Jordan Spieth reflects on the heartbreak of missing out on the third leg of a potential Grand Slam after coming up one shot shy of a playoff at the Open Championship
Now that the grand slam has gone, how do you reflect on your performance at the Open?
I came off 18 wanting to be two shots better, but with everything that went on this week, and the momentum we came in with it, I’m very pleased with the way I battled. The final round was a really tough. I just made a mental mistake on the 8th hole and again on 18, where I just didn’t giving myself a chance. The putt was a little left the whole way, and I knew that that putt wouldn’t break back to the right. I’ve watched Opens at St. Andrews. It was a very straight putt, and when you’re swinging that hard it’s hard to get it exactly on line. But it was a good putt, with the right speed, and that’s all I could ask for after the second shot. Just a very poorly placed drive to not be able to hit my lob wedge in there where I have great control. Who would have thought that a drive on 18 was going to be what really hurt me at the end. It’s kind of hard to not hit a good one on that hole. I just wish I had given myself a little better opportunity.
Apart from four-putting, what went wrong at the eighth?
I believe we played 8 and 17 when the wind and the rain were at their hardest. When I stepped on that tee box at 8, I was getting pelted in the face. It’s a hard shot, and I just tried to sling one in there and I left it 40 yards from the pin. If you make bogey, you’re still in it. If you make double bogey, it’s a very difficult climb, and there’s absolutely no reason to hit that putt off the green. I can leave it eight feet short and have a dead straight putt up the hill which I’ll make the majority of the time. My speed control was really what cost me this week, the five three-putts in the second round, and then just my speed control in general wasn’t great. On that hole I had left so many of them short throughout the week, so I said, I’m not leaving this one short, I’m going to get this one up there, and instead hit it off the other side of the green. It was really dead there, so that was a mental mistake on my part. Instead of being patient and just accepting eight feet from 40 yards, like I do on a 40-yard wedge shot, I was a little too aggressive with it when it wasn’t necessary.
How much do you think the weight of history played on your mind over the closing holes?
I knew I needed to get to at least 15 under if I was to stand a chance. My number for the day was to shoot four-under, and I managed three under. I did not expect three guys to get to 15-under in those conditions. I did not see that happening. That was some phenomenal golf and some clutch putting playing by those guys, so I knew I needed to get another one on the back nine, which is not an easy place to try and steal one. That putt on 16 went in, but none of the historical elements came into my head whatsoever, because 17 is just so brutal, and 18 is tough to get close. So at that point it’s how can we work our butt off to make a four on 17 and just give ourselves a putt to win.
It’s amazing that you’re able to sound so positive after such a disappointing result.
I played a great round of golf. I didn’t miss many chances, other than at 8, I thought it was perfect. Obviously 17 and 18 could have been a little different, but I struck the ball phenomenally well, I drove the ball as good as I’ve driven it this entire year, including the other majors and every other tournament. I’ve never felt that comfortable with my driver, and really just hit them right on my target lines. The way that I played this week would have won the US Open by more than just a shot. I didn’t play as well there. It’s just that’s the kind of golf that was played by the field this week, it just took some special golf. Whoever comes out the champion, that’s a hell of a major.
Does missing out on the Open make you even more hungry to win the PGA next month?
I don’t know how many guys have done three majors in a year. I’m sure there’s only been a few. I know Tiger has done it, and I’m sure Jack has. So that would be the next goal as far as history goes. From here I’ve got a couple of weeks off now, and I’m going to go home and reflect on this, but it won’t hurt too bad. It’s not like I really lost it on the last hole, and 17 was brutally challenging. I just didn’t hit a great putt there, and I just picked the wrong wedge out of the bag on 18. I made a lot of the right decisions down the stretch and have certainly closed plenty of tournaments out, but this just wasn’t one of those. It’s hard to do that every single time. I won’t beat myself up too bad, because I do understand that.
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