Reporting from Augusta, Ga. — Jordan Spieth made an impression as he strolled off the 18th green Saturday with a four-under total and confident grin.
“Gangster strut,” said a spectator observing the scene.
Indeed, we’re in a situation where the guy whom everyone seems to be chasing in the Masters sits in a tie for fourth place. Spieth trails majors-hardened talents Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler, and yet ...
“I feel great,” Spieth said. “This [will be] a new experience for me, coming from behind on Sunday at the Masters. It’s kind of fun to say. It might free me up to play aggressive because at this point, it’s win or go home. Finishing fifth versus 10th doesn’t mean much to me.”
Spieth said a “very clean example” of what he’ll try to do Sunday was provided by the Patriots, who relentlessly pressured the Falcons on Super Bowl Sunday after trailing by 25 points.
“When the momentum was on their side,” Spieth said, “they ran with it and continued to press and press and get better and better.”
One difference between this and the Super Bowl: It’s not being played at a neutral site.
Augusta National might as well be a home venue for Spieth, a native Texan whose worst finish in three Masters starts is a tie for second. The crowds were so receptive Thursday that playing partner Matthew Fitzpatrick said Spieth is “probably America’s favorite golfer.”
He always knows just what to say. And we’re not confining that to news conferences.
A 295-yard drive into the pine straw on No. 13 left him with a dicey decision Saturday. Caddie Michael Greller pushed for a layup from 228 yards, and Spieth agreed that was the smart shot. But then Spieth asked, “What would Arnie do?”
Greller responded, “Hit it to 20 feet.”
Arnold Palmer didn’t become Arnold Palmer by hitting wedges into par-fives.
Spieth cranked a four-iron, and the ball cleared Rae’s Creek by plenty, settling 29 feet from the hole. His eagle putt missed by an inch.
“I’m proud that I pulled that shot off,” Spieth said, “and it led to a 4 ... 3 1/2 ... almost a 3.”
At that point, Spieth was four under for the day and the tournament. But he still had to return to the scene of his worst moment of the week.
Spieth hasn’t made a double bogey in three rounds. No triples, either. But on Thursday he went sideways on No. 15, needing nine shots to complete the par-five after his third spun back into the pond.
He laid up to a similar distance Saturday but did not have to deal with the hellacious wind gusts. CBS had the yardage at 94 yards; Masters.com reported 106. What mattered was the distance of his next shot — seven inches. Spieth flipped his club, tipped his cap and tapped in for another birdie.
“These are the hardest wedge shots in the world,” CBS analyst and two-time Masters competitor Frank Nobilo said off air. “You don’t get a level lie, invariably there are gusts and crosswinds and you’re hitting to such small targets.”
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Sergio Garcia of Spain celebrates after winning the Masters golf tournament in a playoff on Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Sergio Garcia is greeted by fiancee Angela Akins after winning the Masters in a playoff.
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Justin Rose, left, congratulates Sergio Garcia on the 18th green after Garcia won the Masters on the first playoff hole.
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Danny Willett, left, the 2016 Masters champion, congratulates Sergio Garciaduring the green jacket ceremony at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Sergio Garcia get help putting on the Masters champion’s green jacket by 2016 winner Danny Willett.
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Sergio Garcia admires the winner’s trophy during the awards ceremony following his victory at the Masters.
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Sergio Garcia reacts after making an eagle putt in front of Justin Rose at No. 15e during the final round of the Master.
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Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia walk over the Hogan Bridge at No. 12 with their caddies Mark Fulcher and Glen Murray during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Justin Rose of England reacts to a putt for birdie on the sixth hole during the final round of the Masters.
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Rickie Fowler reacts after a drive on the fourth hole during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Sergio Garcia of Spain hits a drive on the fourth hole during the final round of the Masters.
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Justin Rose of England plays his shot from the third tee during the final round of the Masters.
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Paul Casey of England plays his second shot on the first hole during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Jordan Spieth plays his third shot from a bunker at No. 10 during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Adam Scott of Australia hits his tee shot at No. 4 during the final round of the Masters.
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Jimmy Walker reacts to his missed birdie putt on the sixth hole during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Sergio Garcia hits from a bunker alongside the seventh green during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland lets go of his club on the follow through of his tee shot at No. 4 during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Justin Rose hits his tee shot at No. 2 during the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Rickie Fowler lines up his putt with caddie Joseph Skovron at No. 8 during the third round of the Masters tournament on Saturday at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Sergio Garcia celebrates after making a birdie putt at No. 6 during the third round of the Masters tournament.
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Charley Hoffman hits his tee shot at No. 4 during the third round of the Masters tournament.
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Jon Rahm reacts after missing his birdie putt on the 17th hole during the third round of the Masters.
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Jordan Spieth hits his tee shot on the 12th hole during the third round of the Masters tournament.
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Justin Rose makes his club selection at the second tee box during the third round of the 2017 Masters
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Sergio Garcia reacts to a missed putt at No. 12 during the third round of the Masters tournament.
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Ryan Moore plays a shot from a greenside bunker at No. 10 during the third round of the Masters.
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Fred Couples olines up a putt on the 16th green during the third round of the Masters.
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Will McGirt watches his bunker shot roll toward the hole on the 17th green during the third round of the Masters.
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Sergio Garcia pitches a shot onto the 13th green during the third round of the Masters tournament.
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Jason Day on the second tee during the third round of the 2017 Masters tournament.
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Phil Mickelson plays his second shot from a bunker at the 12th hole during the third round of the Masters.
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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Jon Rahm of Spain walk over the Hogan Bridge at No. 12 at Augusta National Golf Club during the second round.
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Jason Day of Australia plays a shot from a greenside bunker at the 16th hole during the second round of the Masters.
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Matt Kuchar and caddie John Wood head toward the second green, where the flagstick is bowed by the wind, during the second round of the Masters.
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Fans get a close-up view of Charley Hoffman hitting an approach shot during the second round of the Masters tournament.
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Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello looks at his ball in the pine straw at the 14th hole during the second round of the Masters tournament.
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Si Woo Kim of South Korea plays his third shot at No. 15 during the second round of the Masters tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Fred Couples reacts to his birdie putt on the 13th hole during the second round of the Masters.
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Rickie Fowler plays his tee shot at No. 12 during the second round of the Masters tournament.
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Charley Hoffman hits a drive on the 18th hole during the first round for the Masters golf tournament.
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Will McGirt hits a drive on the eighth hole during the second round of the Masters golf tournament.
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Charley Hoffman looks at his approach on the 15th hole during the first round for the Masters golf tournament .
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Justin Rose of England plays his second shot on the 17th hole during the second round of the Masters tournament.
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Charley Hoffman hits a tee shot on the 15th hole during the first round of the Masters tournament on Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club. Hoffman shot a 65 to take a four-shot lead.
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Pat Perez reacts after missing a putt at No. 16 during the first round of the Masters golf tournament on Thursday.
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Augusta National Golf Club Chairman Billy Payne, right, leads a moment of silence for Arnold Palmer at the start of the Masters Tournament on Thursday.
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Jason Day plays his shot from the third tee during the first round of the 2017 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Dustin Johnson walks off after announcing his withdrawal during the first round of the 2017 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Thomas Pieters of Belgium hits a shot through the trees at the 17th hole during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Caddie Jamie Lane lines up a putt on the second green during the first round of the 2017 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Brendan Steele walks up the second fairway during the first round of the Masters golf tournament on Thursday.
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American Dustin Johnson walks out of the Augusta National clubhouse after withdrawing from the Masters golf tournament because of a back injury before his afternoon tee time Thursday.
(Tannen Maury / EPA) With rare exceptions, Spieth has mastered such shots.
Asked why he plays so well at Augusta National, the 2015 Masters champion replied: “I’m not sure. I guess the golf course was Tiger-proofed at one point. You can’t really Jordan-proof it. I don’t overpower it.”
From his seat in the interview room, Spieth looked to his right and saw a board with his stats. Fairways hit: 55%. That’s tied for 45th among the 53 competitors who made the cut.
“Not very good,” Spieth said. “These are very wide fairways. So I’d say hitting greens in regulation and positioning. Playing the golf course the way that it’s supposed to be played.”
Rose is the betting favorite Sunday, with bookmakers offering 5-2 odds. Spieth is next at 3-1. Fowler is 4-1, Garcia 9-2.
I’d bet on the guy with the gangster strut.
tgreenstein@chicagotribune.com
Twitter: @TeddyGreenstein
