It has been one heck of a year for youngster Jordan Spieth — the 21 year old won the first two majors of the calendar year at The Masters and the U.S. Open, while also settling for top five finishes at The British Open and the PGA Championship. Add on wins at smaller tournaments like the Hero World Challenge, Valspar Championship, and the John Deere Classic.
On the contrary, the last two weeks have been nightmarish for Spieth.
Jordan Spieth Experiences His First Big Slump
It started at The Barclays last weekend. Spieth actually started off his round really well, coming in at two under par with no bogeys through his first nine (he tee’d off on the back). All hell broke loose in the next nine holes, though, and has sent Spieth into a slump that is becoming noticeable. He carded five bogeys and a double bogey on the front nine, and quickly found himself at four over par after the first day. Four bogeys on the front nine, plus a double bogey on the back, doomed Spieth’s chance at an attempt to slide under the cut line.
There was not a huge reason for concern, though. Golf is a hard sport; even the best in the world do not make every cut.
This weekend at Deutsche Bank National was much worse for Spieth than The Barclays last weekend. He had an especially up and down day in Round 1. His first 18 holes included eight bogeys, but he also had four birdies that gave him hope to make the cut the next day. That hope come to no avail, as the Texas Longhorn grad would find only one birdie during his next 18 holes. Another missed cut was on the horizon as Spieth finished up his round.
It seems as if three of the world’s top golfers have separated themselves from the rest of the group — Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, and Jason Day have dominated the Tour this year and are (usually) the most consistent performers. (McIlroy has had an injury riddled year, but remains No. 1 on the World Golf Rankings).
It is clear Spieth is still in that group of golfers; he is not on the decline or anything crazy like that.
That said, every casual golf fan is asking the same question: what’s wrong with Jordan Spieth?
It is important to remember golf is a weird game and a very difficult one at that, especially professionally. One miss-hit shot can send anyone’s round into a tailspin; four or five miss-hits WILL send anyone’s round into a tailspin.
For the most part, that is what is happening to Jordan Spieth. Bad luck, and bad shots, are common in the sport.
Of course, there was the news about changing irons, which have been the weakest part of his game this year. He changed to the updated Titleist AP2’s right after he finished second the season’s last major, the PGA Championship. It’s a natural move for Spieth; he says he does it every year.
The change obviously affected Spieth in a negative way at The Barclays. He was only 21/36 (58%) in Greens In Regulation, which can be directly related to his iron game, especially because he drove 60 percent of his fairways. Not hitting the green on his next couple of shots adds up, and quick.
Spieth went back to his old irons for the Deutsche Bank Championship this weekend, but it obviously was not that easy of a transition back. His Greens In Regulation numbers were better — 23/36, good for 64 percent, but his overall score didn’t reflect it.
Whether the difference in the two iron choices play a huge difference in Spieth’s slump is hard to determine, but it certainly plays a part. Odds are, Spieth is just experiencing his first big slump since becoming a star on Tour.
