AUGUSTA, Ga. – Mud balls! Are we talking mud balls? Not Bubba Watson this time, but Jordan Spieth discussed a taboo subject at Augusta National Golf Club.
Spieth, the 2015 Masters champion, shot a bogey-free 3-under 69 in the third round of the 89th Masters on Saturday, his first bogey-free round at the tournament since the second round in 2016.
“My iron play killed me the last two days, and to be brutally honest with you, it was primarily mud balls,” he said.
Mud balls are 'taboo' at Augusta National
But Spieth was just getting started on the subject of mud balls.
“It's just so frustrating because you can't talk about them here. You're not supposed to talk about them. Mud balls can affect this tournament significantly, especially when you get them a lot on 11 and 13. They're just daggers on those two holes,” he said. “They've done a better job – there's like less than normal, but I still had them today on those holes, too. I had them yesterday on those holes. It's something to pay attention to for sure for leader groups, because you just have to play so far away from trouble or lay up when you'd normally go for it, just random stuff, because it will affect it significantly. And if you're on the wrong side of the hole, you're either in the water or you almost can't make par depending on what hole it is.”
Spieth made the cut on the number at 2-over 146. He made consecutive birdies at Nos. 8 and 9 and tacked on one more at No. 13.
“I just felt like today was a bit better with the iron play for me, especially early, and I just stayed alive the first few holes and then finally got a couple good looks and made them,” he explained.
Where do the mud balls happen?
But let’s get back to the mud balls that have become a source of frustration for Spieth.
“I'm expecting it a lot out here. Look, it's mowed into the grain. The ball is digging in on every shot. A lot of times you have it on 75 percent of your drives. But it's definitely getting better, but it's like the key holes, when they pitch into – even on 8, it'll pitch into, even though it's a downhill shot. I'm surprised on 11, but you'll get them on 13 and 15 a lot, and it's like, all right, well, here we go.”
And despite answering all these questions on mud balls, Spieth reiterated one more time that it is frowned upon to talk about mud balls at Augusta National.
“The fact that you're not supposed to talk about it is a bit frustrating because it is a difference maker,” he said. “It can be a difference maker in scores on some holes.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Jordan Spieth frustrated by mud balls at Augusta National Golf Cub
