HONOLULU – On Wednesday, Jordan Spieth was asked about the new Rules of Golf, including a change that requires players to drop from knee-height. He didn’t appear to be a fan of the drop rule.
“Honestly it’s like a frustrating asterisk that I have to pick it up and re-drop from your knee,” he said on the eve of the opening round at the Sony Open.
On Thursday, Spieth had to be reminded not once but twice on his opening nine to drop from the knee, first at the 15th hole and again at the 18th.
“I started to go from the shoulder and [caddie Michael Greller], [Tour official Slugger White], they stepped in, ‘No, no, no.’ I’m like, ‘Wouldn’t it just be a re-drop anyway? What’s the big deal?’” Spieth said. “It’s unusual.”
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Spieth would have been allowed to re-drop from knee-height without penalty under the new rule, unless he played his shot from the original drop, which would be a one-stroke penalty.
“The first hole today, I tapped in with the flagstick [in the hole], and I didn’t feel right doing that,” he continued. “I tapped down one spike mark today on [No. 4] for par. It was really nice. It was sticking up right in the line on about a 4-footer. All in all, I got a test of most of the new rules today.”
It was an eventful day for Spieth beyond his brushes with the new rules, as he struggled with his ball-striking and his putting on his way to a 3-over 73.
“I went through like a couple different swings today. I don’t feel like I’ve been in this situation before,” Spieth said. “Like I said, could take a while, but I got pretty far off and I’m trying to backtrack significantly.”