Jordan Spieth delivers emphatic comeback after PGA Tour rival’s cop joke

American stars Jordan Spieth and Joel Dahmen were seen sharing a joke on the driving range ahead of the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic at PGA National in Florida on Wednesday. Jordan Spieth and Joel Dahmen shared a laugh on the driving range before teeing off at this week’s Cognizant Classic at PGA National.

Spieth, a crowd favourite, had security swarming around him as he rocked up to the range in sunny Florida – fellow golfer Dahmen couldn’t help but poke fun at the police escort watching over them. When three officers showed up to guard the range, Dahmen quipped: “Jordan, do you really require three officers? I know you should get one, but…”

On the course, Spieth and Dahmen got their tourney off to a promising beginning, each eyeing a return to form. Spieth, in particular, is eager for a better showing, having missed out on a slot in the upcoming Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.

Jordan Spieth hoping to return to golf’s summit
Formerly a fixture at golf’s big-ticket matches, Spieth has seen his star dim a bit due to recent struggles. The Arnold Palmer Invitational, being a Signature Event, is limited to 70 participants, and Spieth’s recent performances haven’t cut it.

While he bagged a sponsor’s invite for this month’s Genesis Invitational, no such luck for the Arnold Palmer Invitational next week. Spieth now has a proper chance to give the folks running the Arnold Palmer Invitational something to think about with a belter of a performance this week.

On Thursday, Spieth whipped up a storm, crafting a six-under-par 65 in the first round to get amongst the frontrunners. Yet Spieth’s got his work cut out, finishing the first day trailing by six, as leader Jake Knapp etched his name into PGA Tour lore with a staggeringly good 12-under 59.

Ahead of this week’s action, Spieth decided to switch up his ball, after previously fiddling with his driver settings, a move that seemed bang on the money come Thursday. “Well, I cracked my driver, and I’ve been trying to get into a driver since Pebble [Beach],” he said post-round.

“So Phoenix I was in a driver and then San Diego I was in a driver. Adjusted settings to try and get the launch and spin right. What ended up happening was the newer ball, the 25x, the window it goes into is a little closer to the one I was playing, and if anything it spins a little bit less, is a little lower, but it has the correct spin rates on my four, five, six irons. “Then from there was just going to be better with the driver. A lot of it was matching the driver and making sure it held up and the long irons.”