Looked for all intents and purposes like a Groundhog Day repeat for Jordan Spieth early in his first round at the RSM Classic Thursday.
Looked like a replay of his Sunday in Fort Worth.
Jordy started well enough on the back nine at Harbour Town with pars at 10 and 11. Then the PGA Tour’s Human Thrill Ride kicked in.
The par four 12th is by no means a difficult hole — just 418-yards, a short par four for these guys. Jordy pulls a repeat of the 14th hole last Sunday at Colonial. The Devil Ball made its appearance, sailing right of right and out-of-bounds for Jumpy Jordy. Of course his re-tee ball went left, into the rough. From 132 yards out, his fourth found the green, just 27 feet from the hole. Then the guy who makes all sorts of long putts, proceeds to three-putt. Seriously?
Then the Jordy-Coaster dipped, he bounced back with birdie at the not-so-hard 13th then bored himself with six straight pars to close his first nine holes in one-over par. It was looking like one of those 73-or-so days for the Jordy-Coaster.
There was absolutely no hint as to what would transpire on the front nine for Spieth.
After a routine par at the first, Spieth hit his third inside eight feet at the par five second for birdie. Yay! One-in-a-row!
At the third, his approach snuggled inside six feet. Two-in-a-row!
At four, he stuck the approach inside three feet. Three-in-a-row!
Man, this Jordy-Coaster is a cool ride!
At the par five fifth, his third stopped inside three feet. Four-in-a-row!
This is really getting to be fun!
At the par four sixth, he’s inside eight feet and yes, another birdie — five-in-a-row!
Gotta be kiddin’! But wait, there’s more!
At the par three seventh, he makes birdie from 12-feet — six-straight!
Go Jordy, go!
Finally, a par at the eighth then at the short ninth where his wedge shot cuddles the green, inside three feet — and yes, a seventh birdie, count ’em — seven birdies over the final eight holes — Spieth shoots 29 for a mind-boggling 66 that left him just a pair of shots short of day one co-leaders Ian Poulter and Mark Hubbard.
This one was yet another head-shaker from Spieth.
“I’ve been making a lot of putts. I’ve been making a lot of birdies in my rounds,” Spieth said after his epic adventure. “Just tried to position myself each hole to have a decent look.”
But what about the Devil Ball at 12?
“Yeah, you can’t miss right on 12. I knew that. In the air, it was fine. It was just going to be in the trees, whether I could punch it to the green or punch out,” Spieth recounted. “I hit a tree, and it went about 20 yards to the right across the cart path out of bounds. It wasn’t really—it wasn’t an out-of-bounds shot, it just got kind of a tough break.”
Tough break? Quit hitting it wide right, Jordy!
“Then my three-putt was sloppy there,” he went on. “All of a sudden, I’m three over through three, and you start to see guys going two under through two, two under through three early. It’s not a great feeling.”
No kidding, Jordy.
Then came the front nine.
“I knew where I stood. I knew what was going on,” Spieth said of his birdie run. “But I mean, it doesn’t change the way you play. You’re just hitting point A to point B on this kind of golf course. Michael (caddie Greller) did a great job of reminding me (not to put too much pressure on myself) when it wasn’t going well on my front nine,” Spieth said. “So, yeah, it’s definitely a trigger to get it going. The idea, like I mentioned a minute ago, is to work yourself into contention, get those experiences, start to feel more and more comfortable under the gun.”
Well, one would think the Jordan Spieth from 2014 and 2015 would be pretty comfortable “under the gun.” But this Jordan Spieth isn’t THAT Jordan Spieth.
He’s Jordan Spieth, The Human Golf Thrill Ride.
Watch him if you will, but strap yourself in, make sure the seat belts are good and snug.
After all, this is one crazy ride.
RSM Classic First Round Scores:
