Jordan Spieth Delivers Strong 3rd Round at Players Championship 2018

After hanging on by a thread to make the cut at the 2018 Players Championship, Jordan Spieth had his best performance of the tournament with a 65 in the third round on Saturday. 

The three-time major champion dropped his 54-hole score to eight under par. He's still far off the pace set by Webb Simpson, who began the third round at 15 under par, but the past two days have been a vast improvement since opening with a 75. 

As was the case in the second round, Spieth began Saturday with a birdie on the first hole that was set up by a fantastic approach shot from 117 yards out:

That approach shot left Spieth with an easy putt, which has been the biggest problem when he's struggled this season. The Texas native has hindered himself with strokes gained with the putter in each of the first two rounds, but Saturday was a huge leap forward with 2.68 strokes gained. 

Spieth even acknowledged after his 68 on Friday that he was still trying to figure things out. 

"I’m just trying to get comfortable with my putter," he told reporters. "I’m on the right path, it’s just going to take some time."

After giving that shot back with a bogey on No. 4, Spieth got back on track. He played the final 14 holes at seven under par with eight birdies, including six on the back nine. 

Per Jason Sobel of the Action Network, Spieth has been on fire since his first 12 holes on Thursday:

On the 17th hole, which hasn't given Spieth any trouble so far with two pars in the first two rounds, he nearly aced it by putting the ball three feet from the cup. 

This year's Players Championship is a perfect microcosm of Spieth's 2018 season. There have been plenty of ugly moments when things seem like they are falling apart. He has had at least one round with a score of 74 or higher in four of his last five tournaments. 

Eventually, though, the 24-year-old has been able to settle down and play the way that has helped him win 11 times on the PGA Tour since 2013.

During that stretch of tournaments with one bad score, Spieth has had at least one round with a score in the 60s three times. 

Spieth's ability to figure out his short game for four consecutive rounds will put him back in the winner's circle for the first time since July 2017, when he won the British Open. This wasn't the right tournament for him to work through that issue because Simpson built such a big lead through 36 holes.

The third round was a huge step in the right direction for Spieth. It likely won't produce the final result he wanted this weekend, but it should carry over with the U.S. Open next month and British Open in July. 

Stats via PGATour.com.