Longhorns-Ex Jordan Spieth Shoots 68 in Third Round of PGA Championship
Former Texas Longhorns golfer Jordan Spieth needed a run to get back into contention at the PGA Championship, and he put one together on Saturday, firing a 4-under 68 to get back to even par after three rounds at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course.
Spieth started the day at 4-over, well back of co-leaders Phil Mickelson and Louis Oosthuizen, who were 5-under after the second round. In fact, Spieth wrapped up his round before Mickelson and Oosthuizen started their third rounds. Spieth was five shots back at the time.
By the end of the third round, Mickelson was atop the leaderboard at 7-under, which left Spieth seven shots back to catch the 50-year old on Sunday. Spieth joined a crowded group of players that were tied for 13th.
On Saturday, Spieth went right to work, putting together birdies on No. 3 and No. 5 to move up to 2-over for the tournament.
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When he swung around to the back nine, his play picked up. He had back-to-back birdies on No. 10 and No. 11. On 10, Spieth drained a 25-foot birdie after a 134-yard approach shot. Then, on 11, he handled the par-5 with a 92-yard pitch on his third shot to within seven feet of the pin. After that birdie, Spieth was back at even par for the event.
After that, Spieth missed some chances, but also made some big putts. None was bigger than No. 15, a par-4 where Spieth’s approach shot went right and ended up behind a bunker. His third shot rolled 15 feet past the pin, but he drained his 16-foot par putt to remain at even par for the tournament.
Spieth then went to the 598-yard par-5 16th hole and navigated his way to a birdie putt above the hole. He guided home the 16-footer to move to 1-under for the event.
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To that point, Spieth had a bogey-free round. But he couldn’t avoid one at No. 17, a par-3 where his tee shot ended up in the left rough. Spieth had a good lie and a good view of the pin, but his pitch didn’t release out of the fringe, and his 17-foot par putt slid to the left, dropping him back to even par for the tournament and 4-under for the day.
Spieth wrapped up his round at No. 18 with a par. But that par included a tremendous 82-foot lag putt for birdie to about two feet for an easy tap-in.
Spieth shot rounds of 73 and 75 for on Thursday and Friday, respectively, and managed to make the cut by two shots. But with the opportunity to become the sixth player to claim the career grand slam, Spieth had to have as good a round as possible on Saturday to vault into contention. He is seeking to join Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Gene Sarazen, Gary Player and Ben Hogan in that rarefied air of professional golf.
Spieth came into the PGA Championship after a tie for ninth at the Byron Nelson last week. IN the past three months, Spieth has one win a the Texas Open and four other Top 10 finishes, including The Masters.
One other Longhorn is in the field this weekend. Scottie Scheffler entered Saturday’s round at 2-over par for the event and, like Spieth, was trying to claw his way back into contention on Saturday. Scheffler was 1-under for the day and 1-over par for the tournament after nine holes. Scheffler finished the day at 1-over for the tournament.
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Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers Longhorns in the Pros for Longhorn Country on FanNation.com and SINow. He also writes for CowboyMaven and DallasBasketball.com, covers the Big 12 for HeartlandCollegeSports.com and is the Editor of the College Football America Yearbook. Have a story idea about a former Longhorn now in the professional ranks? Contact Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
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