Win or Lose Spieth is the Best Player in the Game

Every Masters Sunday I can't wait for the leaders to tee off.  This week is no exception.  I have been watching golf channel and see Jordan Spieth was on the grounds early, having flown in his teacher to have a look.  I don't really know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.

There are so many story lines this year, with Langer having a chance to be come the oldest Major winner ever, Rory having an outside chance to get the career Slam, Smylie Kaufman having the chance to be only the third man to win on his first attempt at the Masters, and Spieth having the chance to break who knows how many more records.  

The story really still belongs to Jordan Spieth.  What he is doing is beyond remarkable.  What he has done in his first three Masters is unprecedented.  Win or lose today, Jordan Spieth has surely removed all doubt, if indeed there still was any, that he is a great player; one of the greatest we have ever seen.

How he has carried the weight of the lead like he has is almost unimaginable.  It speaks to the determination and resolve of this remarkable young man.  That he has done it while struggling with his ball striking makes it all the more incredible.  

Jordan Spieth is still in uncharted territory.  He has gone where no twenty two year old has gone before.  Win or lose, he may be currently ranked number two in the world, but, in my mind, he's simply the best.

Could It Be Deja Vu All Over Again?

Could it be Deja Vu all over again?  Once again--for the fifth consecutive round-- Jordan Spieth leads the Masters.  Suddenly all the naysayers and the "he's no Tiger Woods" types must be feeling a tad uncomfortable.  

Clearly the Masters isn't over.  The first round leader rarely wins a Major.  But young Mr. Spieth seems uncommonly comfortable with the lead--kind of like another great player who need not be mentioned.  But I just hope the naysayers will begin to appreciate just what this young man has done in the last five Majors and just how good he is.  He is a great player.  He is 29 under par at Augusta in his first nine rounds.  Tiger was 21 under par for his first nine rounds.  

I think what impressed me most from Spieth was the fact that he was the only man in the field to not make a bogey.  I thought his smooth up and down for par on the first hole after a shaky start set the tone for the day.  His par save on sixteen was huge.  Going bogey-free in those conditions is definitely more impressive than birdieing a third of the holes he played.  He's the only one who managed to do it.

I recently wrote a recent article suggesting it might just be time for another European win at Augusta, and there are a bunch of Euros at the top of the leaderboard after the first round.  But tomorrow may tell the tale.  If Spieth shoots another round in the sixties, and keeps putting like he did today, it just may be all over but the crying.   It may be Deja Vu all over again.

And, just in case you think I'm stuck on Spieth, how about Sergio?  Nice to see him in the hunt.

Jordan Needs a Big Sunday

Tomorrow is going to be a big day for Jordan Spieth.  With the Masters looming large, Jordan needs a big day tomorrow to give him some confidence leading into Augusta.  He sits five back and needs to straighten out his iron play.  If he can, and the putts start dropping, he just might head down Magnolia Lane ready to add another Major to his resume.

After a brilliant start to the season in Hawaii, Jordan has simply not been the player he was last year.  However, we know there are horses for courses and Jordan has very quickly established that Augusta National is his kind of course.  

Last year I picked Jordan to win the Masters.  It wasn't a particularly difficult pick given his performance there the year before and his great play leading into the tournament.  This year it's a much different story.  But there are tournaments and there are Major tournaments.  The Majors are a different animal altogether.  And Mr. Spieth has proven that he can handle the pressure of a Major.

I hope Jordan has a big day tomorrow.  If not, I think the smart money has to be on Bubba, Adam Scott, Charl Schwartzel, and Jason Day.  They are the guys with the hot hand and, other than Day, the knowledge that they can win a green jacket.

You have to think tomorrow is a big day for Phil as well.  At six back, if he makes a run, you have to think he'll be believing he can get the job done again at the Masters.  What a story that would be.