Jordan Spieth at Players Championship 2016: Thursday Leaderboard Score, Reaction
Jordan Spieth posted an even-par 72 during Thursday's opening round of the 2016 Players Championship in his first competitive action since his Sunday meltdown at the Masters.
Although it clearly wasn't a picture-perfect round for Spieth, who battled through some rust issues at times, he enjoyed a brief ride on the birdie train and did enough to prevent the round from getting totally away from him. That's always a vital factor throughout the opening day of a tournament.
Let's check out his scorecard from the first round at the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course in Florida:
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| Par | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 36 |
| Score | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 36 |
| Total | E | E | E | E | E | E | -1 | -1 | E | - |
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 36 |
| Score | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 36 |
| Total | E | -1 | -2 | -3 | -2 | -1 | -2 | -2 | E | - |
And here's an updated look at the tournament leaderboard:
The 22-year-old superstar spent most of the past couple weeks downplaying the idea his forgettable Sunday afternoon at Augusta, Georgia, could have a lingering impact. Steve DiMeglio of USA Today noted the two-time major champion simply joked about the aftermath of the collapse.
"I'm not taking it very hard," Spieth said. "I have ladies at grocery stores coming up and putting their hand on me and going, 'I'm really praying for you. How are you doing?' And I'm like, 'My dog didn't die, I'm doing OK.' I'll survive; it happens. It was unfortunate timing."
It's the right attitude to move forward with, and it wouldn't be the least bit surprising to see him emphatically slam the door shut the next time he holds a Sunday lead. That said, the questions will continue to get asked until that next moment of triumph arrives.
Spieth certainly didn't seem any worse for wear, mentally or physically, throughout the opening round. Any issues that popped up, most of which came on the front nine, were more related to getting back into a groove after a month away from the tour than anything else.
The reigning FedEx Cup champion made the turn at even par following an uneventful nine holes. He birdied the 16th and bogeyed the 18th to go along with seven pars, including one on the 17th with its famed island green.
He then started to come alive during his second nine.
Spieth rattled off three consecutive birdies starting on the second hole, one each on a par three, a par four and a par five. His putter was the biggest difference as he knocked down a couple mid-range putts in the sequence to begin climbing the leaderboard.
Alas, he followed up that highlight-reel run with a pair of bogeys to halt his momentum. Justin Woodard of KLTV noted the star showed some frustration after the setback:
He bounced back with a birdie on the seventh but lost that shot quickly after making a mess of the closing hole. His final approach of the day found the greenside bunker, and it took him five shots to get up and down from there to finish with a disappointing double bogey.
Kyle Porter of CBS Sports doesn't believe people should read too much into the up-and-down round:
Zane Ellis of Top Golf noted it does put more pressure on Spieth heading into Friday, though:
Looking ahead, if he can build off the strong play he flashed in spurts over the last nine holes, he could still find himself in contention over the weekend. The round was positive for the most part after he struggled at TPC Sawgrass last year, posting a first-round 75 and going on to miss the cut.
Spieth would love to capture the title this week to get that Masters monkey off his back right away, of course. He's too talented to let the situation keep him out of the proverbial winner's circle for long, but the sooner it happens, the sooner he can leave the issue in his rearview mirror.
That's why it was important to put together at least a solid effort in Thursday's round. He did that, and now he can shift his focus to bigger goals for the rest of the marquee event.
Post-Round Reaction
Mike McAllister of PGATour.com provided a portion of Spieth's press conference. The Texas native felt he hit the ball "great" aside from the couple shots that really cost him:
As for his struggles on the final hole, he wasn't interested in expanding on the errors, instead providing a blunt assessment of how he ended up with a double bogey, per Ron Green Jr. of Global Golf Post.
"I hit it seven times," Spieth concluded.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
