Jordan Spieth Ends Winning Drought With Victory at Valero Texas Open

Jordan Spieth ended a slump that lasted nearly four years, closing with a 6-under 66 on Sunday to win the Valero Texas Open for his first victory since the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

Now he heads to Augusta National as one of the favorites at the Masters Tournament.

"This is a monumental win for me," Spieth said. "It's been a long road. There were a lot of times that I didn't know I would be here."

Spieth sealed it with a 5-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole, and he won by two shots over Charley Hoffman.

Spieth went 82 starts on the PGA TOUR without a victory since Royal Birkdale. He missed the TOUR Championship the past two years and nearly fell out of the top 100 in the world at the start of this year.

But the 27-year-old from Dallas showed signs of turning it around. He was tied for the 54-hole lead in Phoenix. He led by two going into the final round at Pebble Beach. He was two behind going into the last day at Bay Hill.

Tied for the lead with Matt Wallace going into Sunday at the TPC San Antonio, Spieth moved out in front and didn't let anyone catch him. He built a three-shot lead with a birdie on the 12th hole, when Hoffman made him sweat.

Hoffman, needing a victory to get back to the Masters, chipped in for birdie on the par-3 13th and holed a 20-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the par-3 16th to get within one shot.

Photos From the 2021 Valero Texas Open

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 04: Jordan Spieth tries on cowboy boots after putting in to win as Chairman of the Tournament and Corporate Vice President of Marketing at Valero Eric Fisher looks on during the final round of Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 04, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 04: Jordan Spieth poses with the trophy after putting in to win during the final round of Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 04, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 04: Jordan Spieth reacts to sinking his birdie putt on the 17th green during the final round of Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 04, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 04: Jordan Spieth plays his shot on the 18th hole during the final round of Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 04, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 04: Jordan Spieth plays his shot from the seventh tee during the final round of Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 04, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 04: Jordan Spieth putts on the sixth green during the final round of Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 04, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 04: The gallery follows Jordan Spieth during the final round of Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 04, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 04: Jordan Spieth plays his shot from the fifth tee during the final round of Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 04, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 04: Jordan Spieth prepares to play his shot from the fifth tee during the final round of Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 04, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 04: Jordan Spieth lines up a putt on the fourth green during the final round of Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 04, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 04: Jordan Spieth plays a shot out of the rough on the fourth hole during the final round of Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 04, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 04: Jordan Spieth reacts to his putt on the second green during the final round of Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 04, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 03: Jordan Spieth reacts to his putt on the 18th green during the third round of Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 03, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 03: Jordan Spieth and Matt Wallace of England prepare to putt on the fourth green during the third round of Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 03, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 03: Jordan Spieth plays his shot from the rough on the 17th hole during the third round of Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 03, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 03: Jordan Spieth plays his shot from the fifth tee during the third round of Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 03, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 02: Jordan Spieth plays his shot on the 18th hole during the second round of Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 02, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 02: Jordan Spieth reacts to his birdie putt on the 16th hole during the second round of Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 02, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 02: Jordan Spieth lines up a putt on the 15th green during the second round of Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 02, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 02: Jordan Spieth plays his shot from the 15th tee during the second round of Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 02, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 02: Jordan Spieth lines up a putt on the eighth hole during the second round of Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 02, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

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  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - APRIL 01: Jordan Spieth plays a shot from a bunker on the sixth hole during the first round of the Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course on April 01, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

But he found a bunker off the tee on the short par-4 17th and had to settle for par as Spieth moved two shots ahead, and they both made par on the closing hole. Hoffman closed with a 66.

Spieth, who finished at 18-under 270, moved to No. 7 in the FedExCup standings.

Wallace couldn't keep up and closed with a 70 to finish alone in third. Lucas Glover (66) finished in fourth, while Anirban Lahiri birdied the last hole for a 69 to finish alone in fifth.

Spieth typically is a favorite at the Masters, where he was runner-up in his debut in 2014, won wire-to-wire the next year and was runner-up again after losing a back-nine lead in 2016.