Can Jordan Spieth Overcome Average Driving Accuracy to Win the US Open?

In the past, one of Jordan Spieth’s strengths has been his driving. Not this week. Yet he is tied for the lead going into the final round of the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place, Washington. 

Spieth, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Branden Grace are all at four under par, but the way they got there was different.  

Per PGATour.com, Day and Grace hit 74 percent of the fairways and Dustin Johnson hit 81 percent. Spieth hit just 62 percent.  The average for the field is 10 percentage points higher. 

Some tee shots, like the wayward one on the 10th, was an error, but all off-line results may not be his fault, as he said afterward about his tee shot on the eighth. 

“I was appalled, was the word I used,” he said. “I couldn't place the drive any better. Patrick (Reed) hit one out to the right, so he missed his spot by five to ten yards.” 

The results were not what either of them expected. Spieth thought his ball landed in the middle of the fairway, but instead it ran to the right edge. Reed’s drive rolled all the way into the rough.    

He was also frustrated by the way the 11th hole played. 

“When the wind flipped back into us to that pin I didn't think that was—it was a par five for us,” he said, admitting he took some heat for saying that. “I understand you just add them all up at the end, but when you're standing on the tee and your score is going to drop from the lead to one back or whatever, that's frustrating, when you feel like a four is the score you need to shoot for, when five, in reality, is the score.” 

The other issue for Spieth was short-putting.  

“There's not a whole lot I could have done about it on four, and 12 is about a 60-yard putt,” he said. “I'm OK with those. But the other two were unforced on the greens.” Those were at the seventh and 16th.  “Those were basic two-putts.” 

He also had two putts for eagle that turned into pars. 

The nature and speed of the greens caused him to miss more short ones than he typically does. 

“With the way the greens sped up today and the way they were feeling, we called it an Augusta putt, where a lot of times on the short putts you have to feed it outside the hole and just kind of die it in,” he explained.

”I missed them all in the same place today because out here, even though it seems like they're going to be wicked fast off the bat and take a consistent break, you have to firm them because they hit a halting point and dive on almost like a 90-degree angle.” 

In the final round the finishing hole will play as a par four instead of a five as it did Saturday. Spieth has a different strategy he may use, depending on the wind conditions and firmness of the fairways.  

“There's an option to maybe play it down No. 1 and have a good angle in,” he said. “I hope to be able to hit a 6-iron off that tee, but that would mean things would have to go very well before that. There's a good chance it comes down to that hole. Just going to have to manage the shots.” 

Spieth is the only golfer in the top 10 spots on the leaderboard to have won a major. He feels his team is structured to have put him in a good position to succeed at winning his second one. But that does not guarantee him a victory.      

“It's just going to be how can I tackle Chambers Bay,” he concluded. 

If he can increase his driving accuracy to 70 percent and eliminate even one three-putt, it may be enough to win the U.S. Open. 

Kathy Bissell is a Golf Writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand or from official interview materials from the PGA Tour, USGA or PGA of America.