KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – Jordan Spieth knew as soon as the ball left his clubface – he’d caught a flier.
Curving left to right, his ball landed on the right edge and bounded over the 18th green.
“That’s so dead there,” Spieth groaned to caddie Michael Greller. “Absolutely so screwed there.”
And he was right, of course. His ball had nestled down next to a sprinkler head, and though he got free relief, his drop wasn’t in a much more playable position – the collar of rough behind his ball, a steep slope in front of him, little green to work with.