“I didn’t come here to play boring golf,” said Jordan Spieth as he strolled up to the wall along the 17th green Monday at St. Andrews.
Jordan Spieth arrives in Scotland, starts practicing backwards shots off Road Hole wall
After flying through the night, Jordan Spieth heads to St. Andrews for a full practice round that included several attempts to play it off the wall at the 17th green.
Spieth has already had a more eventful 24 hours than you. He won his second John Deere Classic out in Illinois late Sunday, hopped on the charter over to Scotland, flew through the night, and then went to St. Andrews for a Monday practice round.
Spieth was one of the last players out on the Old Course at St. Andrews, where the sun doesn’t set until just before 10 p.m. local and you can play golf well after that. Spieth played all 18 by himself, but did cross paths with the last guy to come to the British Open holding the first two majors of the year. On the 16th green, Spieth played through Tiger Woods, who was putting around for an extended stretch.
Pretty cool pic. Probably needs a good caption. pic.twitter.com/b4NNGBvzkT
— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelESPN) July 13, 2015 I believe Spieth and Woods were the last two players on the course tonight.
— Michael Whitmer (@GlobeWhitmer) July 13, 2015 The two cracked jokes and Spieth moved on to the famous 17th, the “Road Hole” at St. Andrews. Leaving nothing to chance, he decided to even practice a few off the wall, which is in play and runs behind the green.
Jordan Spieth took four tries against the wall on the Road Hole. None of 'em worked. pic.twitter.com/g0gWG7DpJv
— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelESPN) July 13, 2015 It’s a play we’ve seen before in The Open -- a player overshoots the green or his ball runs through the putting surface and nestles up too close to that wall. Miguel Angel Jimenez popped one up near the pin at the 2010 Open.
Spieth had no such luck off the unpredictable stone. One of his four attempts came right back at him and nearly took him out, while another popped up and over and into the stands.
Made a couple good swats but one flew into the bleachers and another almost hit him in the face. That one promptly ended the game.
— Jay Coffin (@JayCoffinGC) July 13, 2015 Spieth finished up around 8:45 p.m. local, declined to talk to the press, signed autographs and was presumably off to bed.
He took some heat for keeping the John Deere on his schedule and having to travel overnight so close to the start of a major, especially when this Grand Slam possibility is still out there. Very few players with an exemption into the Open head out to the Quad Cities in Illinois and play the Deere, but Spieth kept his commitment and went ahead and won it anyways. It didn’t take long for him to jump right into things in Scotland, where even ricochet shots were part of his first practice routine to get him caught up at the “Home of Golf.”
The lack of sleep didn’t seem to have him in a grumpy mood.
(Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
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