The world of golf is still talking about “the shot” and “the shot” was the one Jordan Spieth hit last Saturday at Pebble Beach during the third round of the AT&T Pro-Am.
Spieth’s drive on the picturesque eight hole, one of Jack Nicklaus’ favorites, came to rest just a couple of feet from the edge of a cliff, it was nearly 70 feet of drop — something that would be tough to survive.
Spieth went back and forth with caddie Michael Greller. Greller didn’t want Spieth to attempt the shot. The ball had crossed the red hazard line. “He said, I just don’t, I just don’t see the point,” Spieth said of his back-and-forth with Greller. “I don’t think it’s worth it. I just don’t see the point. Stuff like that, I think. And I kept on, I was adamantly telling him, like pretty aggressively, like, please don’t get, go across that red line. To him. And that put him in a tough spot. But if he went across that red line, he wouldn’t have let me hit it, I don’t think. Drop it. Both the idea. And the ball.
Spieth won the “discussion.” He found the right stance, made a good swing then immediately took steps back, away from the drop-off. Spieth’s shot went long, up on the bank, short-siding himself. He then made the difficult up-and-down and saved par.
“I’m glad I finished the round and didn’t fall off that cliff on eight,” Spieth said after his round. “It was by far the most nerve-wracking shot I’ve ever hit. Like Michael (Greller) said afterwards: ‘I should have grabbed the ball and thrown it in the water’ because he was trying to get me not to hit it. I was like: ‘Michael, please don’t walk up there’ because then he would’ve seen definitely not to hit it. It was awfully close. I’ve never had a life and death situation on a shot before. So I thought I wouldn’t really have nerves the rest of the day after that one.”
Good news and bad news regarding Spieth’s successful flirt with the cliff. Good news is Spieth pulled it off, bad news is that some 20-handicapper playing Pebble for the first time, might want to try and replicate the shot at the eighth.
Wonder if they might consider putting up a fence?
On a side note, give Spieth credit for keeping himself in contention all week despite intestinal issues — and that’s not something you want going on if you’re out on a golf course!
Historic Ranking For Harold Varner III:
Harold Varner III is still on cloud nine after his 92-foot tournament-winning eagle putt on Sunday at the money-washing Saudi International.
The sensational putt edged Bubba Watson by a shot and with the win, Varner made a significant jump in the Official World Golf Rankings. He went from 94th all the way up to No. 45. That’s huge because players inside the top 50 at certain dates make it into the majors. If Varner can stay inside the top 50 through March 28th — he will receive an invitation to The Masters — making it his first trip to Augusta National. Varner has competed in just eight majors.
“I was wanting that,” Varner said of his top-50 status. “That is awesome. I was wondering that. Yeah, that’s the goal, man. That gets you in the things that I haven’t played in. I’ve played in some big events here and there, but yeah, that’s why we play.”
Watson’s runnerup finish also jumped him in the rankings. Bubba went from 105th to 60th.
Pebble Beach winner Tom Hoge moved from 68th to No. 39 — highest ranking in his career.
Brandel Chamblee Fires Back At Phil Mickelson:
Brandel Chamblee didn’t pull any punches when he fired back at Phil Mickelson recently after Mickelson called out the PGA Tour for being “obnoxiously greedy.”
Chamblee through out this during a Golf Channel segment:
He basically called Mickelson: “A highly paid ventriloquist puppet involved in a sports-washing operation.”
One Comment
baxter cepeda
I have something on the vertigo spectrum but had to walk up to that edge to look down. I didn’t get very far. Can’t even say I saw all the way down. That shot is unimaginable to me at this point in life.
It’s a good thing he made that incredible up and down for par. It would have been entirely pointless if he made bogey risking his life.
By the way he could have still made par if he dropped; heck even birdie if he holed out from about 160-170 after the drop.
The whole thing reminded me of the time Jordan went out surfing with Smiley Kaufman on that kayak over shallow reef outside Waialae. I’m not near as fearful of Hawaiian waves as I am heights but that was Just not a smart move. If you remember they wiped out hard, lost cell phones, but luckily no one got hurt that time either.
But it’s increasingly clear Jordan has a bit of daredevil in him.
Just walking up to that red line feels daredevilly. Jordan mentioned a cart drove off that cliff once. He knew about that. And still hit that shot.
I’ve had the same question regarding a fence there. But there are so many other places on that course alone that you could ask the same thing.
The tee box on 18 is a super scary drop and almost every group backs up to that edge and it’s 2o Foot drop for a picture of 18.
Many Dye courses have insane retaining walls you can literally die on.
Golf has some sketchy places. I’ve seen course mark some areas BLUE, which act similar to red penalty areas but players are not allowed to play from there. Our home course has added signs in sensitive bird areas where golfers cannot enter. We used to ply from in there but now have made those areas a 1 stroke penalty from last point of entry.
Back to pebble. Even if they use a fence on 8 those fences they use often break suddenly, as happened once to Anthony Kim at Sherwood cc. I cringe watching photographers leaning or sitting on the fence behind pebbles 18th tee. Same with Jacks pose sitting on that same fence for that famous picture at his last US Open. I actually recreated Jacks pose, So maybe my vertigo isn’t that bad. But definitely not at Jordan’s level. That boy cray cray.