Holding his game together with the glue of his short game, Spieth faded on Sunday, shooting a 74 that dropped him into a tie for 18th place on a course that doesn’t truly suit his game.
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Putting to bed the constant scrutiny, Jordan Spieth addressed the media after his win, admitting at times it was hard to “stay positive”, during the last month following his disastrous collapse at the 2016 Masters.
Jordan Spieth has won his first PGA Tour event in his home state of Texas. Business-like as ever on the golf course and probably more determined than usual on this occasion as he tried to complete a hat-trick of wins in the over-50s major, Montgomerie couldn’t have found himself playing with more of an opposite than the excitable Mediate in the final round at Benton Harbor in MI.
Spieth had entered the final round just one stroke ahead of fellow DFW native Palmer.
Spieth has now had rounds of 67, 66 and 65, improving by a shot with each round to be 12-under 198, while Palmer with 66, 67 and 66 is 11-under 199.
Spieth received plenty of support from the crowd on Sunday, but also clearly heard one fan shout “Remember the Masters, Jordan”, as he walked from the ninth green to the 10th tee.
Spieth had six birdies and only nine total putts on the back nine.
Spieth’s demonstrated his world class ability to consecutively birdie the tenth, eleventh and twelfth holes through systematic and well planned golf.
But Palmer had two bogeys and not another birdie until the last hole, after Spieth had already made his final putt.
“I didn’t feel a monkey in DFW”, he said.
Spieth hit only three of 14 fairways and 11 of 18 greens in regulation.
English finished with a par for a 66, allowing the leader the leeway to make bogey at the last hole.
Jordan Spieth won at Colonial on Sunday after birdieing the last three holes for a 5-under 65, including a chip-in from behind the 17th green following a fortunate bounce off a marshal. “You know, he had given me a high five on 16 (after Spieth had sunk a birdie putt to take the lead)”.
“Everybody will be rooting for both of us to play well”, Spieth said.
“Seventeen was one of the luckiest holes I’ve ever had personally”.
The World number two, won on the PGA Tour for the second time this year.
Palmer, who turns 40 in September, got the last of his three PGA Tour victories in 2010.
This year, there have been some grumblings from longtime attendees of the event, complaining about rookie sponsor Dean and DeLuca-and “Colonial” being stripped from the tournament’s name. Kept me so positive.
First, he was awarded a free drop from the greenside grandstand but he then produced the most electric shot of the week: a chip in for birdie that doubled his advantage and all but assured his first win in his home state of Texas.
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Martin Piller, in the final group with Spieth and Simpson for the third round, had to play 12 holes earlier in the day to complete the second round that had been suspended by darkness Friday after a 5 1/2-hour weather delay.
