Getty Jordan Speith at the 2024 Valspar Championship
Following two high-profile events in the last two weeks, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship, many of the PGA Tour’s top players chose not to play in the Valspar Championship. But among those who did opt to tee it up was Jordan Spieth, who missed the cut at TPC Sawgrass and was seemingly hoping to find some form in his final start ahead of The Masters, which begins April 11.
But for the second time in as many weeks, Spieth failed to make the weekend. During his opening round on the famed Copperhead Course at Innisbrook on March 21, he made six birdies but also carded four bogeys en route to a 2-under round of 69. He recorded another four bogeys in the second round but made just one birdie to card a 3-over 74 and missed the cut by a shot.
Spieth, who hasn’t earned a victory in nearly two years, has opted not to participate in the final two events leading into The Masters, the Texas Children’s Houston Open and the Valero Texas Open, the latter of which he won in 2021.
So, following a solid start to the season, the 13-time PGA Tour winner doesn’t have much momentum leading into the year’s first major championship.
Jordan Spieth Hasn’t Played His Best Golf Recently
To kick off the 2024 PGA Tour season at The Sentry, Spieth, despite using backup drivers after cracking his gamer in the pro-am and catching a few bad breaks, finished in solo third at 27-under, just two shots back of winner Chris Kirk.
He didn’t fare nearly as well in his next start at Pebble Beach, tying for 39th in the rain-shortened 54-hole event, but bounced back nicely the following week at the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, tying for sixth.
Since then, however, things have taken a turn for the 30-year-old.
In the opening round at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on February 15, Spieth fired a 5-under 66. In the second round, fighting flu-like symptoms, he didn’t play nearly as well, shooting a 2-over 73, but was still set to play the weekend. However, after signing an incorrect scorecard — he signed for a par on the par-3 fourth hole when he’d actually made a bogey — he was disqualified.
After taking several weeks off, Spieth made his next start at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and opened with a solid 3-under round of 69. But he then shot 74-77 over the next two days to take himself out of contention before closing with another 69 to tie for 30th at 1-over, finishing 16 shots back of Scottie Scheffler.
He then shot 74-72 at Sawgrass to miss out on the weekend at The Players by three strokes and has headed home early after missing the cut at the Valspar.
Spieth Typically Fares Well at The Masters
Despite not playing well recently, Spieth can take solace in the fact that he typically fares well in The Masters, finishing fourth or better five times in 10 starts.
In his debut at Augusta in 2014, he tied for second. A year later, at age 21, Spieth took a wire-to-wire victory to become the second-youngest Masters winner in history, trailing only Tiger Woods. He also tied Woods’ then-record score of 18-under, which was broken in 2020 by Dustin Johnson‘s 20-under total.
Speith again tied for second in 2016, tied for 11th in 2017, and then finished in solo third in 2018. He failed to contend the next two years, tying for 21st in 2019 and tying for 46th in 2020, but tied for third in 2021.
After missing the cut for the first and only time in 2022, he bounced back with a tie for fourth in 2023, shooting a blistering 6-under 66 in the final round.
The good news for Spieth heading into the 2024 edition of The Masters is that he’s putting well, ranking ninth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting (0.765). He also ranks fourth in birdie average, making 5.06 per round.
The bad news is that his iron game has let him down. He ranks 118th in strokes gained approach (-0.145), 83rd in proximity to the hole (38 feet, 2 inches), and 62nd in greens in regulation (69.75%).
One would think this aspect of his game would be a big focus during his preparation over the next couple of weeks, and it’ll certainly be interesting to see which version of Jordan Spieth shows up at The Masters.