Spieth Will Need Extra Day To Go For Coveted Sing Open Crown

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Jordan Spieth's quest to be the historic Singapore Open's first winner after the event took a three year world tour of Europe, Scandinavia and the sub-continent, now spills into Monday after yet another weather delay. Spieth had an 18th hole putt remaining when the horn sounded.

As the Asian Tour's game story notes, Spieth's last hole putt could put more pressure on leader Younghan Song, World No. 204 seeking his first win. Also in the mix is World No. 199 Liang Wen-chong and World No. 1030 Masanori Kobayashi, whose name reminded the television announce team of Keyser Soze.

The storylines! The drama!

On a serious note, at least the exhausted Spieth gets one more night in his Singapore bed, followed by one more day to discuss with agent-turned-caddy-this-week, Jay Danzi, the joys international travel in your run-up to the Masters title defense.

The almost-completed fourth round highlights from Golf Channel, if you're so inclined.

Forward Press: LPGA Kick-Off, PGA Show Coverage

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In this week's edition I speak to LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan about the refreshingly status quo state of the LPGA Tour after years of new events, new lineups and too much sponsor turnover.

Things are so improved for the tour that its number one star is not playing the opener and no one seems to mind because Whan has arranged plenty of playing opportunities.

Also covered: the PGA Show, Farmers Insurance Open and the mysterious Singapore Open where Jordan Spieth is turning up to cash a big check and build on the fatigue that threatens to mess up his year if he isn't careful (we discussed this surprising and not-surprising revelation on Morning Drive).

I'll be curious where PGA Show coverage goes this year after years of secrecy before finally joining the modern world the last few years. In 2015, Callaway was very active online and will be again. Sirius radio will have Matt Adams on hand (with Hank Haney also doing his show from the Show floor). What remains to be seen: how much show coverage is provided by Titleist, Taylor Made and PING. I'll add links if they appear.

The full column here.

Jordan Spieth: “I’m very tired."

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At 22, many have scoffed that Jordan Spieth would ever get tired crossing the globe contending in golf tournaments. And while the weight of taking home massive checks in Abu Dhabi and Singapore is clearly a burden that all would like to have, no amount of money can soften the blow of time zone changes and chasing appearance fees. Especially when your cerebral, grinding playing style is, in large part, energy-based and easily compromised when you are not 100%.

But in refreshing Spieth-eque fashion, the fall and wintertime globetrotter made clear after his final round in Abu Dhabi that he's zonked despite a T5 finish. Alistair Tait reports for Golfweek.com:

“It won’t be something I’ll do in the future, to bounce back and forth from Asia as much as we did, or Australia,” Spieth said here Sunday. “I’m very tired. As a team we’re beat up mentally and physically. I’m not 100 percent right now. It shows in certain places.”

Spieth tied for fifth at 11-under 277, five shots behind countryman Rickie Fowler. Spieth probably would have put up a better fight if he’d had his A game with him.

“The first day I was here, I was striping it,” Spieth said. “Since then I have been a little weak, and my decision-making has been off.”

It's impressive that he recognizes how his game was compromised. Though I'm guessing his agent won't find Jordan's conclusion and decision to share it publicly quite so appealing.

Here We Go! Spieth Calls For Shorts On The PGA Tour

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Something to giggle about at PGA Tour headquarters just became a minor itch and may be heading to a full-fledged rash soon enough.

Alistair Tait reporting from Abu Dhabi, where Jordan Spieth was asked about shorts in advance of his 2016 European Tour debut.

“I think it’s awesome,” Spieth said Wednesday at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, responding to the European Tour’s relaxed dress code during tournament practice rounds and pro-ams. "It will be something that I would love to see on the PGA Tour, as well. I’ve not heard one person complain about it."

In the early poll results, Yes to shorts has taken a big lead.

I remain unconvinced that this will be the breakthrough to the masses or even the only people who matter, as Rex Hoggard noted in this list of reasons shorts would be a good thing. If they need shorts to be happy in a pro-am, something is amiss.

As for the only people who matter, I'd counter that they have shown in surveys to actually like the dress aspect of the game. Whether that includes pants or shorts, only the survey designers know.

Grand Slam: Jordan 100-1, Rory 150-1!?

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As America virtually shuts down on Sundays because the NFL is betting friendly (and even exciting sometimes), golf remains a tough sell to those who like to wager, or, at the least, enjoy discussion of futures odds.

Consider this Martin Inglis story at Bunkered on prices for the 2016 majors.

As for achieving the grand slam, William Hill believe Spieth is more likely to do so than four-time major winner McIlroy, who failed to add to his total during a 2015 which was disrupted by an ankle ligament injury.

Spieth is 10/11 to be majorless, 6/4 to win one, 6/1 to replicate his sensational 2015 by winning two, 14/1 to win three and 100/1 to become the first player to win all four in a calendar year.

As for McIlroy, the odds are slightly longer. The Northern Irishman is 5/6 to win zero, 11/8 to win one, 13/2 to win two, 20/1 to win three and 150/1 to scoop all four.

How so very...not tantalizing. Spieth just finished one of the five best years in major championship history...HISTORY...winning two majors while finishing T4 and second. Repeating that is only a 6-1...opportunity?

Neither are any of these prices even remotely tempting...

And here are the odds for some selected others to win ONE major in 2016:

• Jason Day – 2/1 
• Rickie Fowler – 9/2 
• Bubba Watson – 6/1 
• Dustin Johnson – 6/1 
• Justin Rose – 6/1
 • Adam Scott – 8/1
 • Henrik Stenson – 8/1
 • Hideki Matsuyama – 12/1 
• Patrick Reed – 12/1
 • Brooks Koepka – 14/1 
• Phil Mickelson – 14/1 
• Matt Kuchar – 14/1 
• Louis Oosthuizen – 14/1 
• Martin Kaymer – 14/1 
• Sergio Garcia – 14/1

And…
• Tiger Woods – 14/1

Right now, we should get 14/1 if Tiger will even PLAY in a major.

What I can't gauge from these numbers is if it speaks to the bettors not understanding just how hard it is to win a major in golf, or the bookmakers just instilling this obliviousness in their customers. Either way, the numbers above are only good for discussing how silly they look on paper. Give me a $20,000 Maiden Claimer any day over this!

Meanwhile punters, Rory is looking ready to go as his 2016 is about to kick off in Abu Dhabi, getting dialed in on his new Trackman.

Is the just a little taller, the swing a little tighter/shorter, and the body even more fit?

Slow motion:

A video posted by Rory McIlroy (@rorymcilroy) on Jan 17, 2016 at 6:31am PST


And full speed. Pretty tight.

Full speed

A video posted by Rory McIlroy (@rorymcilroy) on Jan 17, 2016 at 8:50am PST

An Opening? Competition Can Only Hope Jordan Spieth Will Be Injesting Copious Amounts Of High Fructose Corn Syrup

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Finally, a crack. A chink in the armor? A glimmer of hope? Maybe an opening!

As Jordan Spieth signs a Lebron-like deal to endorse Coca-Cola (Darren Rovell reports), his competitors can only dream of the World No. 1 ingests unhealthy amounts of the performance de-hancing soda following his rounds.

The only bad news?

Spieth says he's already been drinking the stuff for years. And Doug Ferguson Tweeted that a can of the beverage was sitting on the interview table Sunday at Kapalua.

Joell Beall reminds us that this isn't the only famous golfer Coca-Cola has aligned with.

The brand is no stranger to golf. Bobby Jones starred in an advertising campaign for Coca-Cola in 1947, and serves as the presenting sponsor of the Tour Championship.

According to Coca-Cola's web page, "Spieth, who enjoys cracking open an ice-cold Coca-Cola after a long, hot day of practicing in Texas, says some of his favorite Coca-Cola memories are still being made."

They also posted this video-- a 5 on Awkward Scale, with a 10 being "kidnapped by El Chapo"--where Spieth discusses his love of post-golf Coca-Cola drinking in Texas (take that, Dr. Pepper!).

The clip:

Spieth Becomes Second To Post 30-Under In PGA Tour Event

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But go easy on the Tiger comparisons...

Doug Ferguson's game story covers the resounding season-opening win by Jordan Spieth, who beat Patrick Reed by eight strokes. Spieth became only the second player to post a 30-under total or better in a 72-hole event, and tied Woods for most PGA Tour wins by 22.

Spieth won his seventh title in his 77th start as a pro. Woods won his seventh PGA Tour event in his 38th start, and he had 18 wins in his first 77 tournaments.

"Nowhere near," Spieth said on how his record stacks up with Woods. "I don't think there's any reason to compare. It's awfully early. We're excited about where we're at to start our career. What Tiger has done, I can't imagine ever being done."

The breathless nature of the Spieth enthusiasm is mostly warranted, but the Woods comparisons bothered John Strege a bit.

A more appropriate question: Wouldn’t it be better simply to enjoy Spieth for what he is, fresh air in an often fetid sporting world (to wit, the Bengals-Steelers game Saturday night) and a reason to look forward to watching how the story unfolds in a sport too frequently capable of curing insomnia?

The highlights:

 

Kapalua: Some Incredible Jordan Spieth Stats To Ponder

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You know you're doing something right in golf when you're matching Tiger Woods records, and after opening up a 5-stroke lead in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions at Kapalua, Jordan Spieth is proving last year was only the beginning of a special career. (Rex Hoggard goes with the Tiger angle here, Brian Wacker noting some player comments that are starting to sound like the hopelessness that Woods instilled in his competition.)

First, the round highlights from PGA Tour Entertainment.
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And the near albatross on 18:


Doug Ferguson reports that Spieth intends to go after the Kapalua/TOC scoring record Sunday and why not considering his -24 start and final round scoring?

Courtesy of the gang at ShotLink who are at their best when working with a mix of history and performance. Spieth if giving them plenty to chew on and they've delivered some eye-openers.


Even more remarkable considering his blew his first four 54-hole leads.

Winners have historically torched the par-5s at Kapalua but a 3.92 scoring average and the other two gems listed below (with a round to go!) borders on the silly, especially since he's not one to overpower par-5s.

And this is impressive at any golf course, but one with greens as big, contoured and difficult as Kapalua? After being for essentially a month?

Spieth Commits To Kapalua For Life (As Long As He's Eligible)

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As long as there is a Tournament Of Champions in Hawaii--somewhat of an if as you know from reading my Forward Press chat with Mark Rolfing--Jordan Spieth will be there every time (assuming he's eligible).

Jay Coffin on the two-time major winner from 2015 speaking to the golf writers in Maui about how his off-season numbers crunching revealing a need to improve his under-120-yard efforts.

And this:

Whether it’s the beginning of a new season or the continuation of an old one, Spieth is at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions looking to finish one spot higher than he did in 2014 when he finished in second place - a shot behind Zach Johnson.

Spieth acknowledged that he was more than a little miffed sitting at home last year watching his buddies playing in a tournament on a beautiful course that he didn’t qualify for.

“This is one that we strive to make each year, and if I am eligible to play in this tournament and I’m not, I hope every single one of you (in the media) calls me and bashes me for it,” he said.

Steve Burkowski's Golf Central report from the day and the entire press conference follows:

“What would have happened if he had two-putted the eighth?”

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End that question with the eighth green at the Old Course and anyone who follows golf closely knows the topic: Jordan Spieth, holder of the green jacket and the U.S. Open trophy, with a chance to win The Open and he inexplicably putts uphill, way past the hole, intp the only spot you can't putt your ball, well off the otherwise benign green.

James Corrigan, in reviewing Spieth's year for the Telegraph, goes back to the same spot that I keep thinking of in remember 2015. Because that putt encapsulates the historic majors season posted by Spieth by reminding us how close he was to winning the first three majors of 2015. But it also reminds us that someday he'll lie awake at night knowing the first three were so within his grasp and yet even the world's best putter could throw in a shockingly average putting week and still miss a playoff by one.

Corrigan writes:

The point is that if Spieth had enjoyed even one of his average putting weeks, he would, by his own reckoning, have become just the second golfer to win the Masters, US Open and Open in the same year and become the first to have the chance to win all four at the USPGA. In the event, he finished second at Whistling Straits behind world No 2 Jason Day, but who knows much how the Claret Jug could have inspired him in that August week?

We could easily have been talking about the greatest season in golf instead of just “one” of the greatest and with the strength in depth in the game we can only wonder when we might witness a player coming so close again; especially a player of his tender years.

Serena!?

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Far be it for me to ever question "The Editors", but it seems they sort of felt compelled to explain how Serena Williams was their Sportsmanperson Of The Year over those who garnered more fan support and buzz.

While Serena's incredible year is in no way to be belittled, Alex Myers notes a few of the reasons that she might not have even been the best tennis player on the planet this year and how here handling of the U.S. Open was less than pretty.

In contrast to Jordan Spieth, who, while only winning a measly two majors handled himself with incredible class in losing the other two majors by a combined four...four strokes.

Then there is American Pharoah, who dominated fan voting with 288,824 fan clicks, and that's for an athlete who never gave an interview in a "dying sport."

As Ray Paulick notes, that's 47%. Spieth came in behind a late closing Stephen Curry (25,546) but well ahead of Serena and her measely 5,520 votes.

Still, as Myers writes:

Spieth had his own claim to the annual award by winning two majors, five tournaments and the FedEx Cup along with its $10 million bonus. And he did it all while being a great sport. Just look at these lasting images from the two majors he didn't win this season. Sticking around after a heartbreaking loss to congratulate Zach Johnson at the Open Championship:

At least Jordan has the Happy Gilmore shot in his bag...

Bamberger's Case For Spieth As Sportsman Of The Year

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Jordan Spieth is lagging at 3% in the voting as American Pharoah has opened up a huge lead over the Kansas City Royals with time running out on Sports Illustrated's Sportsman Of The Year voting.

SI's Michael Bamberger makes his case for Spieth and while the likelihood of swaying The Editors seems unlikely, it was good to read where he places Spieth's historic 2015 campaign.

There were other highlights in a season that will go down as one of the five or 10 best in the (roughly) 150-year history of professional golf. In August, Spieth took solo second at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, near the factory town of Kohler, Wis. In September he won the Tour Championship at East Lake, in Atlanta—the course Bobby Jones grew up playing—and with it the FedEx Cup. In October, at the Presidents Cup in South Korea, he was the buoyant epicenter of the winning team, as the U.S. beat the Internationals by a point.

So, yes, this Jordan Spieth was a big-time big winner in 2015. But the name of the honor under discussion here is Sportsman of the Year. That’s why he’s most deserving.