What? No Detractors?

Jordan Spieth claimed another title in grand style yesterday.  It was really never in doubt.  In that respect, it was not as exciting as it might have been had he been seriously challenged.  

Jordan blew away the field by eight shots.  This was a quality field.  The only two top players that were missing were McIlroy and Stenson.  Okay Phil and Tiger weren't there, but they have not really been in the conversation since Spieth has hit his stride.

This kid is just such a breath of fresh air.  People are running out of superlatives to describe, not only his play, but his demeanour on and off the course.  He hasn't set a foot wrong in an age where all eyes are on you and critics abound.  No one is perfect.  But this kid is certainly very special.

There was a picture posted on Facebook with Jordan and his parents; his sister Ellie snuggled under Jordan's one arm holding the trophy, and a lovely young lady under his other arm, presumably Jordan's sweetheart.  I decided to troll through the comments looking for at least one negative remark.  I couldn't find even one in this cynical age.  It almost makes me want to break out in song.  It almost makes me want to sing God Bless America and I'm not even an American!

This kid just can't be this great, can he?  I certainly hope so.  How can you not just love this kid?

He's Just Not Supposed to Do This

If there was any concern about whether Jordan Spieth might experience a letdown after his phenomenal year in 2015--and apparently there was--I think he has pretty much provided the answer; or at least given the strong indication that it will be business as usual this year.  

I read an article a week or so ago that quoted Rory McIlroy as saying that history suggests Spieth will not win any Majors this year.  Another article cited the fact that none of the experts queried were picking Spieth to have another big year, once again talking about history supporting their position.

It appears, however, while it's admittedly very early days, that young Mr. Spieth is not bound by history, or what others have done before him.  He seems intent on adding his name, in a big way, to the history books.  He doesn't seem to realize that he's not supposed to keep playing this well.  

He just shouldn't be doing this.  He's an expert's nightmare, because what he does, and how he does it, is rather difficult to explain.  The fact is, despite not having great power, or textbook technique, he just plays better than everyone else.  He gets the ball in the hole in fewer strokes than everyone else; not necessarily looking pretty while doing so.  And that, my friends, is really what golf is all about.

He's apparently just not long enough to dominate in what is supposedly now a power game.  I believe he is currently only the best at one thing--making putts from 20 to 25 feet. I hear he made a whopping 33 percent of them last year.  It's hard to imagine.  It's hard to believe.  But I heard it on Golfchannel, so it must be true.  I don't think Tiger even came close to doing that.  Neither did Jack.  Spieth's admittedly not that great with his wedges, and he admits that he needs to put more work into his chipping.  But when you are holing putts from 20 feet with regularity, I guess you can probably cut yourself a bit of slack as far as your wedge game is concerned.

The really scary thing is this kid is likely to only get better.  He can improve his physical game in a number of areas.  If he stays healthy, and doesn't mess with his swing trying to get longer--which he has said he won't do--this kid looks to be on his way to becoming one of the best we've ever seen.

And, while doing this, he low-fives the fans on the way from greens to the next tee.  He cheerfully signs autographs and mingles with the fans.  He gives lengthy, open, and honest press conferences.  He can be heard congratulating his playing partners on their good shots.  He even provides us with a play-by-play as he talks with his caddy about what he wants to do, or what he failed to do, or what he was thinking.  And he doesn't seem to understand that he's not supposed to be doing this.  He just isn't supposed to be this good, is he?

It is early days.  But, heading into tomorrow's final round with a five shot lead, it certainly appears that, barring a phenomenal round by one of the chasers, or a sudden letdown, Jordan Spieth is headed for another compelling win.  And is there anyone out there who has a problem with that?  Perhaps the guys he's beating like a drum, but surely not the fans.

Jordan Spieth: The Power of the Putter

Once again, Jordan Spieth has risen to the the top of the golfing world riding his putter.  The last two days gave us another lesson about the fact that putting trumps all.  Pitted against the best ball striker in the game, Spieth, who was not at his best ball striking, broke Stenson's heart by making putt after putt.

It could be argued that Stenson should have reverted to using his driver a bit more often in those soggy conditions.  He was playing to his strength by finding fairways and relying on his superb long iron game, and it paid off the first two days.  But, in the end, it was the putter that prevailed.  When Spieth made that forty five footer after Stenson had hit it stone dead--was it on eleven?--Stenson had to smile and give Spieth a fist bump.  He surely knew it was over.  You just can't compete with that sort of brilliance on the greens.

When we think of the great players, in the end it always comes down to their ability to make putts.  Jack Nicklaus seemed to be able to will the ball in the hole.  When Tiger was so dominant, he was unbelievable on the greens.  He seemed to never miss a six footer.  Now, he misses lots of them.

Raymond Floyd said the most important shot in golf is the six foot putt.  I should know, because I keep missing them.  With Spieth it's the fifteen to twenty foot range where he keeps breaking hearts and nerve out there.  When he missed those two cuts, he was missing putts.  But, he's back in business now.

We have the pleasure of watching four young guns at the top of the game right now in Spieth, Day, McIlroy, and Fowler.  They are all different.  Day presents as the most complete package with his power, ball striking, and short game.  McIlroy has some issues with his short irons and his putting, but will likely figure it out.  Fowler has a swing that will surely last forever, and he's got a great pair of hands.  When the putts are dropping, he can run with anyone.  But Spieth?  He's got the mind, and he's got that putter.  

When push comes to shove, it always comes down to the five and a half inches between your ears and the flat stick.  It's a joy to hit great golf shots, but it's the guy who can make the putts that wins the cash.

The Kid is Back

Jordan Spieth is back.  I thought his round of 66 on Friday was one of his best rounds of the year.  How he managed to shoot that score, on that track, the way he struck the ball, is hard to fathom.  But once again, we withessed an animated and determined Jordan Spieth on Saturday at East Lake.  Undaunted by the conditions, and some imperfect ball-striking, Spieth ground out another great round to chase down and secure the lead from Henrik Stenson.

After missing two cuts on the bounce and having issues with his putting that might have left some of us with some doubts, Spieth has now recovered the magic touch with the flat stick and his short game in general.  He looks like he's going to be tough to beat on this brute of a track, made even more brutal by the soggy conditions. 

It's surely going to be all about keeping your focus, scrambling, and holing putts tomorrow.  Sounds like exactly what we've seen from young Mr Spieth all week; and most of this year for that matter.  I'm not a betting man; but if I was, I'd be putting a few quid on the kid.  It would be a great exclamation point to put on a wonderful season by Spieth, somewhat over-shadowed by Jason Day's late-season brilliance.  

If Jordan pulls it off--and there's a good chance he will--there won't be any question about who will be voted the player of the year.  This kid is something very special.

Everybody's a Critic

It seems that everybody's a critic, especially when it comes to golf.  We like to look at the top players from the relative comfort of our armchairs and talk about what they're doing wrong, or what they should be doing.  We've seen it with Tiger.  And now, we're seeing it with Jordan Spieth.

I just read an article that was actually critical of Jordan Spieth.  The gist of the article was that Jordan was boring.  He was too nice.  His play wasn't exciting enough.  He wasn't long enough.  He didn't play aggressively enough, and he needed to work out more.  

I must admit, I was taken aback by this article, but I can't say I was surprised.  In this day and age, where we are surrounded by so-called experts, the top players are inundated with, more often than not, unsolicited advice and criticism.  

Jordan Spieth is in the last stages of one of the greatest seasons we've ever witnessed in professional golf, and there are people out there who are saying he needs to change.  It boggles the mind.  But this is the way it is, especially when it comes to golf.

All I can say, in response to the critics of Jordan Spieth, is that I hope and trust that he will have enough sense not to listen to the naysayers, or the guys with a "better" idea; and that he will just keep doing what he's doing.  As of last Sunday, Spieth had just become number one in the world and set the all-time lowest scoring record in relation to par for the four Majors.  His worst finish in a Major was one shot out of a play off at the Open.  He finished second last week to a guy who set the record for the lowest 72 hole score ever posted in a Major. And, believe it or not, there is someone out there who is suggesting he needs to change.

What can you say?  Everyone, it seems, is a critic.

Jordan Spieth Obviously Didn't Get the Memo

Quite some time ago, I listened with chagrin as one of the Golfchannel's new talking heads, Mr. Oberholser, suggested that Jordan Spieth would never be a dominant player because he wasn't long enough. This assertion by Oberholser was made, if I'm not mistaken, just prior to Spieth's win at the Masters. Unfortunately, for Oberholser at least, Jordan didn't get the memo. 

Despite not being prodigiously long, Jordan Spieth is prodigiously intelligent, has self-belief in spades, and appears never to have seen a putt he didn't like. Having won two Majors on the bounce, and confidently eyeing the Open next week, I hope he doesn't change a thing. I hope he constantly ignores the inevitable suggestions from other less talented players, or teachers that, if he could only gain a few more yards, he'd be even better.

The current love affair with the power game omits the fact that it is the guy who gets it in the hole first that wins, not the guy who drives it farthest. The list of really good, and potentially great players who have messed up their game seeking to get longer is a long one; but Matteo Manaserro and Luke Donald are two players who have dropped out of sight trying to get longer if the rumours are true. Donald seems to be playing better recently; Matteo not so much.

Tampering with a swing that got you there, trying to get longer, or to draw the ball when your swing prefers that it fades, is a recipe for disaster. For every player who made significant swing changes to get better, there are probably at least three that have got worse. And, once you've tried to groove a new swing pattern, it can be awfully hard to rediscover the old swing even though you often wish you could. In fact the only player I know of in the category of great who made swing changes and got better was Nick Faldo; and he made changes to have better control, not to get longer.

So, Jordan, I'm glad you never received Oberholser's memo. If it's sitting in your mailbox unopened, do us all a favour and delete it.