U.S. Open 2019: Jordan Spieth explains why he looked like ‘the bad guy’ for ripping caddie

Jordan Spieth had some harsh words for caddie Michael Greller on the par-4 8th hole during the first round of the 2019 U.S. Open on Thursday at Pebble Beach.

The incident, which was captured on live TV, unfolded after a pair of poor shots from Spieth. The three-time major champion’s tee shot rolled out through the fairway and off the cliff into the penalty area beyond. He then took a drop, and his third shot missed the green long.

“Two perfect shots, Michael,” Spieth said. “You got me in the water on one and over the green on the other.”

Spieth, who was even par through seven holes on Thursday, went on to get up-and-down for bogey at the 8th to drop to one over on the day. He shot even par over the final 10 holes to finish the round at one-over 72 and tied for 58th.

Jordan Spieth just completely called out his caddie on national TV. Whether the caddie misjudged it or not, that's a bush league move. At the end of the day, you're the one hitting the golf ball.#USOpen pic.twitter.com/lFSYQSGrvR

— Danny Vietti (@DannyVietti) June 13, 2019

After the round, Spieth attempted to clarify what unfolded between him and Greller.

“We were talking about potentially one less club on the third shot and I said, ‘But isn’t it playing about 60 with a fade?'” Spieth told reporters. “And then [Greller] said yes. So we both agreed on that. It was clearly a 4-iron off the tee. At the same time, when you hit a couple of shots exactly where you want to, and the first one is in the water and the next one is dead over the green, I’m going to be frustrated that as a team we didn’t figure out how to make sure that didn’t happen.

“Yeah, I may have looked like the bad guy there, but my intentions were that we should be in play if the ball is hit solidly, and I was out of play on both shots.”

Not surprisingly, fans ripped Spieth for blasting Greller, but Greller

But apparently it didn’t bother Greller. When asked about it by ESPN’s Michael Collins, Greller said: “What exchange? What did he say? I don’t remember.”

Spieth, who captured the 2015 U.S. Open title, is looking for his fourth major championship and first since the 2017 Open Championship.

To receive GOLF’s all-new newsletters, subscribe for free here.