Jordan Spieth’s Valero Texas Open title defense didn’t go as planned. But he has an idea of what he needs to do next week for a second green jacket.
After three rounds in the 70s at TPC San Antonio, Spieth closed with a bogey-free 67 to finish outside the top 30. He will take that bit of momentum to Augusta National, where he knows which part of his game he need to improve.
“I just have to address putting, that’s it,” Spieth said after his round. “Everything else is — I mean, I had no — I mean, I missed nine putts inside of 6 feet this week. That’s really, really bad. So I’ve got to figure out a stroke feel that gets me comfortable everywhere. It wasn’t just — I missed a lot of mid-rangers, too. It was the worst I’ve ever putted in a professional event.”
Full-field scores from the Valero Texas Open
The 28-year-old Texan ranked last in the Valero field in strokes gained: putting, losing 7.176 strokes with the flatstick through four days. In Round 2, Spieth three-putted from 3 feet.
Once among the game’s best putters, Spieth ranks T-141 in strokes gained: putting this season on Tour. Last season, in which he had a resurgent year — ending a 1,351-day winless drought in San Antonio a posting four other top-5s, including at the Masters (T-3) and The Open (second) — he was 33rd on Tour in strokes gained: putting.