Jordan Spieth walked off the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook on Friday just five shots off the morning lead at the Valspar Championship, but still very disappointed in his 1-over-par round of 70.
That's because Spieth had a potentially far better round unfold over his final few holes for the second consecutive day in Palm Harbor, Fla.
Spieth was at 5 under for the tournament before he bogeyed his final two holes. That included leaving his third shot in a green-side bunker on the ninth -- his final hole of
the day -- and Spieth had to hit a 9-foot putt to avoid a closing double. That followed an opening round in which Spieth was 5 under before suffering a double-bogey and bogey over his final three holes.
The result is that after 36 holes, Spieth feels like he is playing well but now also has significant work cut out for him in order to be in contention come Sunday.
"I'm extremely frustrated when I don't get the most out of my round because I'm playing better than I'm scoring on a week like this week," he said. "That's the frustrating part. But I would much rather be on that side of it than anywhere else."
Spieth has now made six of seven cuts so far in 2026. However, he has yet to post a top-10 finish, with his best result a T11 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. While he feels his game is in excellent shape all around, Spieth acknowledges that claiming his first PGA Tour victory in four years will require eliminating the untimely miscues that regularly pop up in his rounds.
"I think I'm driving it in the top 20, I think I'm striking it in the top 20, I think my short game's in the top 20, I think my putting's in the top 20," he said. "I've made some bad decisions or hit some wrong tee shots at the wrong time or missed contact that have cost me from having a chance to win three or four times and finishing where I finish.
"So it's a good place to be. Those are normally easier things to solve, they're just more reps and I'm in a confident place."
Spieth likely has at most six competitive rounds remaining before the Masters next month. He will skip the Texas Children's Houston Open before likely playing in the Valero Texas Open the first weekend in April.
He was asked if most of the mistakes are mental miscues.
"Yeah, or just a contact mishap, which is an execution error, but it's like random. Like if I toed one on this hole I would be fine, but I toed it on the wrong hole or I necked it on the wrong hole. Just like random little stuff. I had three plugged lies in bunkers today off pretty good iron shots that if I was playing a different wind -- just random stuff.
"Then I made a couple really bad decisions which probably cost me three two or three shots. That's unacceptable. I'll fix that this weekend. That's not hard to fix."
--Field Level Media
