Spieth's 64 And The Low Scoring At Augusta National
/Jordan's Spieth's 64 is notable on many levels (my Golf World take here), particularly as the youngest to post the number and on a day he bogied the par-5 15th that played as the easiest on the course (4.649 average, 2 eagles, 43 birdies).
The ball-striking numbers looked solid (15 od 18 greens, 11 of 14 fairways), yet Spieth said he was lucky and got a few breaks. The video highlights from Masters.com are worth checking out if you missed any of the round. Steve DiMeglio's game story on the nearly epic round.
As for the scoring onslaught, the day was the third best in Masters history if you measure by sub-par rounds. Mike O'Malley Tweeted this:
40 players at par or better today in the Masters. Most by round: R1: 53 (1991) R2: 54 (1992) R3: 40 (1992) R4: 37 (1968, 1992)
— Mike O'Malley (@GD_MikeO) April 9, 2015
The answer is simple: the course is too green. The rye grass is thriving from a perfect overseed and the grow-in has presented almost carpet-like conditions. The second cut even seems unusually robust, as evidenced by Spieth's over-cooked 228-yard hybrid into 15 that in past years would have finished in the 16th hole lake. Give today's players such cushions to play from and receptive greens, and they will score even with wind conditions as tricky as Thursday's.
Yes, yes, we'll hear all about the Sub-Air's running to firm things up, and if they do work they might impact the greens some. But the course is mostly vulnerable due to how soft and lush it's playing.
Maybe it's time to stop moving the fairways at 3/8th's toward the tees and get things running more? Just saying...
**Golf.com's Alan Shipnuck plays off a destiny remark from Spieth and concludes:
Destiny is a funny word around the Masters. Els once seemed destined to win a green jacket. So did Lee Trevino, Greg Norman, Johnny Miller, Tom Weiskopf and Davis Love III, but none of them got it done. (Not yet, anyway.) No course in golf dishes out heartbreak quite like Augusta National. Spieth got a taste of that last year, but his greatest advantage going forward may be how little failure he’s experienced here. Says Els, “I still feel intimidated by the course. The less you’ve played it, the less damage is in the back of your head.”
