I hate to harp on caddies. But Jordan Spieth's caddie did him no favors at 14 and 17 on Saturday. At No. 4 it was Spieth's own faault.
Nobody's talking much about the 3-putts. But if he loses today the rot will have started on Saturday at 3 holes on Saturday, never mind the brilliant--and lucky--save at the last..
At No. 4, a 220-yard brute of a par-3 that started his Sunday demise last year, Spieth rifled a beauty to 45 feet, backed off for the Mickelson roar ahead, then left his first putt short. Can't blame him or his caddie too much there, except he didn't repeat his routine all over after the roar. 3-putt. Chink #1.
No. 14 was a dagger. He just came off birdies at 12 and 13, hit's a solid iron to 30 feet pin high. That green with the Perry Maxwell buried elephants looks like a potato chip. You do not get greedy and charge 30 foot putts at 14. The operative phrase here is, "Lay it down like a blanket." Apparently his caddie didn't tell him that. Spieth blew his first putt 4 feet by, and we know what happened after that--3 putt #2.
No. 17 was a double-bogey debacle from the start. How the heck is caddie ever let him pull driver from the bag, who knows? He was PUMPED!! Just birdied 16 to go 18 under par. Par 17 and 18, or even bogey one, you got 3 rounds in the 60s under your belt. The most rarified of Masters air, space previously untrod. A six or seven shot lead looked possible. Instead--driver rattle of tree, has to lay up short of the green and then he and his caddie make the fateful decision to get cute with a skipping flop shot and save par. He was dead in front of that green. It's like chipping to the hood of your car from the bottom of a bar ditch. The play was take your medicine, make sure you get the chip on the green, 2-putt for bogey, go to 18 3 under for the round, 6-shot lead still intact. Instead the result was basically a chili dip. The ball stuck on the fringe, didn't even make the putting surface. From there you knew he would 3-putt and did, leaving the first putt woefully short.
Spieth should have at least a 5-shot cushion, possibly 6 or 7 if his caddie has his head in the game.
I hope the kid finishes it off in style and gets his green jacket and nobody will remember the Saturday 3 putts that will be irrelevant. But it won't be easy. There's blood in the water and Lefty's dressed in black.
If they blow it Spieth's caddie has to look in the mirror...
This post was edited on 4/12 10:32 AM by CowboyUp
Nobody's talking much about the 3-putts. But if he loses today the rot will have started on Saturday at 3 holes on Saturday, never mind the brilliant--and lucky--save at the last..
At No. 4, a 220-yard brute of a par-3 that started his Sunday demise last year, Spieth rifled a beauty to 45 feet, backed off for the Mickelson roar ahead, then left his first putt short. Can't blame him or his caddie too much there, except he didn't repeat his routine all over after the roar. 3-putt. Chink #1.
No. 14 was a dagger. He just came off birdies at 12 and 13, hit's a solid iron to 30 feet pin high. That green with the Perry Maxwell buried elephants looks like a potato chip. You do not get greedy and charge 30 foot putts at 14. The operative phrase here is, "Lay it down like a blanket." Apparently his caddie didn't tell him that. Spieth blew his first putt 4 feet by, and we know what happened after that--3 putt #2.
No. 17 was a double-bogey debacle from the start. How the heck is caddie ever let him pull driver from the bag, who knows? He was PUMPED!! Just birdied 16 to go 18 under par. Par 17 and 18, or even bogey one, you got 3 rounds in the 60s under your belt. The most rarified of Masters air, space previously untrod. A six or seven shot lead looked possible. Instead--driver rattle of tree, has to lay up short of the green and then he and his caddie make the fateful decision to get cute with a skipping flop shot and save par. He was dead in front of that green. It's like chipping to the hood of your car from the bottom of a bar ditch. The play was take your medicine, make sure you get the chip on the green, 2-putt for bogey, go to 18 3 under for the round, 6-shot lead still intact. Instead the result was basically a chili dip. The ball stuck on the fringe, didn't even make the putting surface. From there you knew he would 3-putt and did, leaving the first putt woefully short.
Spieth should have at least a 5-shot cushion, possibly 6 or 7 if his caddie has his head in the game.
I hope the kid finishes it off in style and gets his green jacket and nobody will remember the Saturday 3 putts that will be irrelevant. But it won't be easy. There's blood in the water and Lefty's dressed in black.
If they blow it Spieth's caddie has to look in the mirror...
This post was edited on 4/12 10:32 AM by CowboyUp
