The Masters: Is Jordan Spieth an underdog at Augusta National?
Jordan Spieth has an immaculate career record at the Masters Tournament. But with this year’s strong field, will he still be an underdog at Augusta?
Jordan Spieth spent most of December sick in bed, he admitted at the Masters. That was news.
Two months ago, he disclosed that he had a relapse of mononucleosis in December. That was news at the time.
And at his Masters press conference, he revealed that as recently as two weeks ago he was still very concerned about his game. The word panic came up. That was real news.
Spieth said he got very concerned when he was 5-over par one round in a tournament. That came at Valspar in round one, while in a grouping with Tiger Woods.
“I don’t shoot 5‑over very often,” he said to media at the Masters. “You’re like what the heck happened?”
It all goes back to his December. Sometime after Spieth finished third at the Hero World Challenge, he was diagnosed with mononucleosis, and that was it for him. He was down for the count.
What happened to Spieth’s game during the long layoff?
Unfortunately, that’s the time of year he traditionally tries to solidify fundamentals and make sure everything in his game is working, as many golfers do in the short off-season. He was unable to do any of that and had to start 2018 without the proper preparation.
“I got and started to try to go through off-season stuff, your basic stuff, your alignment and your check boxes at the beginning of the year while traveling Hawaii,” he noted.
He was trying to play through it. But because he didn’t have his off-season retooling, he wasn’t ready to play at the level he expected or that he had enjoyed in previous seasons.
"“I was getting frustrated,” he admitted, “but when I would sit back and look at it, it made sense. It was just, okay, all these other guys are playing so well, and I’m paired with them, and for whatever reason I’m just not able to do what they’re able to do right now. It was just kind of impatience and this desire and want so bad instead of just staying the course.”(Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)"
His putting has been a disaster. He’s currently 145th in putting average. And he’s been losing strokes to the field with his putter. It’s a terrible combination. Surprisingly, even with a balky putter, he’s 18th in scoring average. For anyone else, that might be acceptable, but Spieth expects more from himself.
He knew he could perform at a higher level, but he couldn’t do it in January or February or even early March. Then he took some time off and returned at the Dell Match Play where he lost to Patrick Reed. His putting was still plaguing him there.
"“Stuff I took for granted in setup and pace control and all that kind of stuff, subconscious short game, stuff I’ve taken for granted in the past has been a little bit more difficult,” he said at the Dell Match Play. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to get back to that level, and I’ve been trying different things.”"
Spieth is getting his groove back just in time for the Masters
He watched video of himself when he was making everything, and that helped. In addition, he had his putting at the 2015 Masters and the 2015 Tour Championship evaluated at the SAM PuttLab , and he learned some important lessons.
“They were very different putting strokes, and they were both tremendous putting weeks,” Spieth noted. “And that just proves to me that it doesn’t really matter. It’s about the consistency and how confident I am in the setup and on the speed matching up. So, when I can see that they are different but similar results, it’s a confidence boost for me.”
Finally, at the Houston Open, he showed some signs of being the Jordan Spieth we remember.
“I made big strides in the last two weeks to get from kind of a panic place to a very calm, collected and confident place. And it’s difficult to do in two weeks. Sometimes it takes years,” he added.
Last week, his tee-to-green play was improved. He played a mental game with himself, pretending he was tied for the lead and convincing himself that he needed to make putts. Surprisingly, they started rolling in the hole.
Is it just in time for the Masters? Or will he have to wait another year?
Next: How Tiger Woods can win the Masters this year
Luckily for Spieth, he’s not under the microscope this week at the Masters. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy have cast shadows so large that anything Spieth has said probably escaped scrutiny. With the attention on so many other players, it might be just what he needs to get into contention on Sunday. It would be an unusual role for him, but this Masters, Spieth just might be the underdog.