Jordan Spieth didn’t win Sunday, and other than a couple of brief early moments when he got within a few strokes of the lead, he didn’t seriously contend. Even so, he still owned one of the more impressive performances of the weekend.
Three days earlier, after a lengthy fog delay, the 20-year-old opened his Valero Texas Open campaign with four consecutive bogeys and six in his first seven holes. This looked like it could have been the point where, after a whirlwind year that saw him win, reach the Tour Championship, compete in the Presidents Cup and rise to inside the world’s top 20, he finally ran out of gas.
Instead, he played his final 65 holes in 10 under to claim a 10th-place result. It’s not fair to compare any player with Tiger Woods, so I won’t do it. But throughout his career, one of Tiger’s trademarks has been strong finishes even when he doesn’t have his best stuff. It isn’t too soon to wonder whether Spieth will someday have a similar reputation. - Jason Sobel