Jordan Spieth continues to build his tournament at the Valspar Championship. The Texan posted a 70 in the second round that places him, with the afternoon groups still to finish, inside the top 25, a competitive position for the weekend despite admitting his form has been inconsistent.
The 2015 Masters winner explained that his round had two very distinct sides: “Yesterday I struck the ball better and today I putted better. Now it’s about bringing both together over the weekend.” A summary that accurately reflects his week so far, where he has yet to combine all facets of his game.
Spieth also emphasised the difficulty of the course, one of the most demanding on the calendar in terms of accuracy: “If you miss slightly, the greens are very small and narrow. And with the wind we’ve had these days, controlling distance becomes very difficult.” In that respect, he highlighted the importance of playing from the fairway: “When I was in the fairway, I hit very good shots; when I missed off the tee, everything became much tougher.”
One of the course’s key holes, the 16th, was another focus of his analysis. The American pointed out the complexity of the crosswind, hard to perceive from the tee: “You don’t feel it, it’s blocked. You have to fully trust the shot and the club. If you hit the tee shot right, it’s a birdie hole, but the tee shot is one of the toughest of the year.”
Beyond the course, Spieth offered an interesting reflection on his current moment, insisting that his level is better than recent results show: “I feel I’m among the top 20 in every facet of the game: driving, ball-striking, short game and putting. The problem has been bad decisions or isolated errors at key moments.”
In that vein, he was especially self-critical: “I’ve made a couple of very bad decisions that have cost me two or three shots. That’s unacceptable and I’ll correct it this weekend.” He also mentioned instances of bad luck, such as difficult bunker lies or shots missed at the worst moments, as part of that lack of final performance.
Even so, the overall balance is positive. Spieth projects confidence and sees clear scope for immediate improvement: “It’s easier to fix this with more repetitions. I’d rather be in this situation, playing well but not getting all the results, than the other way around.”
With two rounds to play, the American keeps his chances intact in a tournament that, as he himself admits, punishes any mistake and allows no concessions. The weekend will decide whether he finally manages to put all the pieces together
