Spieth-mania was in full force and hard to miss in the week following young Jordan’s victory at the Masters. Among his appearances: the Late Show with David Letterman, the TODAY Show, CNBC Squawk Box, Morning Drive, CBS This Morning, the Dan Patrick Show, ESPN Radio, Mike and Mike in the Morning and too many more to mention.
Somewhat surprisingly, Spieth honored his commitment to the RBC Heritage when he could have justifiably begged off. Very surprisingly he didn’t just go through the motions, he was competitive, finishing T-11. It’s going to be very interesting to see how Spieth develops over the next few years and to see if the budding Rory-Jordan rivalry can be what we always hoped Tiger-Phil would be.
Let’s hit the links.
Hole #1: Furyk Wins Again, Finally
Four and a half years and seven 2nd place finishes since his last win in 2010, Jim Furyk shot an 8-under 63 and beat Kevin Kisner on the second playoff to claim the RBC Heritage. In 2010, Furyk won three events, including the Heritage. [Link]
Hole #2: Walk-off Eagle
First, Sei Young Kim chipped in on the final hole to force a playoff with Inbee Park, then she jarred her approach to win the LOTTE Championship on the first hole of sudden death. [Link]
Hole #3: Aphibarnrat Rallies into Playoff and Win
Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand made up two shots on the last two holes to get into a playoff with Li Hao-Tong. He won the Euro Tour’s Shenzhen International with a birdie on the first playoff hole. [Link]
Hole #4: Spieth Does Not Finish First or Second
After a torrid stetch in which he finished 1-2-T2-1 in consecutive starts, freshly minted Masters champ, Jordan Spieth opened the RBC Heritage with a 74, unsurprising considering the week he’d just had. Then he shot a Friday 62 (bested only by Troy Merritt’s 61) followed by a 68 Saturday and 71 Sunday. He wound up T11 at 10-under. [Link]
Hole #5: Math Class to Masters
Speaking of Jordan Spieth, his caddy Michael Greller took a pretty interesting route to carrying a PGA TOUR bag. [Link]
Hole #6: China Cracks Down on… Golf?
Chinese president Xi Jinping is leading a crackdown on vice and corruption. His latest target: golf. [Link]
Hole #7: Cart Goes Berserk
It’s not a golf cart, but the similarities are clear. So how do you stop a golf cart that’s running amok? Someone please tell this guy, please. [Link]
Hole #8: Brown Is the New Green
California golfers should brace themselves for brown rough and less lush fairways as the state’s water shortage is forcing irrigation cutbacks for courses.[Link]
Hole #9: Watson Hints One More Masters
After making the Harbour Town cut at even par, Tom Watson – at 65 years young, more than twice the age of much of the field – commented that he may only play one more Masters and is not sure how much longer he will play regular TOUR events. The two-time Masters champion shot 71-81 this year and missed the Augusta cut for the fifth consecutive year. He finished the RBC Heritage deep in the pack at +3. [Link]