Jordan Speith's final round observations

[cary lichtenstein]

I know we are only supposed to post about architecture here, so please don't read this if that is your only interest:


I watched the final round, every single shot from start to finish, which I always do at the 4 majors. Those who tuned in only on the back nine, missed the incredible ebe and flow of the leaderboard.


As Kucher and Speith were struggling at 8 under, and a 63 posted at 6 under, I was wondering if this was going to be another JohnnyMiller, 63 open win. I was fascinated by all the 4 unders that could not make anything and move into a tie at 6 under.


When Speith hit it dead RIGHT on 13, I said out loud, "put a fork in him, he's done." Then when he searched for 20 minutes for a place to drop, I thought all that nervous energy will turn into a disaster.


I was almost astonished to see him make bogey and keep himself in the game. I remember Jack Nicklaus in some non major, hitting it OB on the 17th hole, and then proceeding to make bogey, birdie finish to win.


What followed I'm sure all of you know already, but for me, how Speith pulled himself together, took control and destroyed the course, was stunning.


The interviews subsequent shows how intelligent and humble he is, quite refreshing and inspiring. How this man, at 23 has this much maturity and composure to amazing. I thought last years British Open could not be beat, but this one, WOW, very very special.

[Ted Sturges]

What I learned yesterday (and I also watched the entire Sunday telecast) was that Jordan Spieth, like very few golfers before him, has another gear to shift into.  Tiger had it, Arnie had it, Seve' had it...Mickelson has had it at times, and Jack Nicklaus also had it at times...and it's amazing to watch.  To summon greatness when all the pressure is on and only greatness will do...is simply put, something very rare and very special.  I was mesmerized watching him play the last 6 holes.  I've never seen anything like it...but I have a feeling we will see more of that from young Mr. Spieth.  Matt Kuchar is a fine man and a very seasoned, very accomplished professional golfer.  But he's not capable of going birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie down the stretch in a major...and very few are.  Jordan Spieth is in rarefied air indeed.

TS

[Tim Gavrich]

For what little they're worth, I posted shorter versions of the following thoughts on Spieth on Twitter yesterday:


- I think a lot of golfers feel a deeper connection to Spieth than, say, DJ/Rory/Day because Spieth seems more like one of us. He doesn't have the visibly obviously superior physique that those other guys have, and so his skill set shines more on and around the greens. Those sorts of amazing short-game skills seem a bit more attainable to us than 350-yard tee-shot power. It gives us mortals hope that we could theoretically be almost that good from 100 yards and in. Nicklaus and Woods played a game with which we were not familiar, and that made them interesting. Spieth plays a game with which we ARE familiar and that makes him interesting in an altogether different way.


- Spieth also reminds golfers of themselves because he gets visibly frustrated after bad shots, much like we usually do. But in big moments, he's been able to convert that frustration into something productive, whereas the rest of us let it eat at us and destroy otherwise decent rounds. That skill is arguably his best.

[Kalen Braley]

Ted,


I don't think just cause he did it once, doesn't put him in the same class as those guys who did it again and again...at least not yet.


Exhibit A:  Craig Perks.  Amazing finish on the last 3 holes to win the Players.  16 - Eagle, 17 - Birdie, 18 - Chip in from nasty rough to save par.


...in what would be his only win on the PGA tour.

[John Kavanaugh]

Trevino was mentioned to have won at Birkdale so I did some research on his other Major victories. Trevino won 6 Majors with Nicklaus finishing second in 4 of them. Now that is a guy who has another gear and can close. I don't think Kuchar ever scared Spieth, we all witnessed for years nobody except one body ever held off Tiger. After all these years I finally respect Trevino like I always have should.

[David Lott]

There was considerable luck involved in addition to good play and determination.

The luckiest shot was his third on 13. He missed the bunkers and the bad lies. (On the other hand his 4th shot and putt on 13 were brilliant.)


 Any putt over 25 feet that falls is a combo of skill and luck.


I think the delay on 13 was also a bit of luck. A break in the mood and a chance to compose himself.


The final bit of luck was his hot putter overall. He is a great putter right now. Many (most?) great putters do not stay great. He was lucky to have this moment whey his putting is at such a high level. In the future he will have to improve aspects of his overall game (driving!) as his putting (almost) inevitably becomes less sensationally good

[Tom_Doak]

I only watched the last six holes.  My timing is impeccable!


The most amazing thing to me in Spieth's victory was his third shot to 17, needing to get it close knowing that Kuchar was looking at birdie to get within one.  Just as he started to hit his delicate little pitch and run, a camera went off, and he stopped IN MID-SWING, and then he backed off, regrouped, and hit a perfect shot and made his own birdie to preserve his lead.


Craig Perks did not do that.  Tiger Woods is the only player I can ever remember who did that, and I cannot remember how good a shot he hit after his mid-swing interruption.

[Ted Sturges]

Ted,


I don't think just cause he did it once, doesn't put him in the same class as those guys who did it again and again...at least not yet.







Exhibit A:  Craig Perks.  Amazing finish on the last 3 holes to win the Players.  16 - Eagle, 17 - Birdie, 18 - Chip in from nasty rough to save par.


...in what would be his only win on the PGA tour.

Craig Perks going eagle, birdie, par to win The Players...
Jordan Spieth going birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie, par to win The Open, his 3rd major...

Apples and Oranges

[David_Tepper]

"I think the delay on 13 was also a bit of luck. A break in the mood and a chance to compose himself."

David L. -

While the events on #13 may have been "a break in the mood" (a distraction perhaps), I just don't see how having to sort thru all the situations involved in taking relief with the rules officials could in anyway offer "a chance to compose himself."

If anything, Spieth was at the mercy of the rules officials and faced with making a fairly important decision. It was hardly a time for thought and self-reflection.

DT
 

[Thomas Dai]

Trevino was mentioned to have won at Birkdale so I did some research on his other Major victories. Trevino won 6 Majors with Nicklaus finishing second in 4 of them. Now that is a guy who has another gear and can close. I don't think Kuchar ever scared Spieth, we all witnessed for years nobody except one body ever held off Tiger. After all these years I finally respect Trevino like I always have should.

Respect? Odd choice of word for someone who threw a rubber snake towards his opponent at the start of the playoff for the US Open.
Atb

[Pat Burke]

Like many, I watched what unfolded influenced by my own golf frailties.
Watching a 23 year old, take the time, do the process required, (get away with another sketchy shot),
but still be focused enough to hit the pitch he hit to save bogey, was an impressive display of tournament golf toughness.  Many get rushed, uncomfortable, and cannot re focus.  Jordan stuck in a plan amidst chaos....Champions do that.


Like Tom mentioned, when he had to stop the swing on the pitch shot on the next par five, laughed, regrouped and hit a perfect little pitch, he again showed a different ability to focus on the task, rather than the consequence.


Kuchar is a good guy, good player.


Spieth is, at 23, a champion......theres a different animal in every high level in the world, and it's fun to see it when it runs.

[David_Tepper]

"Respect? Odd choice of word for someone who threw a rubber snake towards his opponent at the start of the playoff for the US Open."

Thomas D. -

I believe you are off base on that one. As I have heard it, Trevino pulled the snake out of his bag, Nicklaus asked to see it and Trevino tossed the snake to him.

If you don't respect Trevino for where he came from in his life and what he accomplished in the game of golf, you are making a terrible mistake.

atb

DT

[Bill Shamleffer]

I was almost astonished to see him make bogey and keep himself in the game. I remember Jack Nicklaus in some non major, hitting it OB on the 17th hole, and then proceeding to make bogey, birdie finish to win.

Nicklaus - 1984 Memorial - his 2nd of last PGA Tour win (before 1986 Masters), and 1st win since 1982 Colonial.  Hit OB on 17, made big bogey putt, then beat Andy Bean in a playoff.


I was 19 and clearly remember watching this finish on TV.

[Mike Hendren]

Aren't luck and fairness mutually exclusive?   None other than Lee Buck Trevino said "I'd rather be lucky than good."

It's been 40 years since I won a handful of tournaments.  To this day I can remember a bit of luck in each victory.  Specifically, I remember Coach Kelly hitting the wrong ball in 1974 on the 6th hole of Rolling Hills Country Club on the way to my first club championship. 

Regardless, Speith wasn't lucky - he was great.  Bigly.

[John Kavanaugh]

I won my flight at a 5th Major because of a flipped four wheeler that injured my opponent the night before our match. One man's bad luck...

[Ben Sims]

Mea culpa.


I told John Kirk over the phone during the third round of the 2017 US Open that Jordan Spieth would never win another major. I knew it was a bold prediction, but I was only 30% joking. His ballstriking in big tournaments had been awful since the 12th tee at Augusta in 2016. He looked primed for Anthony Kim or David Duvall status. You can only rely on the ability to make an order of magnitude more medium to long putts over the field so much.


I remember standing behind the 16th green at Chambers Bay with USGA president Tom O'Toole when Jordan made the birdie that would eventually be his margin of victory. He was putting from the middle (fat) part of that green to the back finger. No one had made that putt all day. No one ever reads it right, not even locals. After he jarred it, O'Toole--a man that's presumably seen some good golf--and I just looked at each other like "what just happened?"


I should've remembered that moment when I made what John called to tell me was "the worst prediction in golf history." Spieth makes it when no one else does.

[Sean_A]

I think Jordan was very lucky with his missed drives.  These shots could have easily cost the tournament.  But it wasn't luck the way Jordan finished.   For sure Speith is a hard guy to figure.  I have a hard time watching the man because he puts me at unease with his hyper fidgety behaviour. 

Ciao

[Michael Dugger]

I have nothing additional to add regarding Spieth. T'was a great tournament to watch.


I'll use this opportunity to bang on Rory McElroy, however.  He's starting to really piss me off.  I thought Rory was really going to step on everyone's throat and rack up some more majors.  Say 1 per season for a decade or so...


But now he seems to have contracted Mickelsonitis.  On one hole he will hit these amazing shots.  400 yd drives, booming irons shots and deft pitches.


Next hole he will make some tragic blunder and erase all of the "amazing" with one bad hole.


Spieth made a great comment that he would have settled for 17 pars and 1 birdie yesterday.  Same overall score. 


I think Rory needs to figure out a way to manage his way around the course a bit smarter.  When he is on, it's a beautiful thing to behold.  But the greats figure out how to win when they don't have their best stuff.  It seems to be all or nothing with him... 

[Rob Marshall]

Aren't luck and fairness mutually exclusive?   None other than Lee Buck Trevino said "I'd rather be lucky than good."

It's been 40 years since I won a handful of tournaments.  To this day I can remember a bit of luck in each victory.  Specifically, I remember Coach Kelly hitting the wrong ball in 1974 on the 6th hole of Rolling Hills Country Club on the way to my first club championship. 

Regardless, Speith wasn't lucky - he was great.  Bigly.

I think it was Ben Hogan who said "the more I practice the luckier I get".

When has anyone ever seen a millionaire athlete in his early 20's who handles himself with more class and grace?

[Jon Heise]

I only watched the last six holes.  My timing is impeccable!


The most amazing thing to me in Spieth's victory was his third shot to 17, needing to get it close knowing that Kuchar was looking at birdie to get within one.  Just as he started to hit his delicate little pitch and run, a camera went off, and he stopped IN MID-SWING, and then he backed off, regrouped, and hit a perfect shot and made his own birdie to preserve his lead.


Craig Perks did not do that.  Tiger Woods is the only player I can ever remember who did that, and I cannot remember how good a shot he hit after his mid-swing interruption.

Tom, that was a neat moment for sure.  I dont recall his actual words, but the camera/microphone were on him and he was "you almost got me there" with a smirk on his face.  Then he stuck it.  That's being totally locked in.

[Peter Pallotta]

I think professional sports psychologists can learn something here. They've been so focused on making sure their players put a positive spin on everything and never characterize anything as a failing or a failure that they forget how the human psyche actually works, IMHO -- ie we hunger for the truth, we want and need to ground ourselves in reality (as best as we can determine it). Jordan seems sane and healthy enough to feel and express and even accept his anxieties and past failures -- and precisely because he is willing to *face* them he's gotten very good at *dealing* with them. I think in the earlier part of his round he allowed himself to admit that the wheels were coming off and that he was panicked about a possible Masters repeat; but, looking at that reality square in the face, he could then honestly recognize that it didn't *have to* be a repeat, ie that he was free (and had the chance and the talent) to re-write that narrative. And after 13, he went out and did it. That's terrific, and that's the old school champion's way. Trevino never choked against JN partly because he knew that he *could* choke, and was not afraid to admit it. Only when you can accept the worst about yourself are you truly free to expect the best.
Today we seem to have an entire field of golfers whose psyches are being so 'protected' by their sports psychologists ("focus on the process, stick to your routine") that when they're overwhelmed by the inevitable (and often quite justifiable) waves of doubts and fears and emotions they don't know what to do with them. In short, I think that's why JS is the best of the young crop -- because like JN he knows that it's not talent but temperament that wins major championships.

[Jeff Evagues]

My thought as I was watching the front nine was if Greller was as fantastic a caddy as is reported he should have thrown the driver in the weeds so Speith wouldn't think of using it the rest of the day.

[David Lott]

There was considerable luck involved in addition to good play and determination.

The luckiest shot was his third on 13. He missed the bunkers and the bad lies. (On the other hand his 4th shot and putt on 13 were brilliant.)


 Any putt over 25 feet that falls is a combo of skill and luck.




I think the delay on 13 was also a bit of luck. A break in the mood and a chance to compose himself.


The final bit of luck was his hot putter overall. He is a great putter right now. Many (most?) great putters do not stay great. He was lucky to have this moment whey his putting is at such a high level. In the future he will have to improve aspects of his overall game (driving!) as his putting (almost) inevitably becomes less sensationally good

But of course he did compose himself. Pretty good evidence that it was an opportunity.


As to luck, he said himself in the press conference that he was "fortunate" on both 13 and 17. I'm not saying it was a lucky win. It was a great skillful win enabled by a couple of blasts of good luck just when he needed. "I just had my long putts go in and [Kucher] didn't," Jordan said.

[Matthew Petersen]

What I learned yesterday (and I also watched the entire Sunday telecast) was that Jordan Spieth, like very few golfers before him, has another gear to shift into.  Tiger had it, Arnie had it, Seve' had it...Mickelson has had it at times, and Jack Nicklaus also had it at times...and it's amazing to watch.  To summon greatness when all the pressure is on and only greatness will do...is simply put, something very rare and very special.  I was mesmerized watching him play the last 6 holes.  I've never seen anything like it...but I have a feeling we will see more of that from young Mr. Spieth.  Matt Kuchar is a fine man and a very seasoned, very accomplished professional golfer.  But he's not capable of going birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie down the stretch in a major...and very few are.  Jordan Spieth is in rarefied air indeed.

TS

Have to feel a bit for Kuchar. It's not like he put up the Mickelson performance last year and lost--and he certainly had chances throughout the front nine while JS was struggling where he could have grabbed the tournament. But man to be ahead by one standing on the 14th tee, go par-birdie-par-birdie ... and be two down on the 18th tee? Yowza.

[Sean_A]

What I learned yesterday (and I also watched the entire Sunday telecast) was that Jordan Spieth, like very few golfers before him, has another gear to shift into.  Tiger had it, Arnie had it, Seve' had it...Mickelson has had it at times, and Jack Nicklaus also had it at times...and it's amazing to watch.  To summon greatness when all the pressure is on and only greatness will do...is simply put, something very rare and very special.  I was mesmerized watching him play the last 6 holes.  I've never seen anything like it...but I have a feeling we will see more of that from young Mr. Spieth.  Matt Kuchar is a fine man and a very seasoned, very accomplished professional golfer.  But he's not capable of going birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie down the stretch in a major...and very few are.  Jordan Spieth is in rarefied air indeed.

TS

Have to feel a bit for Kuchar. It's not like he put up the Mickelson performance last year and lost--and he certainly had chances throughout the front nine while JS was struggling where he could have grabbed the tournament. But man to be ahead by one standing on the 14th tee, go par-birdie-par-birdie ... and be two down on the 18th tee? Yowza.

When you put it that way it sounds very harsh!  Here I was thinking Kuchar didn't step on Speith's neck when the opportunities were presented.  Still, at the end of the day I am sure Kuchar didn't believe a 69 would win the tournament.

Ciao