AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: Biggest moment in Spieth’s season?

Jordan Spieth put his caddy in a very tough position on Saturday at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

It was perhaps one of the most bizarre things you will see this season on the PGA Tour, it was the moment that had every fan, media member, and caddie extremely nervous. Jordan Spieth, a star of the PGA Tour and one of the best golfers in the world dared to walk on the edge, the edge of a cliff that is after his wayward tee-shot crossed the hazard line but caught just enough of the land to avoid plummeting into the ocean down below.

Spieth’s decision to play his ball was risky, but it could prove pivotal.

Spieth was 5 under par when he began his third round on Saturday, a whole eleven shots behind current leader at the time Seamus Power who had recorded back-to-back 64’s over the first two days for a whopping 16 under par total at the halfway point.

Jordan was going to need a special day to have even a remote chance of getting back into contention, and even with that, it may have not been enough.  He started his third round and quickly recorded back-to-back birdies across the first two holes, then on the par 5 6th he buried an eagle opportunity to move to five under par for his round. All of this in combination with a sluggish start from the leader Power meant Spieth was rapidly closing the gap.

It was on the par 4 8th hole that things got crazy, Spieth wasn’t able to fully grasp the severity of the situation until he spotted the ball, and from that moment he only had one thought, to play the ball. ” I never had a situation where you can see a ball, get a swing on it, but you’re not going to play it. So it was just kind of weird because it was like, Well if I can get a swing on it and I can hit it then why would I take a drop?” he said during his post-round interview.

“if that were to happen again he’ll walk up, grab my ball and throw it in the water, so that I can’t hit it. He said.”

Meanwhile, his caddie and everyone else watching for that matter were pleading with him not to take the risk, and rightfully so. It was an extreme risk to take to try and play the ball in that spot, and it’s not one I’m sure I would have made.

Michael Greller, Jordan Spieth’s caddie, tried to talk him out of attempting the shot “Michael hated it. He tried to talk me out of it three times. I don’t blame him, looking back. I’m just glad I made the par to make it worth it.” Spieth said after.

It was worth it for Spieth from a golfing perspective, and if he goes on to win the Pebble Beach Pro-Am this weekend he can look back on this crucial moment. Jordan was able to make clean enough contact with the ball to fly it over the water below and up just past the green on the other side, something that in and of itself is quite remarkable.

He then proceeded to chip his ball off the downward slope past the hole with his third shot, it left him with about a 12-foot putt coming back for par. The par putt was made and the memorable save was complete.

Who knows what would have happened with the rest of his round had he taken the drop on the 8th hole and dropped at least one shot, maybe more. Spieth used the momentum and proceeded to grab another birdie on the very next hole to record an outward 31 on the front nine and move to 5 under par for the day.

The momentum continued on the back nine as he recorded another five birdies for a grand total of 63 at the end of the round, good for 9 under par for the day. Leader Seamus continued to struggle, and eventually the leaderboard was flipped on its head at the end of Saturday. Jordan sits just a shot behind going into the final round and well in the mix.

Greller didn’t really know what to do Spieth remarked “if that were to happen again he’ll walk up, grab my ball and throw it in the water, so that I can’t hit it. He said.” It was something that his caddie had wished he had done upon further reflection.

It probably would have been the right thing to do to protect Spieth, but then again if he had done so who knows how the rest of the round would have gone. If Jordan does go on to win the Pebble Beach Pro-Am this week it could act as a catalyst for the rest of his 2022 season, and if that does in fact happen he will likely credit this pivotal point as the moment that everything changed.