There may never be another golfer more vocal with a ball in mid flight than Jordan Spieth. The man is constantly chatting it up with his ball or caddy Michael Geller. And no one will question the method for his madness since he has three Major Championships by the age of 24 – usually the age where kids are getting their bachelor’s degree or first internship these days.
Per usual, Spieth did his fair share of talking during the Northern Trust Open where he was the 54-hole leader heading into Sunday afternoon.
But we saw a new tactic performed by Spieth to lure the ball in the right direction. The 24-year-old looked like Obi-Wan Kenobi wielding his lightsaber around the tee box and using The Force to land the ball with the right amount of spin.
One of Spieth’s fans joined in on the tee-box antics and created a new thing to shout after a player hits a drive (i.e. “mashed potatoes!”)
Fan yells "LIZZIE MCGUIRE!!!" after Jordan Spieth tee shot (cc @HilaryDuff) pic.twitter.com/DDfsuGjqZ1
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) August 27, 2017
But circling back to the original topic, having the force as an ally on the golf course would be a huge advantage.
Spieth could have definitely used the power of the old Jedi religion to will his ball away from the water on hole No. 6. Spieth would end up with a double-bogey on the hole and watch his five-stroke lead get widdled down to three ahead of Dustin Johnson.
A double bogey on No. 6 drops Jordan Spieth back to -12.
He's still three ahead of Dustin Johnson. pic.twitter.com/rCuHACeCfV
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 27, 2017
Johnson was surging on Sunday afternoon and battled his way into a playoff with Spieth after the two went back and forth in the back-nine stretch. This was some of Johnson’s most impressive golf as he shot 66 on the day and carded zero bogeys.
When playing against a guy like Spieth, DJ knows that he has to play a nearly flawless round:
“It was a tough day. Jordan is a tough competitor. He played really well all day. I felt like I played really good today. Just the front nine, I could not hole a putt. I hit really good putts the whole time, just burning the edges all day.” — Dustin Johnson
Johnson forced a playoff with Spieth after drained this par putt on 18 to send the tournament into a sudden-death playoff.
CLUTCH!#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/plHu7mdPe0
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 27, 2017
The duo atop the FedEx Cup standings replayed the 18th hole which was later subject to some controversy after it heavily favored heavy-hitters like Johnson.
After a stunning 341-yard tee shot that cleared the water by a mile in 18, Johnson was able to stick his 95-yard approach shot within five feet of the hole. This left him an easy birdie putt and the first win in the 2017 FedEx Cup playoffs.
Does anyone other than @DJohnsonPGA even consider this line off the 18th tee? #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/pgHJS1dFWV
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 27, 2017
Players like Kevin Kisner, Wesley Bryan, and Ian Poulter took to social media so they could should their disdain for what seemed to be an unfair hole.
Shame @Fedex playoff hole had to be on the worst hole of the golf course.. 18th hole suited 5 guys in the field. Congrats DJ unlucky Jordan pic.twitter.com/ms2WZrfq0X
— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) August 27, 2017
Whining about the hole’s length and shape of the fairway seems pretty absurd considering Spieth had a good look at the 18th green from his position in the fairway. Johnson just happened to put it closer. And besides, if Spieth doesn’t put that ball in the water on No.6 we wouldn’t be having this conversation in the first place.
The only thing that is not in question now is the state of Johnson’s golf game. He looks like he is back to form he was in before the Masters when he had that obscure injury falling down the steps of his rental home. Johnson acknowledged that on Sunday after the win.
“I feel like the game is finally back in form like it was leading into the Masters,” Johnson said. “I feel like I’m swinging everything really well. Got a lot of control over the golf ball. I’m feeling really good. Obviously getting the win here today gives me a lot of confidence going into next week and the rest of the playoffs.”
If Sunday was any indication, this year’s FedEx Cup race could prove to be a special one.
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