It took more than a day, but now the incredibly fast greens of Augusta National have claimed their first prominent victim. Jordan Spieth despaired on the green of the 15th fairway on the second day of the Masters Tournament 2024, but after the first round was interrupted by the onset of darkness in round 1. “Firethorn”, as the par 5 was so aptly named, showed its particularly beastly side for the veteran and gave Spieth a quadruple bogey.
Jordan Spieth with dramatic quadruple bogey at the Masters Tournament 2024
Even before the start of the Masters Tournament 2024, Ken Brown reported on the difficult and particularly fast greens at Augusta National this week. Not even a complete round of golf later, Jordan Spieth had to painfully familiarise himself with these qualities. After an approach shot to the green on the 15th fairway that was too long, he hit what should have been a simple chip back onto the green. However, what should have been a safe shot failed and rolled straight back into the water on the other side of the green as if on a pane of glass. It went back into the drop zone and after another pitch that was too long, again behind the flag, Spieth opted for a much more defensive chip. This was followed by two putts and finally the nine on the scorecard.
The shot tracker for this hole by Spieth is not very reminiscent of the American’s otherwise precise short game, but rather of a child’s drawing with a few abstract stick figures. Thanks to this track, Spieth is likely to face an even greater challenge in round 2. Without much of a break, the Friday session continues and with it the battle for the cut. At seven over par, he is currently well outside the decisive positions and has to fight to stay in the tournament.