Jordan Spieth hits his tee shot in the 10th hole during the third round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Palm Harbor, Fla.
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Bill Haas held a one-shot lead going into the final round of the Valspar Championship after shooting a four-under-par 67 at Innisbrook.
Stricker, playing for only the fifth time this year, holed out from the 10th fairway for eagle and made a 60-foot birdie putt across the fourth green for a 5-under 66 that gave him a share of the lead with MacKenzie, who had a 67. Six players were within four shots of the lead, and even Jordan Spieth believes he is still in the mix.
Spieth had to get up-and-down for bogey four times through seven holes and wound up with a 76.
But it was the shots Spieth took at Twitter critics after his first round Thursday that were the hot topic of conversation, the first after Spieth read his Twitter feed and saw a “troll” who asserted that when Spieth’s putter “is not working, he’s garbage”.
“This was grinding today”. “Without him coming down, I might not even have made the weekend”.
The U.S. will open the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro against China and will also face Venezuela and Australia after being drawn into what appears to be the easier men’s basketball group. This is the first stop on the Florida swing where no one has shot better than 66.
“It’s not like it’s more special to me than anyone else”. The six-time Cup champion was examined and released from the infield care center.
Spieth had to get up-and-down for bogey from a bunker on his first hole (No. 10) by making a 6-foot putt.
“It’s a long time – 24 hours in between finishing here and starting tomorrow – so tomorrow is a brand new day”, Spieth said. He answered a bogey at the par-3 13th with a chip-in birdie at the par-3 15th to grab his seventh career 54-hole lead, his first since winning past year at Palm Desert, California.
It’s only one round, but Howell said it was good for his confidence to play that way on a strong golf course.
The world’s No. 1 player hasn’t been getting much out of his game since his eight-shot victory to start the year at Kapalua.
Charles Howell III read on a website that the Masters is a month away, and the Augusta native played Thursday like he wanted to be there.
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“It was a very tough day”. He worked hard Monday on the range with swing coach John Tillery and posted a 69, marred by a late double bogey, to finish two shots behind. “So when the Masters comes around and I’m not in it, then it’s a bit of a wake-up call or a kick in the rear to somehow make one last push to try to get in it”.
