Jordan Spieth has gone ice cold over the last month, failing to make the cut in each of his last two tournaments. He is off to another slow start this week at the Valero Texas Open, but it might just take one thrilling moment in his home state to spark a turnaround.
The three-time major champion crushed the ball on the par-3 16th for a magnificent hole-in-one, sending the crowd into utter pandemonium. Spieth did a nice job of maintaining his composure amid the thunderous applause, but the relief on his face was obvious. He followed up the feat with a birdie and finished his opening round at 1-over.
The electrifying end to Spieth's afternoon erases the rough double bogey he tallied on the 14th hole. Even so, the 30-year-old is currently tied for 80th place. There is plenty of time for the former Texas Longhorns star to climb the leaderboard, but winning his second Valero title feels highly unlikely right now (trails leader Akshay Bhatia by 10 strokes).
While of course it would be huge for Spieth to earn his first PGA Tour victory in almost two years, it is important for him to just be playing well heading into the biggest event on the calendar– the Masters. After all, Augusta is where the ex-boy wonder does his best work.
Jordan Spieth is still trying to reclaim his past greatness
As another PGA season nears the midway point, it is becoming tougher to deny the mounting evidence. Jordan Spieth is probably not going to return to the heights that made many people wonder if he was Tiger Woods' successor. A runner-up showing in the 2014 Masters at just 20 years of age foretold that the next face of the sport had arrived on the green.
The prophesy appeared to be coming true after Spieth won the Green Jacket in 2015. He did not stop there, though, posting one of the most outstanding years in recent memory. The emerging superstar snagged first place at the U.S. Open after Dustin Johnson 3-putted the 18th hole, narrowly missed out on a playoff at The Open Championship and then clinched second at the PGA Championship.
With Woods on the decline, and Rory McIlroy going through his own major drought, the golf world saw Spieth as the man who could usher in a new era. But then the phenom lost his luster. His aura took a hit after a stunning collapse at the 2016 Masters. And although he rebounded with a win at the 2017 Open Championship, Spieth has never fully recovered.
But he usually manages to reel fans back in when he competes at Augusta National.
Can Spieth seize his second Green Jacket in 2024?
Despite the aforementioned implosion, Jordan Spieth consistently contends at the Masters, securing two top-five finishes in the last three years and six overall. Perhaps he can do even better in 2024.
The former world No. 1 surged into the new year with terrific efforts at The Sentry (third place) and Phoenix Open (sixth) and also fared well in The Genesis Invitational before being disqualified. His recent plunge does not have to continue past this month.
Thursday's hole-in-one can mark an abrupt change in momentum, which Spieth hopes will carry through the rest of the Valero Texas Open. And into next weekend.
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