CBS Interviewer Gets It Right
What a fantastic question by the CBS interviewer. He asked Jordan, “What will be your takeaway? Will you have more disappointment in losing the lead, or more pride from having played well once again?” What an excellent question!
Masters Wrap
Mr. Masters, Jordan Spieth, had another fantastic performance at Augusta. He’s never finished out of — are you sitting down? — the top two, Danny Willett showed great skill in securing the green jacket on this beautiful Sunday. It might have been a blessing in disguise for Spieth fans, though, as Jordan was able to show kids — and grownups! — all over the world how to act with grace after a major disappointment. Most of us will face far more disappointments than successes; we can all take heart from Jordan’s reaction to this misfortune of his on life’s highway.
Predawn
Now would be a good time to remind people of what Ole Lanny said a while back. Let’s get in our Wayback Machine and travel to January 6, 2016:
By the way, for all the media attention given to Thomas and Koepka, I think Kaufman and Grillo will outplay them. I’ll say that for this year, but I think over the next three years for sure.
Score Standing Smylie Kaufman -2 2 Emiliano Grillo +4 T-16 Brooks Koepka +5 T-23 Justin Thomas +11 T-50
Lanny knows golf!
Lanny H Golf 
Good call.
Be funny if Smylie was some dour guy that never smiled, someone who looked like Don Coryell.
A lot of players might have been rattled by what Spieth did late yesterday. With him, it’s just motivation to do better. He hears everything and the talk of his collapse and not being able to finish will just drive him forward.
I hope you are right about Jordan. I was glad to see his coach flew in. Even if he doesn’t see anything, he can tell Jordan he does and Jordan, being young, should regain his confidence.
Just hilarious listening BRIEFLY on radio to some of these idiots…STILL going on about Eldrick, and saying that Langer winning would be the BIGGEST story….So Spieth, if he wins, will have been in the final group on Sunday at Augusta for 3 years in a row, and gone 2nd, 1st, and 1st…He’d be only the 4th repeat Master’s champion, be ahead of EVERYONE’s Major victory streak, YET, Langer winning would be bigger because he’s 58?
Huge as a Spieth win would be, I have to agree that a Langer win would be the biggest story. Not just the oldest major winner by ten years, the oldest winner of any tournament by five years. It would be an amazing achievement.
except it’s at Augusta, which is frankly once of the easiest courses on tour…The weather is the ONLY reason Langer and Watson have/had a chance…..I don’t find the age thing that fascinating after Watson proved it should have been done….
either way it’s a very young person or a very old person(sports age wise), if you are going with Spieth or Langer as the only two…..I suppose if you are older, you’d tend to care more about the older person winning, vs those that are younger, trying to accomplish something that hasn’t been done in around 80 years………
I’m 52 and in the Spieth camp. But winning a non-senior event far past the age of any other winner is a singular achievement.
Augusta isn’t easy and the conditions are the same for everyone. Others came close but all fell short. Nicklaus, Norman, Watson. Snead had two top-four finishes at the PGA past 60. None could close the deal. My money nor my hopes are with Langer. But it would be something to see.
Last 10 years score at each Major:
Master’s: -18, -8, -9, 10, -14, -16, -12, -8, +1, -7=-101 for an avg winning score of -10.1
USOpen: -5, -9, +1. +1, -16, E, -4, -1, +5, +5= -23 for an avg winning score of -2.3
British: -15, -17, -3, -7, -5, -16, -2, +3, -7, -18=-87 for an avg winning score of -8.7
PGA -20, -16, -10, -13, -8, -11, -8. -3. -8, -18=-115 for an avg winning score of -11.5
So certainly a battle between the PGA and Augusta for the easiest major, but we’ve heard from different PGA golfers, that Augusta if MORE forgiving than other Major course…..
Wow Spieth has to be loving how everyone started….The guys behind him either lost ground ect, and Smylie just over hit a tapper…..hmmm
Jordan looks decent so far, though that first putt on 3 was a bit shaky.
Spieth’s made putt on #4 is the difference vs the field….His putting is so good right now……And Rory NEEDS to change his putting swing….A few years ago, he was solid from 10 feet and in, and now Rory can’t seem to buy a putt from that 10 foot range…
On Hole #2 Jordan Spieth took approximately 3 minutes to survey his putt and then make the stroke. Pretty sure that’s significantly longer than what is permitted under the pace of play rule.
He is maddeningly slow at times.
Jordan’s driving is really the concern, if any….The par 3 he missed to the right, then on the next hole, misses to the left, PROBABLY because he was trying to avoid pushing another to the right….
Rapidly becoming Spieth and a few Euros…
Spieth is looking very fragile, tee to green, but his putter saves him time and again.
I’m obviously pulling for the euros and Søren Kjeldsen in particular.
I’m sure you are…… IF, IF, IF, but if Spieth birdies 7 and 8, that would probably do it….
I like Kjeldsen. I watched him win a Euro event not all that long ago.
If not Jordan, I wouldn’t mind seeing Westwood win this.
I can’t pull for anyone but Jordan today, but it would be fantastic for Westwood to get a major.
This is setting up to have a lot of potential for a thrilling back 9. Let’s hope we get it!
Right now, DJ scares me the most. Jason seems off today. A lot can change on No. 12, 13, and 15, but right now DJ strikes me as the biggest threat.
Well, it was, until Jordan added birdies at 7 and 8 to go with his birdie at 6. Now he’ll likely have a 4 shot lead making the turn. Still hope for an exciting finish so I’m hoping some of the guys ahead of Jordan make some noise and a run!
This is plenty exciting enough for me. CBS obviously would like it to tighten up, but to heck with them — they just did a Woods documentary in the middle of this broadcast. Ridiculous.
Jordan’s swing does look fragile, in general…Reminds you almost of an ‘old mans’ swing, but obviously it’s stronger than it looks…
At this point, you’d guess Dustin Johnson has the best chance to catch Spieth ONLY due to the fact he could eagle BOTH par 5’s with his distance…..
Yes. And his irons seem sharp right now.
ofcourse with DJ it’s usually his putter, so…
That’s ballgame folks…His putter is on fire….Speith wins….engrave the trophy ect, ect, ect…
Can’t see Jordan doing any worse than E on the back. Someone will need to do something really special.
Well, so much for an exciting finish. 5 up with 9 to play. Glad to see Spieth win but it would have been nice if there had been a little drama.
yes but by Spieth winning, you are seeing something that has NEVER happened before in MAJOR PGA history…
Oh I realize that. It’s just been hammered home that “The Masters doesn’t start until the back 9 on Sunday” and given that, it’s a bit of a let down.
That said, Jordan going 2nd, 1st, 1st, in his first three Masters as a pro is pretty damn crazy!
Ha, just thought to myself….guess Jordan gets to put the Green Jacket on Himself.
hmmm…well could be a two shot lead here, and now maybe one…doubt Jordan will use his driver anymore…..
Danny Willett doesn’t seem to want to give up yet!
If Jordan bogeys 11, it will almost force Jordan to NOW need birdies on 13 and 15 to maintain his lead, assuming Willet would birdie on 15 also…..
That was clutch by Jordan. Still has to make the putt but I’ll go ahead and mark it down as a great par save.
Didn’t see that upcoming.
did jordan just choke
Can’t say but the combination of missed putt, water ball…..trying to make it intereseting but for all the wrong reasons!
because it landed above the hazard, he should do no worse than bogey, but prob a tie now, with Jordan headed for the par 5’s…..
Actually the fact that it landed above the yellow hazard and then came back in, might make the angle tougher than if it just flew in.
Jordan’s misses have tended to be right….which is no bueno here!
greg norman
Oh $%^$^&
TOTAL FAILURE ON CADDY THERE…..Spieth NEEDED to take his medicine and instead, tried for the perfect shot…..
so probably 3 shots back going into the par 5’s……
One might think Jordan now has to make an eagle and a birdie on the two par 5’s….or a complete collapse for someone else now ahead of him.
Hole shit!! DJ just hit a beauty!!
that caddy should be fired for not telling jordan to aim for the bunker on 12…..
To be fair, it sounded like the line was 20 feet left of the flag (middle of the green), which Jordan missed by 30 feet.
Hard to blame the caddie for a couple of totally chunked shots.
If, willet bogeys like Spieth finished yesterday, who knows……no bogeys so far for willet…
could 4 under be a playoff?
Could very well be. Willett in trouble at 17 and DJ has a chance for birdie on 16. Very interesting now!
ofcourse these announcers make a 1 foot putt sound like an impossible shot…..
If Spieth can’t make birdie on 14, almost forces him to go for eagle on 15…
I figured he had to go -3 on the back 9 par 5’s regardless.
still can’t believe Jordan on his 3rd shot on the par 3 didn’t take his medicine and take a 5….would right now be only one shot back, but instead….chunked a shot, trying to hit it perfect…
Flag hunting or did he just totally miss his shot? He chunked little wedges on 17 and 18 yesterday.
now does willett have a GREG NORMAN in him
Piped it on 18
or colin montgomerie ect….both from center fairway…
3 back with 4 to play.
gosh, course management folks…..jordan has been praised for playing so smart and strategic, but WHEN you aren’t feeling confident, you don’t go flag hunting…
First euro winner in this millennium: Danny Willett.
.. And he wasn’t even planning to play this week.
Don’t be surprised when Jordan birdies to the house to win outright.
Well back to IF, IF, IF, but IF Jordan birdies 15, he’s at 3 under….16 has been playing favorable today, that’s 4, than either 17 or 18, or both…could he do what the one guy did and birdie the last 4, and win it outiright….
At this point, I say worst case for Jordan is he is in a playoff. Best case, he wins outright.
.. What are you smoking?
had he not OVER read the break on `16, he had a chance to go birdie birdie for the outright win…it was ONLY a cup out, he played it for a foot….terrible read there…WHEN IN DOUBT, you take the break OUT…
At this point he likely won’t win out right but I got him going birdie-birdie for a playoff.
If Spieth does go birdie, birdie, and force a playoff, this would top ANY PGA comeback I’ve seen considering the ebs and flows of this thing..
think of that, IF Willets wife goes into pregnancy this last week….Spieth is in the lead with 3 to play right now……irony can be ironic sometimes…
boy what an anticlimax to this one
Also, NEXT time, Jordan should tell his swing coach that he HAS to be there all week long for EVERY major, or it’s time to find another swing coach….If I heard it right, his swing coach didn’t fly in until last night…
He was there during the practice rounds, and I think, at least the first round, then flew out. And, then Jordan flew him back in after the 3rd.
Apparently that’s their usual routine.
yes but what is this swing coach doing that is SOOOO important, compared to Spieth going for a MAJOR….Is it really that hard to stay at Augusta for a weekend? I’m just saying……
I don’t get it either, but for whatever reason that’s how they’ve done it.
Did it matter? Spieth lost it at the end of round 3, his coach was there before round 4.
It was clear after 17 and 18 yesterday that Jordan’s game was shaky. I knew 10-12 today were key, and they bit him. The missed putt on No. 11 may have changed the entire course of events. And that putt on No. 11 was for par due to another wild tee shot. His ball-striking was pretty awful this week, really, a lot of the time.
Not to be lost is the fact that Danny Willett tied for round of the day today so, while Jordan did choke some, Willett did his part to take advantage.
#12 is a succor pin in the final round at Augusta…When you realize this, you don’t even begin to go for it…..Up one at that point, with water in the way, Spieth went for the perfect shot, instead of playing for a par, and worst bogey….
It’s called AMEN CORNER for a reason, and Spieth and company didn’t realize this…..Surprising actually…..
You’re overanalyzing, I think. He simply put a bad swing on it.
Kudos to him for giving an interview afterwards…
And you really don’t know what he was trying to do. He may have been attempting the safe shot you wanted.
I’m sure it will be asked,(if the press is worth a darn)…..Most of the time, aka Phil Mickelson ect are ALWAYS going for EVERY pin….
Yeah, pretty sure you could hear the conversation between player/caddies and they were talking 20 feet left of the pin.
I thought I heard Jordan ask, “It won’t to over, will it?” and Greller said, “No.” That made me think Jordan thought he had too much club, which may have led to a tentative swing, thus the weak, short shot to the right (my trademark shot).
Yeah he said the caddie and his plan was to play it over the bunker, but he didn’t take a DEEP breath, and last second, decided to CHANGE his mine and try and CUT the ball TOWARD the hole….wow, what a mistaka to maka……Then for the drop zone shot, he could have been 65 yards, but chose to be 80 yards….You see pros ALL the time, have a third shot, from the 50-70 yard range, esp in par 5’s….So I don’t understand why Jordan backed it up, especially after putting the first in the water, I’d think you’d want to be as close to the hole as possible, esp since he CLAIMED he was ok with taking a 5 there………..
As the only golf website that matters, I feel it’s the responsibility of this website to educate the masses on who this Danny Willett guy is. I’ve seen way to many people saying he is a nobody, a guy no one has heard of, etc, etc. That’s obviously coming from people that aren’t real golf fans. And the best thing we can do is make him “a somebody”.
Anyone who reads this website already knew: “American sports reporters like to make jokes about guys like Danny Willett, as if they just fell out of a tree. If they followed the European Tour, though, they’d know his name is frequently near the top of leader boards.”
Just do a site search on “Willett.” That quote is from an article I wrote a year ago.
In Europe, of course, everybody knows who Willett is. In 2015 he almost topped the Race to Dubai (European Tour Ranking) being beaten only by Rory. So in effect he’s the best european player not playing in the US.
American ignorance can sometimes be quite exhausting…
To be fair, if Kevin Kisner won the British Open thus year, there would be a Willett-like, “who?” reaction in Europe.
Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG), (7. at the Masters) and Thomas Pieters (BEL) are two other very strong (and young) players worth keeping an eye on. They’ll probably make the Ryder Cup squad.
Speaking of Fitzpatrick, here’s what I wrote in January of 2015:
“Two English youngsters I can’t wait to see play are 23-year-old Eddie Pepperell and 20-year-old Matthew Fitzpatrick. You will recall Fitzpatrick was low amateur at last year’s U.S. Open, and the year before at the British Open.”
That Pepperell kid looks good.