Jordan Spieth stands on a drain to the left of the 18th fairway during the third round of the 2024 Valero Texas Open. | PGA Tour
Jordan Spieth had a relatively benign day at the Valero Texas Open; then things went completely sideways on the 18th hole.
Jordan Spieth has a tendency to have rollercoaster rounds, often featuring spectacular shots, both good and bad.
But nothing can compare to the ordeal he endured on Saturday at TPC San Antonio’s 18th hole, a 618-yard par-5.
The three-time major champion rifled his drive left of the fairway, with his ball nestling beneath a tree limb. Things then started to get interesting at the Valero Texas Open.
Instead of taking his medicine, Spieth decided to try playing hero ball. At this juncture, he was at 5-under for the championship, eight behind Akshay Bhatia, and 2-under for his round. He felt an aggressive play would help his cause, but instead, it backfired.
His second shot ricocheted off a limb, veered left, and came to rest next to a drain located within the penalty area. But then, Spieth decided to do something crazy.
Instead of taking relief, Spieth knowingly hit his third shot onto the roof of TPC San Antonio’s clubhouse. His ball hilariously trickled down the roof, resting in the gutter.
That led Dan Hicks of NBC Sports to say, “We’ve seen it all from Jordan Spieth. Now it’s in the gutter!”
Since no white stakes marked the clubhouse as out-of-bounds, Spieth could use the clubhouse to his advantage. Spieth knew this, too. Consequently, PGA Tour rules officials awarded Spieth a free drop well in the field of play.
Spieth then took his relief 124 yards short of the pin and punched his fourth shot up and onto the front of the green. But unfortunately for Spieth, he three-putted, leading to a double-bogey seven and an even-par 72 for the day.
He began the day with back-to-back bogeys, but worked hard to wipe those clean with birdies at the 6th, 7th, 12th, and 17th holes.
By the time he arrived at the 18th tee, one may have figured that Spieth would finish with a pedestrian par or birdie—given that TPC San Antonio’s final hole is one of the easier ones out there.
And yet, in typical Spieth fashion, his last hole was a rollercoaster.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
