Spieth has a bit of a chip on his shoulder, as he has had to fight the perception that this has been a “down” year after winning five times – including two majors and the Tour Championship – in 2015.
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He carded a birdie and a bogey on Friday before things unravelled at the eighth when his tee shot found the water.
“The putter was nice today”. This year, the hole that used to be ninth, the 600-yard par-5, will be the new 18th. And for people to say they don’t think about it, I think is absurd. “I am mixing a lot of bad with a lot of good so if I can eradicate the mistakes, seven birdies around this golf course is pretty good”.
“I remember sitting down Friday afternoon after I missed the cut, not knowing where I could play”, Vegas said.
He is followed by Barclays victor Patrick Reed, Adam Scott, world No. 1 Jason Day and Paul Casey.
The Australian was one of five players at East Lake who knew winning the Tour Championship would also secure the overall FedEx Cup title, with Johnson, Patrick Reed, Adam Scott and Paul Casey the others in control of their own destiny. The 26-year-old Japan native had six birdies and two bogeys on his round and posted his best score in nine competitive rounds at East Lake.
The Queenslander was wayward with his opening drive, which led to a bogey, but he fought his way back up the leaderboard with birdies at the 4, 7th, 14 and 18 holes, to card a three under 67.
He birdied the par-4 12th with a wedge to 3 feet but gave a stroke back on the par-4 13th with a drive beneath a few tree canopies to the right of the fairway and poor pitch that didn’t advance through the rough. If 30 golfers and about 70,000 fans can travel from all corners of the globe to partake in what is apparently a world-famous Atlanta tradition, I could surely travel one exit down I-20 to see what all the fuss is about.
“There’s nothing I can do now”, Watson said. I’d rather have a player taking home the $10 million cheque after making an eagle on the 72nd hole than someone finishing with a par. “The more he’s questioned about it, the more potential for that to bother him, which I hope he’s not pestered with it all week”.
After a quick stop at the Grey Goose lounge for a Le Grand Fizz (Grey Goose Le Poire, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, lime and soda) and some surreptitious Snapchatting from the practice green, it was into the hallowed halls of the East Lake Golf Clubhouse to meet executive chef Nick Barrington, the man in charge of keeping Earth’s top 30 golfers fed. Mickelson played 1 under from there to salvage a 74. “And I get to pick him on Sunday night”. “This course is very hard and a couple more of those and you just never know”. However they can still win the bonus pool if they finish close to victory in certain circumstances; for instance, Scott can finish tied-fourth in Atlanta and still win the $10 million if his main rivals struggle, and Day can finish tied-third and win the money.
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“I feel like my game’s better than it has been in years past”, Johnson said. “I don’t feel like I did anything wrong”.
