Jordan Spieth survives roller coaster first round at Sony Open

Jordan Spieth had things rolling at Waialae – that is, until the rare snowman reared its ugly head late

Jordan Spieth needed a little boost after his week at Kapalua. No, he wasn’t bad by any means, but getting beaten by 12 strokes is never a lot of fun. A trip to the Sony Open in Hawaii is usually just what the doctor ordered in that case. A second straight week in paradise, in the friendly confines of Waialae, never hurt anybody.

While the sailing is usually smooth at this Honolulu treasure, Spieth quickly found himself taking the scenic route around the course.

Opening play on the back nine, Spieth got off to a tough start. After making birdie on No. 10, he quickly made bogeys on the par-4 11th and 14th to move into black numbers. In a tournament where the winning score has surpassed -20 four times in the last five years, that’s not a place you want to be.

Still, as Spieth does so often, he fought back. Birdies on 15, 17 and 18 saw Spieth turn at two-under. He fought to -4 through 16, and looked poised to finish the round right in the thick of things at the top of the leaderboard.

Then, he found himself face-to-face with a snowman, right in the middle of Honolulu.

Jordan Spieth runs out of magic…for now

That would be the dreaded 8 on the scorecard, of course. On the par-4 8th, Spieth’s drive clipped a tree on the left side, settling in the rough. Perhaps taking too heroic a line, his second shot caught another tree, advancing just 54 feet. His next two shots followed the left rough, before he finally found a greenside bunker on his fifth shot. He blasted out 30 feet past the hole, then two-putted for the 8.

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Just like that, he fell back to even par, seven shots off the lead. As he so often does, though, the newly-engaged Texan pulled some of that Jordan Spieth magic out on No. 9, closing with a birdie to at least get back in the red.

While Spieth is usually an open book even at his worst, he declined to speak with reporters after the round. It’s safe to say he was probably working out some of his frustrations with caddie Michael Greller, before planning a way he could still win this thing.

If he’s going to pull that particular rabbit out of the hat again, he’ll have his work cut out for him. Spieth trails Chris Kirk and Zach Johnson by six after 18 holes, and currently sits tied for 65th.

Then again, Spieth did make a whopping eight birdies on Friday, one more than either of the leaders. I’m not saying Spieth is definitely going to win, but come on, would you even be surprised anymore?

Next: Sony Open in Hawaii: Power Rankings

There are sure to be plenty of fireworks coming out of the Sony Open over the next three days. With birdies everywhere you look, nothing is anywhere near set in stone yet.

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