Jordan Spieth shot to superstardom in 2015, and it all started here at the Augusta National Golf Club. But the young hot shot from Dallas, Texas has stumbled quite a bit this season. He hasn’t won in his last six tournaments. But pay no heed to all his struggles; he’s finally back to one of his best golf courses. Read on as we take a look at how Spieth can win his second straight Masters Tournament.
There are plenty more big dogs heading to Augusta. Check out our features for Jason Day and Rory McIlroy.
Jordan Spieth can call the Augusta National Golf Club home, at least when it comes to golf. He’s been excellent at the course in his short stint, placing second in 2014 and winning the green jacket last year. Spieth hasn’t even shot over par in his eight rounds at Augusta. The worst he’s played at the course was an even-par 72, which ultimately lost him a chance of winning his first ever major in 2014.
Call Spieth a golf nerd, but his knowledge of the game should help him aplenty in his budding career. He’s played the Augusta National GC around 25 or 30 times already. He’s also studied the course since he was eight years old, especially the back nine.
You could also argue that the course was made for Spieth. Augusta takes away one of Spieth’s weaknesses, 3 to 10-foot putts, and amplifies one of his strengths, 25-footers. In fact, there’s no one on tour who putts better from 25-plus feet than him. Spieth has struggled as of late, but if there’s a course that will raise his game, it’s Augusta.
Refined Game
Spieth has been on tour for just five years, but he’s already one of the best golfers out there in some statistics. He ranks eighth on tour in total strokes gained (1.733), fourth in birdie average (4.65), and 10th in scoring average (70.055).
The 22-year-old has been tremendous with his putting. He ranks first in putting average (1.674), third in overall putting average (1.517), one-putt percentage (44.44%), second in putts per round (27.31) and many more.
Spieth is also ranked No. 2 in the world, very impressive for someone who’s in just his fifth season on tour. It’s normal for any professional athlete to have some ups-and-downs in his career. Spieth is no exception. He’s struggled recently, finishing no better than 13th in his last five non-match play tournaments. But he’s just waiting for the right moment to shine.
Heart of a Champion
When it all comes to it, a champion is very tough to beat especially in a course he knows all too well and loves. Spieth won his first ever major at the Masters Tournament in 2015 with an 18-under par 270. He started off red hot with scores of 64 and 66 in the first two rounds. He didn’t play as well in the next two, but still finished with identical scores of 70.
Spieth had some difficulty finishing, but he still won the title four strokes ahead of second-placers Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose. It’s going to be very difficult to keep Spieth away from the top of the standings. As mentioned above, he finished second in his first ever Masters in 2014.
Even Rory McIlroy, one of the favorites to win at +800, is afraid of being left behind by Spieth. Meanwhile, two other top contenders, current world No. 1 Jason Day (and the +700 odds on favorite) and Adam Scott (1,000), don’t really excel at Augusta. This is Spieth’s tournament for the taking.
