Jordan Spieth did not walk away with a green jacket, but he sure tried. Starting the day nine shots back, Spieth put together one of the greatest runs in Masters history. Here’s how he put a charge into Augusta National — and a scare into Patrick Reed.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — The conversation was never about Jordan Spieth. Go ahead, ask around. Did you hear anybody mention his name on the eve of the final round of the Masters?
No, this Masters was going to come down to Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy. If somebody was going to make a move, surely it would be Rickie Fowler or Jon Rahm, both just close enough to make it seem possible. Henrik Stenson, who started the day seven shots behind… sure, he could make a run. After all, he put together one of the greatest final rounds ever, shooting an 8-under 63 to outduel Phil Mickelson in an instant classic in the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
But not once was Spieth’s name uttered. He was, after all, nine shots behind the leaders. No one had ever made up that kind of ground over 18 holes on a Sunday at Augusta National. The greatest comeback came 62 springs ago, when Jackie Burke Jr. charged from eight down to win the green jacket.
Here, though, was Spieth, on a gloriously clear Sunday at the 2018 Masters Tournament, bringing the roars with birdie after birdie after birdie.
He didn’t pull of the greatest comeback in history, but he sure tried.
„To be able to have a chance to win this tournament five years in a row is really, really cool. That’s how I am going to take today,“ he said.
It was, from beginning to end, never boring. Here’s how it all unfolded:
Spieth handled one of the most difficult opening holes in major championship golf with a birdie. Over four days of this Masters, there were only 18 birdies. Score: 1 under
While No. 1 doesn’t often lend birdies, No. 2 gives them up pretty easily. Spieth makes one of the 86 there this week. Score: 2 under
With the pin at No. 3 in a tough spot to get an approach close, Spieth walked away with par. core: 2 under
The 240-yard par-3 is not a hole to be messed with, and Spieth did not mess with it. He walked away with the score most everyone in the field would happily take — par. Score: 2 under
After a safe tee shot, he lands a long second shot into the green. But with 207 left, Spieth stuffed his approach, leaving it 3 feet from the hole. He tapped in a birdie. Score: 3 under
The 180-yard par-3 had perhaps the most difficult pin position of all on Sunday. On the top-right shelf, Spieth left his approach in the valley below the hole. He two-putted from 49 for par. Score: 3 under
The competition committee at Augusta National did the players a favor at No. 7, putting the pin in the right-hand corner, allowing shots to funnel toward the hole. Speith, who knows his way around the place, played it perfectly, knocking his approach to 5 feet. But his putter failed him, as he missed the putt and settled for par. Score: 3 under
Spieth kept his tee shot out of the right-hand bunker, the key to attacking the uphill par-5. He got his approach within 30 yards of the green. From that spot, he went up and down for birdie. Score: 4 under
A perfect tee shot was followed by a perfect second shot. Speith, facing a slipper left-to-right 12-footer, rolled in the putt. He was 5-under 31 on the first nine and headed to 10 tee. The fireworks were far from over. Score: 5 under
Using the runway down the left side of the fairway, he launched a 307-yard drive to leave a perfect angle for his approach. From 185 yards, Spieth left his second shot short. He two-putted for par. Score: 5 under
One of the more intimidating tee shots at Augusta National, Spieth found the fairway. Still, he had 216 yards left. He played it safe and hit his approach to the middle of the green. He left his 25-foot birdie putt 4 feet short but rolled that one in to save par. Still no bogeys on the card. Score: 5 under
This hole had been Spieth’s personal house of horrors. In 2016, he plunked two balls into Rae’s Creek, a mind-boggling stretch that cost him the green jacket. A year ago, he dropped another tee-ball into the water in the final round. This year, he found the back fringe. Dry and relieved, he raised his hands in mock celebration. He was not just happy with par, though. He rolled in the 30-footer from the back fringe for birdie. Score: 6 under
The drive is the key part of the dogleg left par-5. Find it and it’s a green light to go for it in two and set up a chance at eagle. Spieth’s drive ran through the fairway and settled in the pine needles up the right side. When he arrived at his ball, he first pulled out an iron. But he changed his mind and reached for a hybrid. Good choice. From 234 yards, he blistered the hybrid over the tributary of Rae’s Creek and had a 12-footer for eagle. Is there such a thing as a disappointing birdie? Well, this was it. Spieth couldn’t convert the eagle, but did make birdie. Score: 7 under
Finally, the run was halted. Another pinpoint drive left Spieth 161 yards to the hole. His approach landed in the middle of the green. He two-putted for par. A par? Boring. Score: 7 under
Another par-5, another opportunity. And at this point in the round, would you expect anything besides another red number? But would it be birdie or eagle? Spieth got to the par-5 in two, playing his second shot safely to the back right portion of the green, almost 60 feet away. He left his eagle lag six feet short, but rolled in the birdie. Score: 8 under
Jordan Spieth moves to 9-under par for the round after making a long birdie putt on the par 3 16th hole to tie Patrick Reed atop the leader board.
The Masters always puts the pin on the 16th green in the same spot. The back-left location allows for drama. Hit it just right and the ball will funnel down next to the hole. Spieth didn’t hit his tee shot far enough far enough to catch the slope, leaving himself a 33-footer for birdie. Want to guess how this ended? He rolled in the putt, looked at caddie Michael Greller and shouted, „Are you kidding me?“ No, we’re not. Another birdie. Score: 8 under
Spieth found the fairway off the tee, leaving himself 165 yards for his second shot. His approach settled 18 feet from the hole and Spieth walked up and made another. Score: 9 under
Jordan Spieth comes up short of the fairway on the 18th hole after miss hitting the ball left into the trees.
