The Curious Case of Jordan Spieth and THE PLAYERS

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Not much has gone right for Jordan Spieth at TPC Sawgrass throughout his career. Well, outside of his debut. He co-led after 54 holes, but a final-round 74 pushed him into a tie for fourth—and it’s been ugly ever since.

Over his last 10 PLAYERS appearances, Spieth missed six cuts and logged just one top-20 finish—a tie for 19th three years ago.

Pete Dye’s masterpiece demands constant precision, and as a player prone to big misses, it’s no wonder why Spieth’s playstyle hasn’t matched up with this place over the years.

But the question is: will this year be any different?

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I’m choosing to believe. Not from insider information or some kind of gut feeling, but because everyone and their mother are choosing not to. When others zig—you gotta zag, folks.

Plus, we’ve seen some decent golf from the Texan over his last few starts. He tied for 29th at Pebble Beach, for 12th at the Genesis Invitational, and last week for 11th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Those showings may just be flashes in the pan, but they could also signal things to come.

One thing he can hang his hat on, however, is the putter. He was second in Strokes Gained: Putting at Riviera and 16th at Bay Hill. This comes after a change he and his coach, Cameron McCormick, made during an off week back home in Texas.

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As for the swing, that continues to be a work in progress.

“I know what I need to do and I was trying so hard to do it today, and I probably did it on maybe 10 of my swings,” Spieth said after his final round in Los Angeles.

With a week off and another start under his belt since Riv, he should be feeling a little more comfortable with all the tweaks—only time will give us a definitive answer on that assumption, though.

“I feel good. I feel like good things are coming,” Spieth told Kay Adams on Wednesday at Sawgrass. “I feel like my best golf is in front of me. Each week’s been a little better this year. My mechanics have been better and more sound. I feel like I’m in a good place. In saying that, I don’t feel rushed. If it were to happen, it happens. But I feel like I’m in a place where I just let things come to me versus trying to grip the wheel so tight. I feel like I’m in better position to play well here than I have in the past.”

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I noticed a quiet confidence from Spieth during his chat with Kay, which makes me feel a little better about going on a limb.

Sure, it could backfire, but I’m looking forward to the #SpiethExperience.

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