Jordan Spieth in 63rd After Struggling to 3-over 75 in Round 1 of 2019 Masters

Jordan Spieth opened the 2019 Masters by tying his worst single-round score at Augusta National. 

The three-time major champion finished his first round in a tie for 63rd with a three-over 75. He summed up his performance perfectly on No. 13, even though the ball landed in the fairway:

Spieth's issues started long before he approached the 13th tee. In fact, they began when he recorded a bogey on the first hole after missing what looked like a simple par putt:

For all Spieth's accomplishments and talent, short putting has never been an area of strength:

He's been able to get away with that flaw in the past because other areas of his game have been so strong. This season, though, has been a struggle. The 25-year-old entered Thursday ranked outside the top 100 in four different strokes-gained categories—approach-the-green (111th), total (148th), tee-to-green (172nd) and off-the-tee (203rd). 

Spieth got a brief moment of respite when he climbed back to even par with a birdie on No. 2. It didn't last long before he gave it right back with another bogey on the following hole. The wheels started to fall off when he chunked the tee shot on No. 6 en route to a double bogey. 

Spieth still looked to be pressing after he made the turn. His tee shot on No. 10 landed in a bunker, and he was able to salvage par thanks to a 14-foot putt. 

His best shot of the day came on the par-three 16th hole when he set himself up for birdie by putting the ball eight feet away from the cup. 

Even though Spieth has had his issues this season—no top-10 finishes in nine tournaments—the Masters seemed like a good opportunity to get back on track. 

Instead, the 2015 champion finds himself scrambling for answers and hoping just to make the cut.

Spieth does have a few reasons to be optimistic about a quick turnaround on Friday. In 2017, he started this tournament with a 75 before posting scores of 69 and 68 to come within two shots of the lead heading into the final round. Last year, Spieth posted a 64 in the final round on the heels of a 74 on Friday and a 71 on Saturday.

He came up short both times, but he set a precedent in which he at least put himself back in contention. 

Spieth will have to rely on that history to carry him through tomorrow since his approach on the course in Round 1 didn't produce anything close to the results for which he was hoping.