Spieth rallies for 65, experiences ups and downs of Sedgefield greens

Jordan Spieth had a typical members’ start on his first three holes at Sedgefield Country Club during Thursday’s opening round of the Wyndham Championship. And the slick, undulating Donald Ross greens gave and taketh away during a 5-under-par 65 that left him among the early leaders.

Teeing off before 8 o’clock, Spieth hit his opening drive on No. 10 into the left rough, but made par. At 11, he left his short-iron approach almost 50 feet from the hole, resulting in another shaky par.

The round got shakier at 12, the 212-yard par-3 with a false front on the green that slides back down a steep hill. Spieth’s shot hit well onto the green, but slipped down the slope, eventually stopping 37 yards from the hole.

“It was once about 37 feet from the cup, then it was 37 yards,” said Spieth, who eventually missed a 5-footer for par. “So if I hit it worse or better, it would have been on the green and OK, but that’s how that hole is.”

“I was kind of just a little bit off to start. I didn’t have a great warmup this morning and it kind of translated, but it was nice to hang in there, get some breaks on the greens and be a couple under while I wasn’t really, really feeling very good about my game.”

Spieth quickly hit his form, thwarting Sedgefield’s greens in the process. He birdied 13. Then, putting downhill from 46 feet, Spieth hit his birdie putt on a perfect line, though perhaps much too hard. Lucky for him, it hit square in the middle of the cup and dropped.

“My one on 14 I think would have gone off the green if it didn’t go in and that would have been in a tough spot to even go up and down so call that a two and a half shot break just on a putt,” said Spieth. “So my speed control was pretty average, but when I got uphill putts I knocked ’em in.”

Instead, Spieth followed up with another birdie at 16 and ran off a string of seven pars that included a 15-foot save at 18.

On a back (Sedgefield’s front) nine ravaged by several morning starters, Spieth sandwiched birdies at 5, 6, 8 and 9 around a bogey at 7. He made putts of 13 and 15 feet, respectively on the last two holes.

Entering the tournament 50th in FedEx Cup points, Spieth needs to stay in the top 50 after two following playoff stages to gain automatic berths in next year’s “signature events,” which offer $20-million purses.