Jordan Spieth at Genesis Open 2017: Thursday Score and Reaction
Jordan Spieth hoisted hardware at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am last weekend, but his quest to capture back-to-back titles started in fairly uneventful fashion Thursday at the Genesis Open in Los Angeles.
Following a mid-afternoon start at Riviera Country Club, Spieth posted a first-round score of two-under through 16 holes before play was suspended due to darkness at 5:34 p.m. local time, per PGA Tour Media on Twitter.
At present, Spieth sits five shots behind leader Sam Saunders and three back of Dustin Johnson with play slated to resume at 10 a.m. ET Friday:
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With 16 holes in the bag, here's a complete overview of Spieth's scorecard from Thursday's outing:
| Par | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Rd. 1 Score | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Overall | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | E |
| Par | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Rd. 1 Score | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | N/A | N/A |
| Overall | E | E | E | -1 | -1 | -1 | -2 | N/A | N/A |
All things considered, Spieth's first round at Riviera was something of a snoozer.
Although he started with a birdie and appeared to keep his momentum afloat following a win at Pebble, Spieth quickly shifted into par-heavy stylings.
Specifically, Spieth made par on the next seven holes before a bogey on No. 9 sent him back to even par for the tournament.
The 23-year-old figured to be in line for a return to red numbers on the drivable par-four 10th, but he settled for another par even though his tee shot landed 21 yards from the cup.
As it turns out, the wait to get back under par ended on the par-four 13th when Spieth's approach shot landed two yards from the pin.
The PGA Tour's official Twitter account relayed video of Spieth's dart and the ensuing birdie putt:
Another birdie was in order on 16, which allowed Spieth to make a marginal climb up the leaderboard before play was suspended.
Spieth has some ground to make up if he wants to take home two titles in as many weeks, but his track record suggests he could work his way into the leaderboard's upper echelon by the time the weekend is over.
Dating back to the Hero World Challenge, Spieth has carded a top-10 finish in every event since the start of the 2017 campaign.
With his work cut out for him, the world No. 6 will set his sights on a more efficient second round that serves as a springboard to prosperity on moving day.
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