All Eyes on Jordan Spieth

Jordan Spieth is just like us after all. Each us has that glowing nichrome wire in our head that turns red hot when we are angry or stressed and cools down to an inert gray when we are calmly floating in a pool.

Jordan Spieth had a meltdown this weekend. It can happen to us all. That little wire. That little coiled wire – the same found in space heaters – has a breaking point. When it reaches its limit it just melts. It disappears in a foul-smelling black cloud.

That happened to me recently. I was already playing horribly when I hit a hosel rocket with my normally reliable 8-iron.

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I melted. At that moment I wanted to walk off the course. I considered quitting golf for a while. If you’ve been there, you know the feeling. It’s like Sandra Bullock at the end of Gravity – just turn off the oxygen and let me die.

For the uninitiated, hitting a hosel rocket is akin to using an Ouija board in a haunted house and having it spell, ”GET OUT!” It’s terrifying. Mine started a four-hole stretch where I ended up in my pocket three times. The other hole was a net bogey.

On the way to the next tee, my partner asked, “What’s going on?”

“I broke something,” I replied, my head cradled in my hands. And I wasn’t talking about my body. I had simply entered the golfing equivalent of a freefall.

I stumbled in. The round was a mess. At least, I figured, I don’t have to play golf for a while.

Jordan Spieth has no such reprieve.

After the first round of the Genesis Open at Riviera Jordan was 9-under, carding a scorching 64. Round two was a bit of a roller coaster but he managed a 1-under 70. Same for round three.

His final round card looked like a roulette wheel, including at least one of the following: 3-4-5-6-7-8. But it was the “El Ocho” that may have melted his wires.

At the short par-4 10th he hit his drive in the greenside bunker. His second went through the green into another trap. His third stayed in the trap. So did his fourth and fifth. Finally on in six, a two-putt secured quadruple bogey. Yikes.

Somehow he parred in for a +10 81. But I fear the damage may linger.

Something happened to Jordan Spieth. Not long ago he was a wunderkind. In 2015, he captured The Masters and the U.S. Open. That same year he finished 2nd at The PGA. In 2017, he added an Open Championship to his collection. By the end of that year, he had 11 career Tour victories to his credit not to mention a likely spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame.

And since then? Zero wins. So what happened? The short answer is, “Who knows?”

According to PGATour.com, in 2019 his once golden putting stroke has vanished. Jordan Spieth is currently 138th in total putting. He barely cracks the top 100 in Driving Distance and is 212th in Driving Accuracy. He’s 182nd in Greens in Regulation. He’s 193rd in Sand Saves. He is below average across the board.

He was already nose-diving in 2019, but the 10th at Riviera was a cataclysm.

I’m not suggesting that Jordan Spieth is done, but he’s at a crossroads. A year and a half ago, he was the Open Champion. Today he is a middling Tour player.

What happened at the 10th at Riviera was not the beginning, it was simply rock bottom (one hopes). That quad had been a long time coming. His lug nuts have been loose for a while. A year and a half of average or worse golf for a 3-time Major champ is concerning. But who could imagine that hole?

Is he injured? Is he going through swing changes? Either can bring about a slump. Even Tiger succumbed to both. But Spieth doesn’t appear to be struggling with injury or a new swing. And that’s what makes it all so scary.

This is a crucial year. You can chalk up 2018 as an aberration, but you still must admit 2019 is off to a worse start. Is this a dip in the stock market or a looming crater?

Most of us golf to get away from the humdrum of everyday life. It’s a mini-vacation. For Pros, it is their life. The course is their office. It’s always about work.

And that’s the rub. To break out of a slump, you have to keep swinging. You and I do it alone on the range or in the uncrowded twilight hours out on the course. With no one watching, it’s easier to make mistakes and try new things.

Unfortunately for Jordan, the worse he plays, the more eyes he attracts. And the 2019 season is just beginning.