The Masters might be entering an era where there’s Jordan Spieth, and then there’s everyone else. It was never more evident than on the 15th hole late on Saturday afternoon at Augusta National. Spieth stood 106 yards from the pin, perched at the top of the hill with a pond below that purportedly wrecked his 2017 Masters just two days prior. That’s when everything went completely silent.
There are roars at Augusta but it’s not a particularly rowdy place, a point of pride that the green jackets uphold in the name of Bobby Jones’ notion of a proper patron. But just because it doesn’t get rowdy doesn’t mean it’s still or completely silent. Patrons are always moving one or two rows back from the rope line, trying to get ahead and find a better spot to view the next shot. There’s also always side talk, murmurs, and whispers. It’s not some great commotion, but there’s movement and it’s never completely noiseless.
This was not the case as Spieth sized up his third shot into the 15th green. It was the first time this week that I witnessed a hole go completely silent, completely still. The patrons stopped in their tracks some 150 yards away from Spieth and did not move a muscle or make a whisper. It would have been fine if they did -- they were 150 yards away!
Photos From the 2017 Masters
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Jordan shakes hands with Haley Voyles and gives her his ball after it landed in her lap in the gallery.
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Jordan talks with patron Haley Voyles after hitting his shot into her lap on the 18th hole.
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Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, William McGirt and amatuer Brad Dalke of the United States walk together to the 16th green during a practice round prior to the start of the 2017 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 4, 2017 in Augusta, Georgia.
There was no wind. The color palette of polo shirts in the grandstands above Sarazen bridge reflected perfectly off the pond. Sunlight perforated the shadows stretching from the grandstands surrounding the 15th green, 16th tee, and the towering pines. It’s one of the most crowded scenes in golf and the only noticeable movement was the cigar smoke wafting from the shadows to the sunlight (the Masters has to boast the highest per capita population of half-zip-sweater-wearing cigar-smoking men in the world).
When I say it’s Jordan and everyone else, I don’t mean to suggest that he’s bigger than the tournament or incapable of being beat -- we’ve seen that already. It’s just different when he’s on one, and he’s been on one every single year he’s played this event in his nascent career. The still and silent scene at the 15th accentuated this difference.