Jordan Spieth Could be the 2017 Masters Champion
By Yash Padhye
Jordan Spieth fans, rejoice! He’s going into Masters Sunday in contention.
Jordan Spieth has played a lot of good golf on Augusta National golf course over the last three years. In 2014, he finished tied for second place and in 2015 he went wire to wire to win the Masters. He would have won it last year, but in the final round the wheels came off on the back nine. He dropped two in the water on the 12th hole.
Spieth seemed to struggle early on this year and shot a 75 during the first round on Thursday. During that round, Spieth had two bogeys and three birdies. But the hole that really hurt him was the par 5 15th hole.
On the 15th, Spieth hit a ball in the pond, then over the green, and then struggled to putt, and ended up taking a quadruple-bogey on Fire Thorn.
He made a nice comeback during the second round on Friday, shooting a 69 and making the cut to play the weekend.
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In his second round, Spieth had only two bogeys but recorded five birdies and made it through Amen Corner bogey-free.
But it was Spieth’s moment on Moving Day. He shot a 68 that included five birdies and one bogey.
Spieth went from being way out of contention to being back in the thick of things within 48 hours.
Despite his struggles on the first day, Spieth has played exceptionally well the last two days. His putting has improved quite a bit and he is getting more distance off the tee.
After his second round on Friday, Spieth spoke with CBSSports reporter Kyle Porter.
"I think that we’re in a position now where we, I think I can certainly go out there and win this thing and certainly make a run."
Jordan Spieth Gets ‘The Comeback’
Spieth has come back into contention during tournaments throughout this year, but he has been inconsistent at doing so at Augusta. In 2015, when Spieth tied a scoring record at 18-under par, he shot two-under par in his final round.
When he lost the Masters last year, he had the lead at the end of the third round, but he closed the tournament with a final round score of 73 and lost by two strokes to England’s Danny Willett.
Spieth is going to need another day like Saturday to happen tomorrow if he wants to win. He’s going into Sunday’s final round in a tie for fourth place with first round leader Charley Hoffman and Ryan Moore.
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The momentum he has gained over the last two days could help Spieth secure his place among the greats and win another green jacket. Will we see Spieth with another green jacket tomorrow? The outcome is yet to be known, but you can bet that he will surely give Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler a run for their money.