Even after a disappointing final round, Jordan Spieth sees reason to be excited as he heads to the PGA Championship in search of a piece of history.
Spieth shot an even-par 71 in the final round of the AT&T Byron Nelson, a score that was three shots higher than any of his previous three efforts and one that dropped him into a tie for 29th in his hometown event. After missing the Tour Championship for the first time last season, he’s now gone 14 starts this season without a single top-20 finish and sits at 150th in the season-long points race.
Spieth’s final round included four birdies and four bogeys, a microcosm of a lean year in which he’s shown flashes of form but has struggled with consistency.
Full-field scores from the AT&T Byron Nelson
AT&T Byron Nelson: Articles, photos and videos
“I was very disappointed with even par, just with how score-able the conditions are. But, you know, I feel like I made some progress,” Spieth told reporters. “Like the way I putted this week, continuing to putt better and better each week which is nice, frees the long game up. Better this week than it has been any week this year, so feels like good stuff coming. Just stay the course.”
Spieth hasn’t won since The Open in 2017, but a victory next week at Bethpage Black would be his fourth career major title. It would also give him the final leg of the career Grand Slam, joining a club that includes just five players and one that hasn’t gained a new entrant since Tiger Woods in 2000.
Spieth finished T-12 at last year’s PGA at Bellerive and tied for 10th in 2016 the last time the PGA Tour held an event at Bethpage, helping him take “more confidence than disappointment” from his Nelson result as he maintains belief that a big result is just around the corner.
“I think do what I did this week and just try and limit the mistakes a little bit,” Spieth said. “I feel like my game is ready to contend. Just a matter of getting there and getting in the same group.”