Early on Saturday, Jordan Spieth looked to be well positioned for a third-straight top-4 finish. The 27-year old star had just reeled off three birdies over his first six holes and moved into solo second-place at the Genesis Invitational.
He was just two off the pace of leader Sam Burns.
But then the brutal wind arrived at Riviera, and Spieth’s still-suspect long game was no match for mother nature’s 35 mph gusts. Down the stretch on Saturday, Spieth hit just three of 10 fairways. Six of those seven off-target tee balls resulted in bogeys. He eventually signed for a 73, and tumbled from second-place to T11.
A Sunday round of 71 was better, but not nearly enough. Spieth finished his four days in Pacific Palisades tied for 15th on 4-under par – well off the pace of champion Max Homa (-12).
The showing will secure Spieth about six (6) world-ranking points, and bump him inside the top 60. But to punch a ticket to next week’s WGC event at The Concession in Florida, the former world No. 1 needed to crack the top 50.
It will be the first time since Spieth became a tour pro – way back in 2013 – that he’s failed to qualify for a WGC event.
