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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif .– A swing put Jordan Spieth closer than ever to ending a long and mystifying crisis, and it reminded him that he still had a long way to go at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro- Am.
Two shots behind with three holes left on Saturday, Spieth pierced with a 160-yard 8 iron for the Eagle on the 16th hole, the start of a stunning turnaround that sent him to a 1 under 71 and a 2 lead. blows. enter the final round.
Daniel Berger helped by going from a lead part to 2 shots behind when his tee shot on par 5 18th was out of bounds by a few inches and led to a double bogey.
“It’s a good lesson to learn for tomorrow, how quickly things can change here,” Spieth said.
The timing was right for Spieth, who has failed to claim a world victory in his last 79 events since winning the 2017 British Open at the Royal Birkdale.
He led by 2 shots at the turn only to miss the green and bogey at the 10th and 12th, then he escaped from a difficult corner to a back pin on the 14th par-5 which turned the green for another bogey.
The hairpin at 16 was cut to the left on a very steep green, and it was perfect.
“With the wind to the right and a little mud on the right side of the ball, I knew I could throw it to the right and let the kind of wind and mud do most of the work,” Spieth said. “In the air, I thought it was going to be really good. It was one of the only pictures I said, “Oh, be alright” today. Definitely a bonus for that. “
These moments were when Spieth was winning all the time. It was the second time this week that he had stepped off the fairway, and now he’s about to win again. Spieth was 13 under 203 with plenty of suitors just behind.
Berger called an official for a linear measurement of his ball on the 18th, against the hurdles but inside the white discs that scored out of bounds. He still had a 72 and was 2 strokes behind.
“I’m still 2 kicks off the lead so I’m feeling pretty good about my chances tomorrow and I’m dropping a few more putts and it’s going to be a good week,” he said.
Patrick Cantlay, whose third round started with such promise when he hit 8 feet for the eagle, birdieed in the 18th for a 70 and joined Berger with 2 headshots. Tom Hoge (68) and Russell Knox (69) were also 2 shots behind.
This is the second week in a row that Spieth has at least one share ahead. A week ago at the Phoenix Open he couldn’t putts and finished with a 72 to finish 2 shots behind.
Even so, this is considered a complete job – seven straight rounds of good scores, and this week, doing it while keeping the ball in play.
Spieth expects there to be nerves, as always. He’s just as excited about the process as he is about the job.
“I don’t really care about the timing,” he said of the 43-month drought. two weeks that I wanted to do for a long time. I think, of course, that the more you keep doing this the rebounds go your way, like the hole-out did today on 16.
“Someone can do this to me tomorrow or come and shoot a 64 or something. I mean, it’s golf, and it’s Pebble Beach.”
Spieth’s goal was to set a goal and go get it, realizing that his game still isn’t as complete as when he often won and argued regularly in the majors.
“It works in that direction, but it’s not there yet,” he said. “I’m just trying to feel a little better than yesterday.”
Jason Day was also very much in the mix, after a 68 left him in the group at 10 under 206.
Paul Casey stayed 3 shots behind with a big break on the 18th when his tee shot fell on the rocks, but he had a lie flat enough that he could hit the boulder in the fairway. He shot 71.
Maverick McNealy had a 69 which included a penalty shot behind the fifth green when his ball moved to the right as he placed the club behind the ball.
Spieth didn’t have to face what he predicted would be a “mean” day at Pebble Beach. The rain in the forecast was gone by the time it took off. The raging wind was more of a strong breeze along the ocean holes that Pebble gets all the time, although it was no less difficult to get back on the last nine.
No rain was expected, just a typical Pacific wind on a course where everything can change quickly.
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