Jordan Spieth is starting to look Tiger-esque

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Eric Adelson

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — Jordan Spieth stomped off the 10th green in a huff. He had just left a 15-foot birdie putt short and, as he put it bluntly after his round, "I was pissed." Jason Day was bolting ahead, in the midst of a mid-round tear that would vault him from 10-under to 16-under and the lead of the PGA Championship. Spieth was idling.
"Walking to 11," he said, "it was now or never."
It turned out to be now.
Remember that sense of inevitability that hung in the air around Tiger Woods during his prime? That feeling that no matter what happened on Thursday or Friday, the weekend would bring some magic?
Saturday here at Whistling Straits brought that same sense. There was a feeling as Spieth charged up the back nine, out there by the lake and the big boats lolling on the waves, that the Year of Spieth would not conclude without another dose of his drama.
And here it came: birdie on 11, birdie on 12, birdie on 13.
By the time he arrived at the 16th green, the well-to-do folks in the Sarazen Suites had grabbed their mixed drinks and hurried out to the white fence overlooking the links-style layout on the edge of the water. "I gotta see Jordan," one said.
Birdie on 16.

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Jordan Spieth hits his tee shot on 9 during the third round of the PGA Championship. (USAT)
Jordan Spieth hits his tee shot on 9 during the third round of the PGA Championship. (USAT)
The 17th hole slopes up evenly from the water like a bunny hill for first-time skiers. That allows rows and rows of fans to line up and overlook the green. It's a sweet view for everyone, unless the pin is tucked to the side away from the water, which it was Saturday. So in order to see a shot at that pin, people have to jump.
Spieth took out his 4-iron on the tee and swung away. Further ahead, arms pointed into the sky, tracking the shot like the drone buzzing in the sky. Then the ball came down, and the fans started jumping. Hop, hop, hop, like human popcorn.
The ball landed and the fans erupted.
Spieth left himself about 12 feet, which might as well have been 12 centimeters. As he said later, "The hole started to look bigger." Texas-sized.
Birdie on 17.
Now people started moving. The suite goers tumbled down the carpeted stairs, past the two-drinks-per-person sign at the exit. (Who takes three drinks out of a suite?) Other fans had already sprinted ahead, looking for a spot along the rope line at 18.
Spieth scorched his drive and walked up the fairway, shrugging his shoulders just slightly in what might be a nervous tic but looks like a bit of a swagger. He nodded to the crowd and looked out at the last pin in the twilight. One fan said, "He's gonna flag it."
A moment later, that burst of sound went up again. Spieth landed 6 feet away.
Birdie on 18.
Spieth was done, two shots back of Day, and in the final pairing on Sunday. He is now 50-under par in majors this year, and only a fool would bet against that astounding number getting better before he's done here. By way of comparison, Woods was 53-under par in his incredible three-major-victory season in 2000.
Spieth's scoring average this year is actually better in major rounds than in non-major rounds. Considering where he's played – Augusta, Chambers Bay, St. Andrews and now Whistling Straits – that is some kind of feat.
And the best feat, the American Slam, could be his tomorrow.
It's not like this season has been a dud for the rest of the Tour, either. Day and Dustin Johnson are playing better than ever. Rory McIlroy is still No. 1 in the world. But Spieth, with a precision and grit that just won't quit, has outdone everyone. He is playing like the senior who shows up at the junior varsity pickup game, even though the junior varsity players in this game are his senior.
Spieth's mindset isn't quite what you might think. This could be a valedictory for him, a fun final lap in what's already been an epic season.
Well, not quite. He said he came to Wisconsin "with a chip on my shoulder," because he couldn't pull out a victory at St. Andrews. He was frustrated by it – he missed out on the playoff by one shot – and he even said the mental fuse was lit during his final missed putt in Scotland. So here's a guy who is 22, already a major champion twice over, a millionaire, and he's kind of hell-bent. As we saw on Saturday, Spieth spite is deadly for everyone else.
Sunday could very well be Day's day. Or Justin Rose's. Or even Dustin Johnson's. Just because Jordan Spieth is in the thick of a major championship chase doesn't mean he's going to win it.


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