Jordan Spieth: Should We Start to Worry?

Jordan Spieth has struggled with living up to immense expectations this year.

You would think that at this point in the year, a season with two PGA Tour wins would receive high praise. Well, that hasn’t really been the case for Jordan Spieth. He has to deal with the after-effects of having one of the greatest seasons of all-time a year ago.

In 2015, Jordan Spieth stormed onto the scene. His wire-to-wire victory at the Masters cemented his status as one of the world’s truly elite players. He followed that up with a victory at the U.S. Open, becoming a two-time major champion before his 22nd birthday. He added three more wins in 2015, taking home the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup to finish the season.

When Spieth came out in the opening event of 2016 and blew away the field by eight shots, it looked like he might be able to deliver a repeat performance. And while he’s fallen short at the majors, he has by no means laid an egg this year.

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Jordan Spieth faces a lot of media criticism — if he doesn’t win, it seems like people only ask what’s wrong with him. That is what Tiger Woods dealt with throughout his entire career, and it’s something that Spieth has struggled to adjust to. A lot of the questions he’s gotten this year are different than the ones from last year.

The blame needs to go both ways. Spieth shouldn’t be so concerned about what everyone thinks about him. That is too much to worry about when you need to work on your game. At the same time, however, the media needs to recognize that while he hasn’t had the year he had last year, he is still one of the best in the world. With a pair of wins in 2016, he’s backed up that claim.

Spieth’s performance at the majors hasn’t been anywhere close to where it was a season ago — that’s the main reason why people are getting on him. He was a combined 54-under-par in the majors last year, which was the lowest score in relation to par over a given year’s four majors in history. This year, he has failed to break par in 10 consecutive rounds at the majors. In fact, his only under-par round this year was his opening 66 at the Masters.

Jul 16, 2016; Ayrshire, SCT; Jordan Spieth (USA) signals he has pulled his 2nd shot left on the 15th during the third round of the 145th Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Troon Golf Club – Old Course. Mandatory Credit: Steve Flynn-USA TODAY Sports /

At this week’s Open Championship, he has had to fight something that he’s really yet to worry about in his career. His putting really let him down. Most would tell you that Spieth is the best putter in the world, but he sure didn’t look like it at Royal Troon. The slower greens at The Open gave him fits.

However, his ball striking has really picked up over his last two events. His iron play has been lacking all year, but the fact that it’s starting to come around should be encouraging.

I still think his game is trending towards the PGA Championship. A win at “Glory’s Last Shot” could totally change what everyone in the media thinks about Spieth’s season. While Spieth shouldn’t play simply to prove people wrong, a win at the final major of the year would certainly help to silence his critics.

Next: Big 4: Who Wins the Most Majors?

What do you think: can Jordan Spieth settle down and win the PGA Championship? Let us know by reaching out to Pro Golf Now on Twitter or Facebook.

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