‘Wow, what a break’: Rules benefit Jordan Spieth — and so do his left fingers 

Jordan Spieth swings right-handed, but he does some things lefty. A few years back, he said he throws and shoots from that side. 

Looks like he places that way, too. 

That was seen Friday, atop the greenside bunker on the par-5 5th hole at TPC Craig Ranch. Spieth’s ball looked to be plugged there during the second round of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson event, and theatrics began. He called for an official, whom he wanted to confirm that his ball was embedded, and if it was, would the drop be a club length. Yes, the ball was embedded, and yes, the drop was a club length. 

Spieth found a spot to take relief, then asked another question: If his ball rolled into the bunker below him after dropping it, would he have to drop his ball again? He was told he would, then did twice, and each time, caddie Michael Greller tossed him the ball back. After the second drop, he was allowed to place his ball. If Spieth could do that well, his ball would likely sit atop the thick rough, giving him an extremely favorable lie for his third shot. At that point, he had also made four-straight birdies. 

“Wow, what a break,” an analyst said on the PGA Tour Live broadcast. “Because now he gets to place it.”     

Spieth lowered himself into the grass. With his left fingers — which were gloved by his white golf glove — he placed his ball. It looked like it was sitting on a tee. 

“That’s terrific,” the analyst said on the broadcast.  

From there, Spieth dropped a wedge to 4 feet, and he made his birdie four. Before finishing, he added two more birdies, giving him a back-nine 29 and a round of nine-under 62. Afterward, he said he was encouraged by his putting. Thursday night, Spieth said he made an adjustment and things clicked. 

“It was putting today,” he said. “I’ve been driving the ball the best of my life, and I drove it horribly today, like really badly. But … putting was the best.

“I felt fluid with it. I felt like I — in what I’ve been trying to do, I’ve been trying to put it all together. I know what needs to happen, but putting it all together into a fluid stroke and then being able to be outwardly focused has been the goal.

“I felt like last night I did a really good job out here of that being the goal, find that, and then carry it into this morning and then trust it on the course.

“Frankly, I mean, I told Michael — I’ve been telling Michael for a while. I just feel like one lips in instead of lips out, and I feel like the lid comes off. I lipped out a few yesterday. I had one on No. 10 go across the lip today, but then the one on No. 1 could have been short and fell in. It was like, oh, wow, there is a hole there.

“Sometimes I’ve certainly shown that I can get streaky with it and was able to kind of get on the right side of that today.”