IRVING, Texas – It was not the kind of send-off Jordan Spieth had in mind for his last PGA TOUR appearance at TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas. For the first time in his seven starts in his hometown event, Spieth missed the cut at the AT&T Byron Nelson. Friday’s second round 75 – which included a quadruple-bogey 9 at the 16th hole when he took two penalty strokes – left him at 3 over, one stroke off the cut line. “It didn’t need to happen,â€� Spieth said. “… Pretty disappointed at this point in time.â€� Starting next year, the tournament will move to Trinity Forest, a new links-style course south of downtown Dallas. Spieth is a member at the course and looking forward to the reboot. While TPC Four Seasons is a course Spieth never solved, he still has a fondness for it. His foundation hosts an annual event here. He attended the tournament during his childhood. And in 2010, he burst onto the scene at age 16, making his first TOUR start here and finishing tied for 16th. Earlier this week, he called TPC Four Seasons a “very special placeâ€� and said this year’s last call was “bittersweet.â€� That’s why he was pressing in hopes of making a big move Friday after his opening 68. His aggressiveness backfired on him, as he made five bogeys in his first 12 holes. “Just ridiculous out here,â€� he said. “… So, so many over-par holes and not necessary. Trying to do too much. Trying to move up the leaderboard instead of just letting it come to me on this course.â€� Even so, he balanced that with four birdies and was still safely inside the cut line with three holes to play. That’s when he reached the par-5 16th. Hoping to reach the green in two, he pressed on the accelerator. His first tee shot sailed right. He then hit a provisional tee shot. He ended up losing both shots into the residential area. “I’ve hit in those houses before, I think, a couple of times,â€� Spieth said. “… The wind flipped from being straight in to quartering off the left and I didn’t adjust. That made the difference obviously being out of play.â€� Finally on his third tee shot – now his fifth stroke — he found the primary rough. Two more shots left him pin high but on the edge of the green. He two putted from 52 feet for the quad. “It didn’t need to happen,â€� Spieth said. “… Just kind of a fluke couple shots.â€� Now outside the cut line, Spieth needed a birdie in one of his last two holes. But he missed a 14-1/2 foot birdie putt at the par-3 17th, then a 13-footer on the final hole. The 75 is more than eight strokes higher than his second-round scoring average here. The primary frustration for Spieth now is his play on the greens. His putting just isn’t where he wants it to be. He changed putters entering this tournament, going from a blade to a mallet putter that he’s used a couple of times previously, including the 2014 Open Championship. In addition, he and coach Cameron McCormick have spent extensive time on the practice green lately. Thus far the work has yet to pay off. Of the 156 players in the field, Spieth ranked 118th in Strokes Gained: Putting the first two rounds. On Friday, he ranked 137th in that category, losing nearly 2.2 strokes to the field. “Just got to figure out my putting and getting through the ball,â€� Spieth said. “I’m standing over it and I don’t feel like I’ve got a stroke that’s producing contact at the right time. … “I put in plenty of work. It’s kind of a thing in my head. I got to get a couple to go in.â€� Instead of playing in front of his adoring fans the next two days, Spieth will work on his game privately. The good news is that next week’s tournament across the Metroplex is on a course that’s been good to him. Spieth won last year at Colonial and will be a favorite again next Thursday when the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational cranks up. “I’ll put in some work this weekend and get over there early and put the right prep in to get ready,â€� Spieth said. No doubt the best way to ease the pain of his abrupt departure at TPC Four Seasons is to say hello to Colonial as quickly as possible.
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