AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) Provided Jordan Spieth’ s past encounters at Augusta National, there was simply no reason to panic.
It was the front nine. It was the 2nd round. It was nowhere near the most severe he’ s been through at the Experts.
So Spieth continued to be calm despite losing a two-shot lead on the first two openings. He excused it as usual ” punches” from a daunting course in difficult conditions. He replied by making two birdies over the last six holes, helping him get over the inauspicious start.
He finished with a 2-over 74 that left him 4 below for the tournament.
” I’ ve taken a lot of your punches on this golf course, and in tournaments generally, ” Spieth said. ” We told (caddy) Michael (Greller), `Look, when this course plays tough, I’ m good for a double right here or some bogeys there. Let’ s make these the only types. ” ’
Spieth began the day at 6 below. He squandered that before over fifty percent the field teed off.
The 2015 Masters champion forced his tee shot at the par-4 first way right. He did not get his second shot returning to the fairway and then left their third one short of the eco-friendly. He missed an 11-footer to get bogey.
He taken his second tee shot remaining and then missed a 5-footer with regard to par.
It opened up the door for everyone else on the leaderboard. It also could have been a devastating begin for Spieth.
Yet he took it in step, chatting with his caddy and speaking with himself to not get overly disappointed.
The rough begin probably should have been expected provided what Spieth endured at Augusta National just two years ago.
Spieth had a commanding direct at the turn in 2016 before stuttering on Nos. 10 and eleven, both par 4s. He bogeyed both, and really unraveled at the par-3 12th.
Spieth’ s i9000 tee shot came up brief, landed on a downslope and hopped into Rae’ s Creek. Then he took a drop and strike a fat wedge that furthermore splashed. Spieth settled for a quadruple-bogey 7 and lost his result in Danny Willett .
Spieth retrieved with by making two birdies during the last six holes, but it wasn’ capital t enough. He finished second, 3 shots back of Willett.
Compared to that, this was absolutely nothing.
” I’ mirielle not going to downgrade my skill level, yet I’ m also not going to downgrade my ability to take punches plus fight back on this course, ” he or she said. ” Good starts are actually nice out here. Bad begins are tough to come back from. Easily look at it one way, I mean, in 2016, I went bogey, bogey, quad and then was able to rebound from that will.
” So what’ s the first couple holes on the Friday start mean? It doesn’ t really mean much in my experience. It means let’ s figure out that which was wrong and fix it. But it’ s not going to affect the outcome of this particular tournament off of those two openings. I’ m still in an excellent position. ”
Spieth credited a par save on No . 9 with turning about his day.
Right after his tee shot landed within a foot in the right rough, this individual flew the green with his 2nd shot. He putted from the edge to 6 feet and then exhausted it, flashing the kind of putter ability that carried him (10 putts) on the back nine in the starting round Thursday.
” I thought that my two-putt save No . 9 was really, really large, ” he said. ” Whenever that went in, I thought, `OK, forget about everything that’ s occurred here. Let’ s try and capture 2 under on the back 9. ’ And that was the goal, plus, you know, I almost did a single better there. ”
Spieth’ s 15-foot birdie putt on No . 18 burned the advantage.
And now he’ h headed into the weekend feeling self-confident he’ s got a shot in slipping on a second green coat.
” To come back through 3 over through two openings and only shoot 2 over using a limited number of (good) looks, it’ s not so bad, ” this individual said. ” I’ m nevertheless in this golf tournament. With the way the back again nine was playing today, the particular wheels could have come off there. Yet I made some nice k?rester saves and was able to grind out there some phenomenal second-shot iron photos and good two-putt birdies. ”
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