Jordan Spieth Misses Sony Open Cut After Leading First Round
The three-time Major winner becomes just the second player in the last four years to hold a first round lead and miss the cut
On Thursday evening, Jordan Spieth found himself in a share of the lead at the Sony Open, with an opening six-under 64 putting him in fine position for another crack at yet another PGA Tour title.
However, Friday was a completely different story for the three-time Major winner, as he carded five bogeys in an eight hole stretch for a five-over 75. The 11-shot difference between his first two rounds was the worst of his career, and put Spieth as just the second player, in the last four years, to hold a first round lead/co-lead and miss the cut.
Ironically, the American only hit one less fairway on Friday than he did on Thursday. The difference though came with approach shots into the green and his putting. Hitting 15 greens in regulation on the first day, as well as gaining over 3.5 strokes on and around them, he would only hit 11 on Friday and lose a staggering 3 strokes from around the greens.
Speaking after his round, the 29-year-old stated: "It was just a bad day. Didn't feel like it was much different. Felt like I had a really bad deck of cards today. Made a couple really -- made a couple bad swings from off the tee.
"Other than that, I didn't play that different. I just ended up a foot into the rough here, right behind a tree here, it was a weird, weird day. Left like six or seven putts short. Thought the greens were going to be faster and left six or seven in the heart within a foot short. Just a really off day."
He went on to add: "Yeah, this sucks. I mean, I've never led a tournament and missed the cut before. It's not like I wouldn't have replayed anything that I -- I made a bad swing; didn't really make any bad decisions. Just got the ball in the wrong spots at the wrong places, and out here you just have to be fairway, fairway, fairway."
Earlier in the week, Spieth revealed that he will drive around the USA to PGA Tour tournaments in an RV with his family and, despite missing the cut in Hawaii, will look to right the wrongs of this week. Certainly he feels he is a long way away from his game which won him three Major titles, with the American admitting Thursday that it's tough handling the huge variances within his game that can see him play as well as anyone one day yet struggle to stay on the course the next.
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Such is Spieth's class though that he is listed as one of the favourites for the Masters in April, an event which he won in 2015, before infamously imploding in 2016, handing Danny Willett the Green Jacket in the process.
Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover weekend news and social media, as well as help look after Golf Monthly’s many buyers’ guides and equipment reviews.
Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round came in 2016, where he shot a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine holes. He currently plays at Witney Lakes in Oxfordshire and his favourite player is Rory McIlroy, despite nearly being struck by his second shot at the 17th during the 2015 BMW PGA Championship.
Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?
Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°
Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2, 15°, 19°
Hybrid: Adams Super Hybrid, 22°
Irons: Mizuno MP54, 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°
Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
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