Jordan Spieth: The Most Clutch Putter of His Generation
Jordan Spieth won three major championships before his 24th birthday — the 2015 Masters, the 2015 US Open, and the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. He holds the Masters 54-hole scoring record. He has made putts under pressure that commentators and players have described as the most difficult they have witnessed in major championship golf. He also made one of the most discussed miscalculations in Masters history when he led the 2016 tournament entering the back nine and proceeded to make quadruple bogey on the 12th hole to surrender the lead. His story is defined by both the heights and the singular low.
The 2015 Masters: The Record
Spieth opened the 2015 Masters with rounds of 64-66 — a record 36-hole total — and led wire-to-wire, finishing at 18 under par to tie Tiger Woods's 1997 Masters record. He was 21 years old. His putting throughout the week — the pace control on Augusta's famously difficult surfaces, the ability to read the slope breaks that confound most tour players — established what would become the signature of his game.
2016 Masters: The 12th Hole
Spieth entered the back nine of the final round of the 2016 Masters with a five-shot lead. At the par-3 12th hole — the Golden Bell, the most dangerous hole on the Augusta National back nine — he hit two consecutive shots into Rae's Creek and made quadruple bogey. He finished tied for second behind Danny Willett. The hole's brevity (155 yards) and the scale of the collapse (from five ahead to behind in a single hole) make it one of the most discussed moments in modern major championship history.
The 2017 Open Championship: Birkdale
Spieth's 2017 Open Championship victory at Royal Birkdale is the most clutch single round of his career. Leading entering the final round, he made a wild pull on the 13th hole that sent his ball into a practice area, required a rules official, a dropped ball, a long recovery shot, and ultimately a par that preserved his lead. The composure with which he managed the situation — consulting the rules official methodically, taking his time, executing a demanding recovery — and the birdie-birdie-birdie finish that followed represent the highest expression of his competitive temperament.
The Putting
Spieth's putting technique is unconventional — his setup includes a pronounced forward press, his stroke has less arc than tour averages, and his pre-shot routine is among the most elaborate on tour. The results are consistently among the best in the game, particularly under pressure. His make rate from inside 10 feet in major championships exceeds any active player's in the same sample period. The putting is what makes the major championship moments possible; the temperament is what makes the putting functional under pressure.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many majors has Jordan Spieth won?
Jordan Spieth has won three major championships: the 2015 Masters, the 2015 US Open at Chambers Bay, and the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. He has finished second in the PGA Championship on multiple occasions.
What happened to Jordan Spieth at the 2016 Masters?
Jordan Spieth led the 2016 Masters by five shots entering the back nine of the final round and made quadruple bogey on the par-3 12th hole (Golden Bell) after hitting two consecutive shots into Rae's Creek. He finished tied for second, losing to Danny Willett.