LAS VEGAS – Jordan Spieth was much maligned for his efforts on the green last season where he ranked 136th on the PGA TOUR in Strokes Gained: Putting. It was a critical component in the 25-year-old’s fall to 31st in the FedExCup – the first time in his career he failed to make the TOUR Championship. But if his first round of the 2018-19 season is any gauge the old Spieth might just be back in business. Spieth fired an impressive 5-under 66 in the opening round of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, making 108 feet, eight inches worth of putts to sit just three back of the early lead held by Peter Uihlein. Through the morning wave he gained almost three strokes on the field to rank second in Strokes Gained: Putting. “It’s getting close to where I feel like I can just kind of point, aim, shoot, which is where I want to be,â€� Spieth said after capping off his round with a 26-foot birdie putt. “Certainly nice to see some putts go in and see it pay off with a bit of results. I have belief in what I’m doing. Just continue to do it; stay the course.â€� He was most impressed with himself from close range, something that had been an issue for him last season as he dealt with setup confidence. In 2017-18 he had nine misses from three feet. In the three full seasons prior to that he missed just six of them combined. On Thursday he was 14 of 14 inside 10 feet. “Really solid inside of ten feet today, even with somewhat trickier ones as the wind picked up coming in,â€� he said. “That’s where rounds go to 5 under instead of 2 under. I was certainly able to save a couple coming in. “I’ve been hitting some pretty good putts for the last six or seven tournaments. I saw some good in at the Ryder Cup under the biggest pressure, so today kind of felt, at least heart rate-wise, like a little bit of a breeze.â€� Previously in his career Spieth had been known as a clutch putter. He ranked second in Strokes Gained: Putting in 2016 and inside the top 40 from 2014 through 2017. “Something like today will work into being the norm for me going forward. I know why and how not to have it get so off again,â€� he said. “If I shoot three more rounds like today it’s probably good enough (to win).â€�
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