Jordan Spieth at Valspar Championship 2016: Sunday Score and Reaction
Jordan Spieth was his own worst enemy in the final round of the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Florida. The 22-year-old entered Round 4 with a puncher's chance of winning, but a two-over 73 on Sunday torpedoed those hopes.
When he entered the clubhouse, Spieth sat in a tie for 18th with a final score of even par.
The problems for the two-time major winner began on the front nine. Following a bogey on No. 2 and a double bogey on No. 8, he had little chance of chasing down tournament leader Bill Haas:
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| Par | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Score | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Par | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Score | 4 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Strong second and third rounds had Spieth back in relative contention. He owned a share of ninth following Saturday's play—albeit six shots back of Haas. According to Golf Channel, a historic comeback would've been necessary to ensure victory:
Golf Channel researcher Justin Ray provided even more historical context to illustrate the unlikelihood of a Spieth win:
Still, he was upbeat about his place on the leaderboard.
"To think after the first round that I go Saturday night be able to sleep with a chance to win the golf tournament, I'm very pleased with that," he said, per the Associated Press (via the Los Angeles Times).
Rather than building off the momentum from the previous two rounds, though, Spieth reverted back to his Thursday opening-round self. His aim off the tee was wayward, and he couldn't compensate with his approach play. The AP's Doug Ferguson summed up his day well:
Spieth's second drive of the round ended up in a water hazard to the right of the fairway, setting up his first bogey of the round. Similarly, a poor drive on the eighth hole put him at a disadvantage immediately. Unable to get onto the green until after his third shot, he two-putted to card a double bogey.
Sunday wasn't all bad for Spieth. He landed his third shot on the par-five fifth hole a little over six feet from the cup. From there, he picked up a birdie:
After the turn, his erratic play continued on the back nine after he bogeyed Nos. 11 and 17. A birdie on 18 at least allowed him to end the tournament on a somewhat high note.
Spieth arguably ended up being overshadowed Sunday by Lee McCoy, his playing partner for the final round. McCoy closed his round with a share of fourth place after shooting four under for the Valspar Championship.
Golf.com noted the similarities between McCoy and Spieth:
In total, this isn't the result Spieth will have wanted with the Masters a little less than a month away. Golfweek's David Dusek argues, however, that the defending champion will actually benefit in the long run:
Granted, Spieth is stuck in a bit of a rough patch. Since winning the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, he tied for 21st at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, missed the cut for the Northern Trust Open and tied for 17th at the WGC-Cadillac Championship.
Nobody should doubt Spieth's talent or potential as a result of his uneven start to the 2016 season. At his best, he's one of the best golfers in the world. There's no question, though, that his performance will have to improve in the coming weeks if he wants to collect his second green jacket.
Post-Round Reaction
As an amateur, McCoy was unable to collect his share of the $6.1 million purse. According to GolfChannel.com's Ryan Lavner, Spieth did his best to try to shield the Georgia Bulldog from his inevitable disappointment:
After his round, Spieth admitted changes are needed as he prepares for the Masters.
"I hit the shots, but we made a couple decisions that make me look back and think, 'Wow, we got some stuff to talk about before we get ready to go to a major,'" he said of himself and caddie Michael Greller, per ESPN.com's Bob Harig. "Bit of a bummer. But it's OK. We got plenty of time."
Spieth then zeroed in on one area in which he hopes to improve: "I need to start my rounds better; it's that simple. Can't start over par in rounds every single round and expect to do anything with it. Just too hard to turn around all the time. I'm used to getting off to good starts. Unfortunately, this week started black before red quite a few times."
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