Jordan Spieth knows how to put his foot on the gas when he needs to.
Spieth came close to making double-eagle at the final hole Saturday but settled for a 10-foot eagle putt that he buried to give himself a five-shot lead going into Sunday’s final round at the Tournament of Champions.
Spieth took Brooks Koepka’s best shot and pushed back with a 65 that put him at 24-under par through 54 holes.
Koepka unleashed his firepower with a dazzling 63 that got him to 19-under, five back of Spieth.
Spieth’s pal, Patrick Reed is at 18-under and those are the two closest players to the world’s No. 1 golfer.
“There was some unbelievable golf given the conditions,” Spieth said of Koepka’s round. Spieth thought that if he shot 65, his lead would be bigger but it still grew. “I get the feeling Brooks and Patrick are gonna shoot eight or nine under tomorrow,” Spieth said of Koepka and Reed. “Good conditions tomorrow, there needs to be more birdies on my part.”
Spieth actually looked human for a few holes on Saturday. He missed a seven-foot par putt at the eighth and failed to birdie the par five ninth. At one point, Koepka pulled within a shot of the Player of the Year but Spieth responded with birdies at 12, 14 and 15 then hit a sensational second shot at the final hole that nearly went in the hole for a double-eagle. “It peeked in the hole, didn’t it?” Spieth said. “Making that putt gives me a nice little confidence boost into tomorrow.”
“I’ll need a strong round tomorrow with the way Jordan’s playing,” admitted Koepka, who will play in the final pairing with Spieth.
Spieth can tie Ernie Els’ tournament record of 31-under par but he’ll need to shoot 66 to tie it, 65 to break it and the way’s he’s handled the Plantation course thus far, it’s definitely a possibility.
