when they stranded the tying run on third base in Game 7 of the World Series in the bottom of the 9th.

NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 1: Members of the Kansas City Royals take team photo on the field after defeating the New York Mets in Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field on Sunday, November 1, 2015 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

Make up for it the Royals did, as they had a story book postseason run that culminated in their first championship in 30 years. It’s the same situation Spieth is in. He doesn’t have the same fire and energy right now because he knows what his biggest events of the year are, the major championships.

I have no doubt once this man drives down Magnolia Lane he will be the player to beat. If he were to have another performance like the one we saw at Innisbrook or Doral, then we have a legitimate argument about whether we need to be concerned about World No. 1 Jordan Spieth.

Next: Predicting Winners for the 2016 Majors

Let’s see how Jordan Spieth scores at Bay Hill before we hit the panic button.

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