Admit it: You winced.
On the first hole of a playoff on Sunday at the RBC Heritage, after hitting into the front greenside bunker on 18 at Harbour Town Golf Links, Jordan Spieth blasted out to 7 inches — and you became a bit uneasy. A day earlier on 18, Spieth missed from 11 feet. Then from 11 inches. And that followed a similar whiff at the Texas Open, just two weeks earlier.
OK you can open your eyes now, Spieth fan. Your man buried the putt. He buried his demons. There’s no woulda, coulda, shoulda. Spieth shot a five-under 66, watched a host of players volley back and forth with the lead, then parred the first hole of a playoff — on a 7-inch putt — while Patrick Cantlay bogeyed on his way to his 13th PGA Tour title, and his first since last Easter.
After the Saturday missed putt, Spieth began Sunday three back, then quickly whittled down his deficit. He eagled the 549-yard, par-5 2nd on a hole-out from a greenside bunker. He eagled again, on the 574-yard, par-5 5th, this time on a 23-foot putt, and he was tied for the lead.
From there, a host of players all had a chance to join Spieth and Cantlay in the playoff — in the end, third-round leader Harold Varner, Shane Lowry, Cam Davis, J.T. Poston, Cameron Young, Sepp Straka and Matt Kuchar all finished a shot back of Spieth’s and Cantlay’s 13-under total.
Erik van Rooyen briefly held a two-shot lead, then played the back nine at three-over. Straka held a share of the lead, then bogeyed the 18th. Lowry held a one-shot lead, then double-bogeyed the 198-yard, par-3 14th after chipping into the water from left of the green. Varner could not make a birdie on the back nine. And Spieth and Cantlay took advantage.
Spieth cemented his 13-under spot with a birdie on 18, and Cantlay reached the number with a birdie on 17. On the first hole of the playoff, each found the greenside bunker, then Spieth nearly holed his, while Cantlay struggled with his plugged lie and bogeyed.
And a host of Spieth fans exhaled.
The takeaway
Spieth’s latest swing changes seem to be taking hold. Just in time, too.
The leaderboard breakdown
— The leaderboard, after Saturday’s third round, reads like this: Harold Varner is at 11-under, Shane Lowry, Erik Van Rooyen and Patrick Cantlay are at 10-under, and Hudson Swafford, Matt Kuchar, Sepp Straka and Aaron Wise are at nine-under. By the time Varner tees off, his lead is gone. Cam Davis is at 12-under, Varner and Cameron Young are at 11-under, and J.T. Poston, Troy Merritt, Jordan Spieth, Wise, Van Rooyen, Cantlay and Lowry are at 10-under.
— Spieth eagles the 574-yard, par-5 5th — his second eagle of the round — and he jumps into a share of the lead. Spieth, Davis and Young are at 12-under, Poston and Varner are at 11-under, and Merritt, Wise, Van Rooyen, Cantlay and Lowry are at 10-under.
— Van Rooyen birdies the 470-yard, par-4 3rd on a 16-foot putt, and he moves into a share of the lead. Van Rooyen, Spieth and Davis are at 12-under, Poston, Young and Varner are at 11-under, and Billy Horschel, Wise, Cantlay and Lowry are at 10-under.
— Van Rooyen birdies the 185-yard, par-3 4th on an 18-foot putt, and he takes a one-shot lead. He’s at 13-under, Spieth and Davis are at 12-under, Poston, Young and Varner are at 11-under, and Corey Conners, Horschel, Straka, Wise, Cantlay and Lowry are at 10-under.
— Spieth birdies the 461-yard, par-4 8th — he’s now five-under through eight — and he moves into a share of the lead. Spieth and Van Rooyen are at 13-under, Davis is at 12-under, and Poston, Young, Varner and Lowry are at 11-under.
— Van Rooyen birdies the 5th — his fourth-straight birdie — Spieth bogeys the 456-yard, par-4 9th, and Van Rooyen takes a two-shot lead. Van Rooyen is at 14-under, Davis, Spieth and Lowry are at 12-under, and Poston, Young, Straka, Cantlay and Varner are at 11-under.
— Van Rooyen bogeys the 199-yard, par-3 7th after hitting his tee into a greenside bunker, and he falls into a share of the lead. Van Rooyen and Lowry are at 13-under, Davis, Poston and Straka are at 12-under, and Young, Spieth, Wise, Cantlay and Varner are at 11-under.
— Straka birdies the 456-yard, par-4 10th on an 8-foot putt, and he moves into a share of the lead. Straka, Van Rooyen and Lowry are at 13-under, Davis, Poston and Young are at 12-under, and Spieth, Wise, Canlay, Varner and Kuchar are at 11-under.
— Van Rooyen birdies the 338-yard, par-4 9th on a 7-foot putt, and he retakes the lead. He’s at 14-under, Straka and Lowry are at 13-under, and Davis, Poston and Young are at 12-under.
— Van Rooyen bogeys the 10th after missing the green to the right on his second shot, and he drops out of the lead. Van Rooyen, Young, Straka and Lowry are at 13-under, Davis, Poston, Spieth, Cantlay and Varner are at 12-under, and Wise is at 11-under.
— Straka bogeys the 433-yard, par-4 12th and Young bogeys the 169-yard, par-3 17th, and they drop out of the lead. Van Rooyen and Lowry are at 13-under, Davis, Poston, Young, Spieth, Straka, Cantlay and Varner are at 12-under, and Wise, Kuchar and Tommy Fleetwood are at 11-under.
— Cantlay birdies the 439-yard, par-4 11th after hitting to within 2 feet on his second shot, and he moves into a share of the lead. Cantlay, Van Rooyen and Lowry are at 13-under, Davis, Poston, Young, Spieth, Straka and Varner are at 12-under, and Fleetwood, Wise and Kuchar are at 11-under.
— Lowry birdies the 11th on a 20-foot putt, and he takes a one-shot lead. He’s at 14-under, Van Rooyen and Cantlay are at 13-under, and Davis, Poston, Young, Spieth, Straka and Varner are at 12-under.
— Lowry double-bogeys the 198-yard, par-3 14th after chipping into the water to the right of the green, and he falls out of the lead. Spieth now leads, at 13-under. At 12-under are Straka, Davis, Poston, Young, Van Rooyen, Cantlay, Varner and Lowry.
— Straka birdies the 17th on a 34-foot putt, and he moves into a share of the lead. Straka and Spieth are at 13-under, and Davis, Poston, Young, Van Rooyen, Cantlay, Varner and Lowry are at 12-under.
— Straka bogeys the 457-yard, par-4 18th after missing the green left on his second shot, and he falls out of the lead. Spieth is at 13-under, and Davis, Poston, Young, Straka, Cantlay, Varner and Lowry are at 12-under.
— Cantlay birdies the 17th on an 8-foot putt, and he moves into a share of the lead. Cantlay and Spieth are at 13-under, and Davis, Poston, Young, Straka, Kuchar, Varner and Lowry are at 12-under.
— Cantlay misses a 12-footer for birdie on 18, and he remains tied for the lead. Cantlay and Spieth are at 13-under, and Davis, Poston, Young, Straka, Kuchar, Varner and Lowry are at 12-under.
— Varner and Lowry do not birdie the 18th, and Cantlay and Spieth move on to a playoff. On the first hole of the playoff, back on 18th, Spieth and Cantlay hit into the front greenside bunker on their second shots, Spieth hits to less than a foot on his third, Cantlay can’t get up and down from his plugged lie, and Spieth wins his 13th PGA Tour title.
The final word
“I won this golf tournament without a putter. … I just tried to stay gritty with it.” — Spieth on CBS after his victory
