Lke It Is

Spieth stays classy after Masters meltdown

Jordan Spieth may be one of the greatest champions golf has ever had.

He had a heart full of hurt and a mountain of disappointment on his back Sunday when he went through the ritual of putting a green jacket on Masters winner Danny Willett and the obligatory news conference.

It must have seemed like the whole world was watching, had been watching, and Spieth, 22, handled it all with poise and grace.

His meltdown in the middle of Amen Corner was monumental and probably became Masters folklore for many decades to come.

If you missed it on television, think:

• Hank Aaron striking out four times with the bases loaded in the seventh game of the World Series.

• Michael Jordan missing the front end of a 1-and-1 with :01 on the clock and the Chicago Bulls down 89-88 in the final game of the NBA Finals.

• Tom Brady throwing interceptions on New England's last three possessions and losing a Super Bowl 3-0.

None of those things has ever happened, but it did to Spieth, who unwillingly shunned the thrill of victory and jumped into the jaws of defeat on the 12th hole at Augusta National Golf Club when he made a quadruple-bogey 7 on a 150-yard par-3.

That probably hasn't happened to Spieth since he was 10 years old and still wearing short pants when he played golf.

The epic turnaround in his game on the first three holes of the back nine is unforgettable.

He had led for 63 holes of the tournament and the lead was five strokes after he birdied Nos. 6-7-8-9 on Sunday to reach 7 under.

He seemed to have a stranglehold on momentum, and comparisons to Tiger, Jack, Arnie and all the other greats were playing vividly in minds of golfers everywhere.

There was no panic from Spieth when he bogeyed Nos. 10 and 11.

No one could have envisioned that Mr. Steady was about to implode. There had been nothing about his game since he turned pro after three semesters at the University of Texas to indicate he had anything but nerves of steel.

Understand No. 12, known as Golden Bell, is the most feared hole on the course. It's the shortest but most deadly.

Spieth teed off with a 9-iron and suddenly all the birdies had flown the coop.

The shot landed in Rae's Creek.

He took his drop and the second shot landed in the water.

Just like that, Hogan Bridge and Nelson Bridge were becoming the bridges over troubled waters.

On his third swing, his fifth shot because of penalties, he landed in a bunker and by the time he moved to No. 13, his lead was gone and he trailed Willett, the eventual winner.

Spieth birdied Nos. 13 and 15 to get back to 3 under, but any hope he could overcome the disaster faded when Willett, playing three groups ahead of Spieth, made pars on Nos. 17 and 18 to reach the clubhouse at 5 under.

On 16, Spieth missed a 12-foot birdie putt that would have moved him within one shot of Willett. Spieth needed two birdies to tie, but when he bogeyed 17 his march to another victory in his third Masters appearance became a tie for second place with Lee Westwood.

It wasn't the only meltdown at the Masters, or sports for that matter.

The world of perspiring arts is full of upsets. Isn't that why everyone loves the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament?

It will be remembered, but so should the fact that Spieth didn't throw any clubs, never raised his voice to his caddie and didn't blame anyone but himself.

Rather, he reacted like a champion. With head up and shoulders back, he spent almost two hours going through the rituals that he thought he would be enjoying instead of enduring.

He did the same thing he has done since he came on the PGA Tour scene, he acted with class and dignity.

Sports on 04/12/2016

Upcoming Events