Jordan Spieth Showed True Grit in the Face of Failure at the Masters

Did that really happen yesterday?

What we witnessed will go down as one of the worst meltdowns in major championship history. Between 5:05 PM, when Jordan Spieth made a birdie on the ninth hole, his fourth straight birdie, and 5:48 PM when he tapped in for quadruple bogey on the 12th, the 22-year-old defending Masters champion went from seven-under with a four-stroke lead over Danny Willett to one-under and facing a three-stroke deficit.

It’s still hard to grasp the magnitude of the events that unfolded on our televisions, even if Jordan himself realized as soon as he hit both shots exactly what was happening.

"“At one point I told Mike, ‘Buddy, it seems like we’re collapsing,'” said Spieth. “I wanted to be brutally honest with the way I felt towards him so that he could respond with what was necessary to get us to rebound. And we did. I rebounded. I made two birdies coming in and almost made a couple more.”"

The quadruple bogey was brutal, but on the next hole, Spieth made a birdie and showed true grit. He followed that birdie with a par that burned the edge of the cup on the 14th and then another birdie at the 15th to get himself to three-under, just two-back of eventual winner Danny Willett.

Spieth was right back in the thick of things heading into the 16th hole that had produced a record three hole-in-ones on the day. His shot off the tee on the 16th landed close, but ran eight feet past the hole, leaving him with a slippery downhill putt that was a must-make birdie putt with two holes left. Spieth hadn’t birdied either of the final two holes since #18 on Thursday. Of course, he missed the putt and finished with a par.

Now, at 6:58 PM, Jordan Spieth had to make two birdies in order to force a playoff with the Englishman. He made a bogey on the 17th and that was the end of it. Spieth had gone from the good side of history to the bad.

"“Boy, you wonder about not only just the tee shot on 12, but why can’t you just control the second shot, you know, and make bogey at worst, and you’re still tied for the lead,” Spieth asked rhetorically. “Big picture, this one will hurt. It will take a while.”"

While on the 18th green, Spieth was obviously frustrated, dejected and understandably full of emotion. He finished with a par at 18, shook hands with his playing partner, Smylie Kaufman, and hurried off the green because the next part of his duties as a defending champion would require he place a green jacket – the one he had just given up – on the new winner’s shoulders. Not just once in Butler Cabin, but also outside for the patrons to witness.

The biggest takeaway for Spieth is that he already has a green jacket and he’ll be sitting at the table during the champion’s dinner next year when Greg Norman, who had a similar meltdown over the course of his final round in 1996, will not. At 22, there is plenty of time to grab more major championships and green jackets and I have no doubt that both will happen – even if there are a few uncomfortable results and images along the way.

Golf wins again!