Jordan Spieth Triple-Bogey All But Costs Shot at Arnold Palmer Invitational
Jordan Spieth looks set to miss next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational after failing to secure a sponsor’s exemption. Spieth’s only options are to either win or finish really well at the Cognizant Classic, which looks very difficult after the second round. On Friday, Spieth did not enjoy the same level of play as the day before, but he was 3 under for the round through 16. His biggest complication came on the next hole, where he dropped down on the leaderboard completely.
On the par-3, 142-yard 17th hole at PGA National, Spieth sent his tee shot into the water, earning him a penalty stroke. His third shot reached the green, but then his putter didn’t work either. The 31-year-old missed a 23-foot putt for bogey, then a 4-footer for double and had to settle for triple bogey. Spieth recovered like a champion and birdied the 18th to finish on one under (7-under for 36 holes). Before his fiasco on the 17th, he had made five birdies and two bogeys.
He finished the second round in a share of 25th place, six shots off the pace set by Jake Knapp. But all is not lost for the three-time Major winner, as he proved on Moving Day. Spieth moved up 12 places on the leaderboard by finishing four-under for the round with four bogey-free birdies and taking his 54-hole score to 11-under. He has now closed the gap to the provisional leaders to three shots with the round yet to finish.
