More than one golf observer thinks Jordan Spieth is on his way back to returning to the form that won him three major championships, including the Masters, at such an early age.
And Tom Kite thinks it won’t be long until that happens again.
“Golf is so mental and emotional,” said Kite, Austin’s World Hall of Fame golfer who won the 1992 U.S. Open and 18 other PGA Tour events. “Sometimes they don’t always jive with the physical. The mental and physical have to come through together.”
Spieth failed to advance into the quarterfinals for the Dell Match Play bracket, but said he would play in this week’s Valero Texas Open as his final tuneup before the Masters the following week.
“It’s smart for Jordan to play in that,” Kite said. “That will help him get more confidence. As soon as the mental catches up with the physical, he’ll be in great shape again.”
Different kind of pitch
One middle-aged man in the gallery casually attired in shorts and a short-sleeve shirt — and mask — at Austin Country Club was overjoyed with the huge crowds following the two semifinals matches of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play on the blustery Sunday afternoon.
After all, he’s got more than a casual interest in professional sports in Central Texas.
“Austin’s a big-event city,” Anthony Precourt said while following former Longhorn Scottie Scheffler and Matt Kuchar in their late-morning match from the 12th fairway. “Doesn’t matter whether it’s South By Southwest, Dell Match Play or University of Texas sports, I’m glad to see these kinds of events in this city.”
Precourt, of course, is the owner of Austin FC, the city’s new Major League Soccer franchise, which begins its inaugural season on April 17.
“We’re excited to start out in LA (against Los Angeles FC),” said Precourt, who joined Austin FC co-founder Eddie Margain and ACC board member Brad Knippa on the grounds.
Asked if he was a golfer, Precourt said, “I am … a bad one.”
All for the money
There was more on the line for Sunday’s four semifinalists than a handsome trophy and a PGA Tour championship.
Did someone say money?
The winner of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play pocketed a cool $1,820,00 while the runner-up earned a check for $1,150,000. The third-place finisher took home $740,000 and the loser of the third-place match earned $600,000.
But how did some of the golfers who failed to make Sunday’s final four make out?
Quarterfinalists Tommy Fleetwood, Sergio Garcia, Brian Harman and Jon Rahm earned $337,000 apiece.
Players who rounded out the top 16 earned $189,000 each: Dylan Frittelli, Mackenzie Hughes, Robert MacIntyre, Ian Poulter, Jordan Spieth, Kevin Streelman, Erik van Rooyen and Bubba Watson.
Not his first rodeo
While Billy Horschel might not be a household name, he has already carved out an impressive career on the PGA Tour.
On Sunday, he won his semifinal match against France’s Victor Perez 3 and 2 to reach the finals against Texas ex Scottie Scheffler.
Entering the finals of the tournament Sunday at Austin Country Club, the 34-year-old golfer from Jacksonville Beach, Fla., had won five PGA Tour events and the FedEx Cup in 2014.
Kirk Bohls contributed to this report.