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Jordan Spieth Rides Roller Coaster First Nine at Players Championship

A lot of geometry on the scorecard.

Kyle Koster

Jordan Spieth plays his shot from the 11th tee during the final round of the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches golf tournament.
Jordan Spieth plays his shot from the 11th tee during the final round of the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches golf tournament. / Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

The full Jordan Spieth experience was on display during his opening round at the Players Championship as he posted a 2-under 34 over the first nine in a unique way.

Spieth started on the back and hit a perfect approach shot for a tap-in birdie on No. 10, then channeled some bunker magic on the next hole, knocking in an eagle and jumping out to an early lead.

He missed an 8-footer for potential birdie on No. 12 and posted a second consecutive par on No. 13 before things began to swing in the other direction. A hooked tee shot on No. 14 found the water and culminated in a double bogey, which he followed with a bogey.

Sitting at even par, the former Players winner once again rolled in an eagle on No. 16 before three-putting the iconic island green. Not content to post another par, Spieth knocked in another short one for a birdie before making the turn.

The eventful first nine left him two shots behind the lead and earned him a shoutout from the PGA Tour's social teams, which is warranted.

Even by his own roller coaster standards, this was quite a wild up-and-down ride.

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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

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