Jordan Spieth burst out of the blocks on day one of the Valspar Championship, and was five-under-par for his opening nine holes.
However, in what has become a very regular occurrence for Spieth, he folded on the back nine, making two bogeys and a double bogey on his way to shooting a round of two-under-par 69.
The 32-year-old actually played really well on day one of the Valspar Championship, especially during the first two thirds of his round.
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He seemingly had his whole game in order and was driving the ball solidly, hitting his iron shots crisply and putting extremely well.
Spieth has shown some hugely positive signs on the PGA Tour so far this season.
The key thing for the three-time major champion is that he has been putting so much better this season than he has done in previous years.
Spieth is quietly going under the radar ahead of The Masters next month.
However, something isn’t quite right with Spieth. Regardless of how well he is playing, he always seems to come unstuck at crucial times.
Jordan Spieth’s problem reared its ugly head at the Valspar Championship
Even when Spieth was at his best, his rounds never went smoothly.
Part of the American’s appeal is that he can hit incredible golf shots followed by ones that amateur golfers would be angry with.
However, Spieth’s inconsistency throughout his rounds is exactly what is holding him back right now.
The man from Dallas, Texas, looked uncharacteristically in control of his golf ball throughout his first 10 holes on Thursday at the Copperhead Course in Tampa, Florida.
However, as soon as Spieth missed a three-foot putt for birdie on the 11th, everything unravelled for him.
He bogeyed the 13th before making a birdie on the 15th to restore parity on his back nine.
However, Spieth then made a double bogey on the 16th after flaring his drive way right into the water hazard.
He then parred the 17th before making a sloppy bogey on 18 after three-putting on the final green.
Spieth was in fine form and was well on his way to compiling an excellent score which could have put him in the lead on day one of the Valspar.
However, the problem he has suffered with for four years now reared its ugly head once again on the back nine.
Unless Spieth addresses his inability to avoid big numbers after making rogue golf swings, he will not be returning to the winners’ circle anytime soon.
Jordan Spieth’s stats from day one at the Valspar Championship
Spieth’s driving stats were seriously skewed by his shot off the 16th tee on Thursday.
As a result of making a double bogey on that hole, he ended up losing strokes to the field off the tee and was ranked 76th on day one.
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However, he gained nearly two strokes on the field with his approach play and was ranked 14th for the day.
He chipped and pitched the ball solidly and was ranked 26th around the greens on day one of the Valspar.
But Spieth’s putting let him down, as he lost just over 0.3 strokes to the field on the greens and was ranked down in 72nd.
If Spieth manages to avoid the big numbers and the swings which cost him dearly during the remainder of the Valspar Championship, it’s fair to say that he’s still capable of winning the tournament.
However, Spieth’s customary poor one or two holes in every round he plays will undoubtedly come back to bite him once again.
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