It was supposed to be a homecoming of sorts for Jordan Spieth at Royal Birkdale, the scene of his 2017 Open Championship triumph. Instead, the golf gods served up a cruel reminder that the past is a foreign country. On Friday, Spieth endured a putting meltdown that will haunt him — and his fans — for years.
With the second round of the Open Championship underway, Spieth stood on the seventh green, just 3 feet, 11 inches from the cup. A par seemed certain. What followed was a sequence straight out of a nightmare: he missed the short putt, then missed the comebacker, and walked away with a double bogey. The triple-putt from inside 4 feet sent his score ballooning to 1-over par for the round and left his chances of making the cut hanging by a thread.
Social media erupted with a mix of disbelief and dark humor. One fan pleaded, "Jordan Spieth for the love of God man get a LAB. You will stop missing these putts and start winning tournaments again." Others were less forgiving. "Ripped off 3 majors quickly and then decided to change his clubs. Golf gods will never forgive that," wrote another. And the harshest verdict: "Spieth is done. Stop thinking he'll win again."
The meltdown is especially painful given Spieth's recent optimism. Earlier this season, he told reporters he felt he was inching closer to the form that won him the Masters and U.S. Open in 2015. "I'm almost there. I feel, you know, in all facets of the game. I felt pretty consistent. I feel like I've been getting better each month," he said. "In order to make the swings I want to make, they're a little more challenging than I'd like. But I know the path forward. It gives me confidence because I know that I should be inching closer each week."
Based on his performance this week, the gap between confidence and reality looks as wide as the Atlantic. After shooting a 1-over 73 on Thursday, Spieth needed a strong second round to stay in contention. Instead, the seventh hole turned his weekend into a salvage mission. The image of him staring at the cup after the third putt — a mix of disbelief and resignation — will be hard to shake.
This collapse echoes the kind of short-game struggles that have plagued Spieth in recent years, raising questions about his ability to close out majors again. For a player who once seemed destined for a career full of green jackets and claret jugs, these moments are becoming painful reminders of how quickly momentum can vanish.
Meanwhile, the drama at Royal Birkdale continues. Spieth's fans are left hoping this is just a blip, not a full stop. But as the leaderboard takes shape, the 2017 champion is running out of time to write a different ending.
In other sports news, Jerry Jones was booed at his own stadium during a World Cup semifinal, and Paul Skenes was stunned by a reporter's jab about being a future Yankee. Both stories remind us that sports can humble even the biggest names.
