Up three shots in the 18th fairway on Saturday at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, Jordan Spieth pulled 3-iron from 250 yards at the downhill par-5, landed his ball short of the green, curled it in from the right, and came within inches of making an albatross.
Left with his left-to-right curler from 10 feet, Spieth poured in the putt to shoot 8-under 65 and take a five-shot lead into the final round.
Spieth said the approach shot was “the exact same shot I had on 17. ... I didn’t have to hit it hard. I just tried to put a smooth swing and get a decent strike on it, I was more worried about the line. When it came off the club face, I hit it almost solid, I didn’t smash it, I hit it maybe a groove low and a groove off the toe, which is perfect for that shot. Then in mid air I told [caddie] Michael [Greller], ‘Mike, that should be perfect.’”