Jordan Spieth wins Travelers Championship in dramatic style
Two-time major winner Jordan Spieth secured his second win of the golfing year on Sunday with a sensational play-off victory over fellow American Daniel Berger at the Travelers Championship.
It was a gutsy final round by Spieth as he managed to get over the line during a final round which looked destined to get away from him. The back nine was far from flawless, and he regularly diced with the hazards off the tee, while the putter was far from its reliable self.
Indeed, even the solitary play-off hole - which culminated in glorious victory - started with an uncharacteristically poor tee shot. But then, as the unlucky Berger so eloquently stated, “Jordan did, what Jordan does” when faced with a third shot from the green-side bunker.
We know what happened; you know what happened. Let’s all just enjoy it one more time:
For the second time since turning professional, Spieth managed to secure a tournament win by going wire-to-wire – the first was his maiden major win during the 2015 Masters at Augusta National in Georgia.
While on the subject of double feats, Sunday wasn’t the first time that Spieth has managed to close out a PGA Tour win after having holed-out from the sand-trap in dramatic style.
Back in 2013, as a 19 year-old rookie, he was faced with a mid-length bunker shot on the 18th green at the John Deere Classic before duly executing the shot with the confidence and guile of a seasoned professional. This, and a Zach Johnson bogey on the last, extended the championship to a five-hole playoff and, ultimately, resulted in Spieth's first Tour win.
Relive the moment Jordan Spieth announced himself to the golfing world below:
It was also a tenth win as a professional, achieved at the tender age of 23, making him the second youngest in the history of the game to that particular milestone (only Tiger Woods was faster).
Further Major Success?
Spieth will sit out this week’s event in Maryland (Quicken Loans National) as we continue the countdown to the 146th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. During this year’s third major championship the aim will be to check off the third leg of a career grand slam, with all this before his 24th birthday – just mind-blowing!!
If he misses out, there will always be Quail Hollow in August.
With Spieth coming back into form at just the right time, and while he's playing far from flawless golf, we could see him pick up one of the final two big tournaments of the season. If he can recreate magic like that eye-popping bunker shot on Sunday evening with greater regularity, and get the putter to behave a little, then the stars could align for the talented Texan.
Whether it comes this year or not, major number three is just around the corner.
What did you think about THAT bunker shot? How would you rate Jordan’s chances at Royal Birkdale and Quail Hollow?