Jordan Spieth at AT&T Byron Nelson 2016: Sunday Leaderboard Score, Reaction
Jordan Spieth entered the final round of the AT&T Byron Nelson within striking distance of the lead with a chance to earn his first win in four months and finally rid himself of the stench left over from the Masters.
He left having provided more questions than answers.
The former world No. 1 carded a four-over 74 on Sunday, struggling to an 18th-place finish. He carded just two birdies against six bogeys, struggling throughout the day with poor drives and inconsistent putting. Sergio Garcia carded a two-under 68 to win the tournament, defeating Brooks Koepka in a playoff. Garcia was 15 under overall, five strokes ahead of Spieth.
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Jason Sobel of ESPN.com emojified Spieth's Byron Nelson experience:
After three consecutive days in the 60s, including an 11-under run Thursday and Friday, Spieth entered Sunday within two strokes of the lead. An all-over-the-place round brought back eerie memories from his ugly Masters collapse.
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 35 |
| Score | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 37 |
| Par | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 35 |
| Score | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 37 |
Spieth needed a desperate scramble on No. 1 to save par, rolling his third shot within a foot for a tap-in. While the par-three second didn't give him much trouble, Spieth dropped his first stroke of the day thanks to horrendous play near the green on No. 3.
Two solid shots put him in position to stay even on the long par four, but he needed three stokes within 65 feet of the hole. A bad third shot put him 29-plus feet out on his par attempt, which he hit long. Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News highlighted Spieth's struggles:
Spieth bogeyed for a second time on the par-three fifth, hitting his tee shot into the bunker before failing to get up and down. His approach out of the sand sailed 26 feet past the hole, and he two-putted again from there.
The only sign of life came on the par-five seventh. He drilled a sensational second shot out of the fairway bunker to within 35 feet of the hole before knocking down a two-putt birdie. The good times lasted for one hole before Spieth was coughing up another stroke, needing two putts from inside eight feet after a pair of shots in the rough on No. 8.
A failed birdie attempt on the ninth left Spieth trailing by five after the turn, with Koepka extending his lead.
The back nine offered little reprieve. In fact, Spieth played even worse for stretches. Perhaps his most confounding mistake of the day was at No. 10, where a solid drive and excellent approach left him inside five feet for a straightforward birdie attempt.
Spieth missed.
He came even further apart on No. 11, hitting a wild tee shot before scrambling his way to par. Another bunker drive and two-putt cost him a stroke on the 12th, leading to more adventures over the rest of the way. He scrambled to back-to-back pars on Nos. 13 and 14 before coughing up shots on the subsequent two holes. A birdie on No. 18 saved him a spot in the top 20.
Overall, Spieth's round consisted of poor putts, ugly drives and a heaping pile of frustration. His only top-10 finish since winning the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in January was at the Masters, which doubled as his greatest professional failure.
Shane Ryan had a Game of Thrones reference for the two-time major champion:
"Jordan Spieth is Stannis Baratheon. Not actually dead, despite what everyone thinks. STILL MIGHT BE THE ONE TRUE KING.
— Shane Ryan (@ShaneRyanHere) May 22, 2016"
After being cut at The Players Championship last week in his first tournament since the Masters, Spieth is still reeling as the U.S. Open draws near. He's looking like Rory McIlroy did a year ago: shaky, unnerved and watching desperately as another player—in this case, Jason Day—passes him by.
There's still time for Spieth to fix his game. The 22-year-old is too young for anyone to express major concern. But those expecting a Tiger Woods-esque romp over the sport might have to wait.
Post-Round Reaction
Spieth was insistent he was pleased with some of his shots, per Kyle Porter of CBS Sports:
"I hit really solid swings. I was aggressive through the ball today. I wasn't hesitant at the ball, which is what I was the last couple of days trying to guide shots. I put nice, fluid solid swings on the golf ball. I don't know exactly what happened. A break here, break there, you know, gust of wind here or there that just let it push the balls to roll into tough locations. I felt like I deserved a better score today than I did yesterday and that's just how golf is sometimes.
"
Spieth continued: "Funny how it works. Yesterday, it was about as uncomfortable as I've ever felt and shot 3 under. Today, I felt like I kind of fixed it a little on the range. I felt really good about it on the golf course today. I just didn't score well."
Spieth was already looking forward to next week: "I had an off day today. We're going to go to a golf course next week where I've had success. I felt like I found something today that I can fine-tune with my ball-striking and my putting is there. I feel very confident about next week. I almost matched my best finish in six starts here. I can look at that positively."
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