One week after missing the cut at the Masters for the first time in his career, Jordan Spieth revived his game and won for the second consecutive Easter Sunday. Last year, he took the Texas Open the week before the Masters. Just over 12 months later, he took the RBC Heritage in a sudden death playoff over Patrick Cantlay the week after teeing it up at Augusta National.
Spieth’s win Sunday was unconventional in many ways. He putted it terribly throughout the week, highlighted by a missed 18-inch putt on the final hole Saturday that seemed destined to bite him entering Round 4. However, after making two eagles on the front side of the course, he drained a lengthy birdie at the last to enter the clubhouse at 13 under with several players still on the course.
That was the second unconventional part of his win. Rarely do we see a player post as early as he did Sunday and go on to win. When he stood on the 18th tee box at 12 under before making birdie at the final hole of the tournament, Data Golf tabbed him with a 0.8% chance to claim the trophy. But as Harold Varner III, Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka and others fell apart behind him, his odds of victory started to rise.
In the end, only Cantlay was able to match Spieth at 13 under after Cantlay dripped home a birdie on the 17th hole and took his Ryder Cup teammate to extra holes. Spieth’s putt on No. 18 from Saturday again flashed through the minds of everyone watching. That single stroke would have won him the tournament outright, and the golf gods seemed ready to kick a tournament Cantlay’s direction.
However, this is the highest wire act in all of sports we’re
