It’s the time of year when Jordan Spieth and Jason Day begin thinking about Augusta, and with good reason: Spieth tied for second last year, while Day was second in 2011 and third in 2013.
Both had to battle back from slow starts Sunday to post respectable finishes in the WGC-Cadillac Championships at Trump National Doral. After slow starts that left both 3-over on their first three holes of the round, Spieth registered an even-par 72 that left him one over for the tournament and tied for 17th, while Day posted a 1-under 71 to finish three over and in a tie for 31st.
“I had four water balls in my first 10 holes,” Spieth said. “Not an ideal start, but the bounce-back was great. I’m putting well, and going into next week with as much confidence as I’ve had this year.”
“I’m playing solid golf; I just had one of those weeks where I wasn’t in sync,” added Day, who said he put eight balls in the water over four days. “I couldn’t really trust the swing, and once that happens, you’re just trying to get through the week. This was a tough golf course.”
Both have had solid starts to the season as they continue their preparations for the first major of the season, the Masters, which begins a month from Monday. Spieth came into this week off top-10 finishes in his last three events, while Day has three top-fives, including a win at Torrey Pines.
“(The win) definitely helps,” Day said. “Obviously, if you don’t get off to a good start, you get behind the 8-ball a little bit. But you never know: Guys have played terrible going into majors and won, and guys have played great going into majors and missed the cut. So the best thing I can do is prepare, make sure I’m rested, and go there and try to win.”
Being rested shouldn’t be an issue: He’s played in only five events this calendar year and will wrap up his pre-Masters schedule at Bay Hill in two weeks.
Spieth will be much busier leading up to Augusta, playing at Tampa this week and then the two Texas events the lead up to Augusta.