Jordan Spieth: Comeback effort too little, too late at Sony Open

Jordan Spieth has made magic happen more times than we can count over the years. Unfortunately, his latest attempt came up short at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Can he find a way to piece his game back together to get back in the hunt as one of the PGA TOUR’s greatest players?

Jordan Spieth got off to quite a slow start at the Sony Open in Hawaii this week, firing an opening-round 73 at Waialae on Thursday. The 3-over round left him tied for 127th place entering Friday’s round, and he wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

Unfortunately, that didn’t mean he wasn’t going down at all.

Spieth knew his back was up against the wall when he teed off in the second round, especially as he looks to put the woes of the 2017-18 PGA TOUR season behind him early this year. He did everything he could to get off to a hot start, with a birdie on the par-4 third hole moving him to +2 for the event early. The comeback was on, right?

A missed seven-footer for par on No. 6 brought Spieth back to par for the round, but he bounced back quickly. Three birdies over the next four holes got him to even for the championship. It looked – at last – like Spieth had gotten everything clicking, with the cut line almost an afterthought at that moment.

Still, with so many players in the field putting up red numbers, there was no room to take the foot off the gas either. Spieth three-putted from 32 feet on No. 12, dropping a shot to get back over par. A short-sided bunker shot on 14 forced him to blast out some 34 feet past the hole. He skated the comeback putt seven feet past, and even a clutch turnaround sent him back to +2.

Of course, we’ve seen Jordan Spieth pull the proverbial rabbit out of his hat seemingly dozens of times over the last five years. With four holes to play, it looked for all the world like he would have to birdie out to give himself a chance.

On to the 15th hole, a 384-yard par-4. Spieth’s drive found the left rough. Stuck the approach to six feet. Birdie.

No. 16, his drive skids through the fairway into the long stuff on the right. Approach to 11 feet. Birdie.

Par-3 17th, tee shot gets to about 10 feet from the hole. The putt looked like it was on line the whole way…right until it turned late. Par.

The newlywed had just one more chance to make a move on the day, but it came in the form of a closing par-5. That’s always a crowd-pleaser on the PGA TOUR, giving players a chance to let it ride in the hopes of a game-changing eagle, and Spieth gave it a good rip. His second shot actually went past the back side of the green, but when his pitch rolled just a few feet long, he had nothing left to do but watch the leaderboard.

16 players finished tied for 65th place…at 2-under. Spieth found himself on the outside looking in, for the second time in a row this season. For a player who doesn’t miss a lot of cuts, missing back-to-back weekends (granted, his last start was two months ago at Mayakoba) is a tough way to open the new year.

Spieth took this one in stride, at least as much as anybody who’s clearly battling their own swing can. He also recognized that despite the result, his overall performance started moving in the right direction.

“I love the way we fought back there at the end. That was fun. I felt like I was trying to win a golf tournament just to make the cut, which is not really something I want to get used to, but early in the season when I started the day 17 shots back, it was something where I could actually feel some pressure and make adjustments, too,” Spieth said.

"“I’ve missed cuts before and gone on and won my next event; I’ve finished runner-up my next event. It’s not like an all-tell. I knew coming in that the game was off and needed to kind of start to fine tune. So I’m in a good space given what happened. It’s a learning experience, but I’m tired of learning experiences though.”"

To be fair – Spieth has missed a cut and then finished runner-up the next time out four times in his PGA TOUR career. He’s never actually won in his first start after a missed cut, but hey, maybe I’m just splitting hairs here.

Spieth also mentioned that he was struggling to find his feel, both with the putter and with his longer irons. It’s gotten to be such a struggle that renowned coach Hank Haney believes that Spieth might even have the dreaded “yips”, at least with his putting.

More from Jordan Spieth

• Zach Johnson’s Ryder Cup Picks Add Proven Winners, Comfy Partners, Good Putters
• Bubble Burst? Jordan Spieth is in danger of missing out
• Playoffs Finally Delivering The Kind of Excitement Promised
• Rahm, Rory, Spieth, Harman and The Weather Surprise at British Open
• Hard to Overlook McIlroy, Spieth, Day, and Rain at British Open

Are things bad for the young superstar right now? Yeah, they are. Spieth is at his best when he’s not thinking about what he has to do from a technical standpoint on the golf course. He’s got a mind for the game better than just about anybody out there, and that’s what separates him from the pack. When he’s on, he’s nearly unstoppable. When he’s not…well, you get the idea.

Look, Spieth has had a lot going on in his life over the last few months. He endured a tough season in 2017-18, found himself at the center of some unwanted Ryder Cup drama, and got married and went on his honeymoon. Even the strongest player can get distracted, and Jordan Spieth is no different.

Spieth’s putting improved on Friday, as did all of his strokes gained stats for Waialae, with the exception of his around the green metric. So maybe it’s not time to press the alarm button just yet.

Maybe keep it within arm’s reach. But when it comes to Jordan Spieth, he’s more than earned the benefit of the doubt. He’ll get things fixed soon, and when he does – watch out.