April 4, 2021
Jordon Spieth - Is his comeback complete?
I am writing this before the last round of the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio where Jordon Spieth and Matt Wallace are tied at the top of the leaderboard. I will complete the article upon the completion of today's round. Jordon has not won since the British Open Championship in 2017 and has been in a prolonged slump since that time. He has shown flashes of his old self, but this year he has consistently been challenging to win again only to falter in the last round. Today could be the day that he can exorcise his demons and show he again could be one of the best in the game.
What happened to a major superstar that won 11 times on the PGA Tour before the age of 25, including three major championships? Of the top players in the world five years ago, Spieth was the shortest and least consistent ball striker of the group. He made up the difference with a deft wedge skill and an unbelievable putting game. He worked on strengthening his weak points, but unfortunately instead of getting better he got less consistent and erratic. With that came a loss of confidence in his long game that placed an even greatly burden on his short game. The putting was first to go and suddenly he became just an average player. Going from the number one player in the world to a non-contender was difficult, but Jordon answered all the questions from the press and kept fighting. He has come a long way and maybe he is going to breakout today.
One feature that all good players have is a complete trust in their swings. They don't question their technique. Once they have addressed the ball, they swing with confidence. Not all shots go as planned, but they have commitment in their pre-shot analysis and execution of the shot. Jordon became noticeable slower and hesitant in his approach to his shots and that lead to indecision and poor shots. This year, in the tournaments that he has had a chance to win, he has faltered right out of the gate in the final round and realistically could not win after the first four or five holes. If he is to win, he must stop the indecision and come out like the old Jordon Spieth. He has shown signs that he has learned from his past failures. I think he may be ready to be trusting again. We will see!
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Jordon wins! This looked like a seasoned player that was in control of his game. There wasn't any luck involved with this result. Charlie Hoffman put ample pressure on Jordon to crack, but he didn't. Sometimes there was a bit too much over analyzation on a particular shot, but when it came time to execute, it came quickly and with commitment. The monkey is truly off Jordon's back. Will he have what it takes to win a major? Too early to tell, but with this short game and renewed confidence we could have seen the reawakening of a force to be reckoned with.
Bottom line is that Jordon played with commitment and an unrestricted attitude that allowed him to play to his potential. Golf is a physical game that is reliant of your attitude. Jordon finally rediscovered what came so easily to him many years ago. I hope he doesn't lose the formula that got him back to this point. Jordon Spieth is good person that speaks freely about his emotions and inadequacies, because of this we think we know him better than most. This was a popular win for many reasons, especially for Jordon, but also for us, because golf is more fun when he is contending and winning.
