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A familiar wish list for Jordan Spieth

By Doug Ferguson
Published on
A familiar wish list for Jordan Spieth

NASSAU, Bahamas  — What if Jordan Spieth could win only one tournament next year? He wasted no time with his answer.

"The Masters," he said.

That's true for a lot of players. However, Spieth already has a green jacket from his record-tying performance at Augusta National this year. It would seem he would prefer to win the British Open or the PGA Championship to get closer to the career Grand Slam. Or maybe even a gold medal from the Olympics because that only comes around once every four years, and for golf once in more than a century.

Nope. He wants the Masters.

"I wasn't lying to you guys every time you ask me the one tournament I ever wanted to win," he said. "If I could win one event in my whole life, it's the Masters."

He was reminded again he had already done that. And the 22-year-old just smiled.

"I know," he said. "It was fun."

For now, he wouldn't mind another repeat victory in the Hero World Challenge. Spieth took a step in that direction Friday when he recovered from a rugged start and posted a 6-under 66 to share the lead with Jimmy Walker and Bill Haas going into the weekend at Albany Golf Club.

And this is fun, too, even if it doesn't always show. Yes, he's in the Bahamas. But on the golf course, he might as well be at Augusta National. He still gets irritated at his misses. He still tries to make everything. And he still talks to his golf ball.

Consider a delicate flop shot he tried to play from short of the 14th green on Thursday.

"Nope," he said when the ball came off the club. "Get lucky."

And he was, as the ball trickled onto the green.

Spieth, Walker (67) and Haas (66) were at 11-under 133. That's the same 36-hole score Spieth had last year at Isleworth in this tournament, when he took a two-shot lead over Henrik Stenson into the weekend, added rounds of 63-66 and won by 10 shots.

It might not be so easy this time.