Jordan Spieth masterful to open Masters tournament
It was a day for challenging suppositions.
Like Rickie Fowler’s professed love of windy conditions. He shot 80. Like the common wisdom that Rory McIlroy can’t play in a strong breeze. He was within two shots of Jordan Spieth’s lead after an eagle at the 13th and a birdie at No. 15 before giving two strokes back late.
But especially, like the widely held belief that Spieth was in a slump.
After 63 holes of the 80th Masters, Jordan Spieth was five strokes clear of the field. The last nine holes at Augusta National lay before him like a lush green carpet in a coronation ceremony.
At 22, Spieth was poised to become the first player to win the tournament in consecutive years since Tiger Woods did so in 2001-2 and the first in the tournament’s storied history to win back-to-back titles while holding the lead after every round.