SAN ANTONIO — To follow Jordan Spieth at a PGA Tour event is like walking into one of those escape rooms where players discover clues, solve puzzles and try to find their way out of a scenario — you have no idea what you’ll encounter but you’re likely to be wildly entertained.
With many of the biggest names failing to make the cut at the Valero Texas Open, the former Texas Longhorn star drew some of the biggest galleries during Sunday’s final round at TPC San Antonio, and those who made the trek were treated to vintage Jordan.
Case in point — Spieth just missed the green on the risk-reward 17th hole on Sunday, then did something only he could do. First, the 12-time PGA Tour winner got creative with his chip from a gulley, but when he tried to use the side of a hill leading up to the green, the ball bounced awkwardly into a sprinkler head.
Spieth followed by chatting the ears off of playing partners Corey Conners and Ben Martin, circling the ball, asking for opinions and then calling a rules official in before moving his ball.
And after all that drama, Spieth calmly dropped a 13-footer for birdie, part of an uneven but captivating final round that sets the stage for his trip to Augusta National. Spieth had five birdies and no bogeys, rolling his way to a 67 and finishing the tournament at 5 under.
5 birdies
0 bogeys@JordanSpieth is rolling it thru 17 holes in his final round @ValeroTXOpen. pic.twitter.com/y1y6MqLcTP— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 3, 2022
Spieth won the Valero last year, and he hit the ball just as well at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course this year, but struggled at times with his putter, including a three-putt from two feet during Friday’s second round.
When asked about his round, the 2015 Masters champ said he needs to work on one facet of his game if he’s to don another green jacket.
“I just have to address putting, that’s it,” he said matter-of-factly.
“I mean, I missed nine putts inside of six feet this week. That’s really, really bad. So I’ve got to figure out a stroke feel that gets me comfortable everywhere. I missed a lot of mid-rangers, too. It was the worst I’ve ever putted in a professional event.”
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