Spieth eager to rebound from Masters meltdown at Byron Nelson

Dallas resident Jordan Spieth, the reigning U.S. Open champion and No. 2 player in the world golf rankings, is the golfer in the spotlight at this week’s AT&T Byron Nelson.

Spieth, 22, has the title sponsor’s logo on his golf bag. His bobblehead will be distributed to fans during Saturday’s third round. He hosted Tuesday’s youth clinic, which included a trick shot in which Spieth placed a marshmallow on top of a golf ball, hit a full wedge shot and caught the marshmallow in his mouth after his follow-through.

For a second consecutive year at the Four Seasons Resort, one thing is clear during tournament week at the Nelson: It’s all about Jordan, the hometown hero and two-time major champion, at his hometown PGA Tour stop.

But this question remains: Is Spieth ready for the Nelson after last month’s meltdown in the final round of the Masters Tournament, compounded by last week’s missed cut at The Players Championship?

We’ll find out during Thursday’s opening round at Four Seasons Resort, where Spieth has been battling seasonal allergies during practice rounds this week.

This much is certain: Spieth does not plan to let a scratchy throat prevent him from posting his first top-10 finish, or even a victory, at a tournament where he is preparing for his sixth career start as a PGA Tour participant.

“It’s the Byron Nelson week, not just another week,” said Spieth, whose best career finish in his hometown event remains his tie for 16th place as a 16-year-old amateur in 2010. “It’s very unique. I’m now seeing courses for the third time, sometimes the fourth. But to be coming to my sixth event, it’s bizarre. It really is kind of an odd feeling.”

Spieth, who played college golf at Texas, earned his first Nelson paycheck at the 2013 event when he tied for 68th as a PGA Tour rookie and pocketed $13,601.

He has no explanation for why his best professional finish at TPC Las Colinas came last year, when he tied for 30th between victories at the 2015 Masters and the 2015 U.S. Open.

“It’s been kind of a tough event for me. The golf course hasn’t suited my game as well as it did in those early couple of years,” Spieth said of strong finishes in 2010 and 2011 while competing on sponsor’s exemptions as a high school golfer at Dallas Jesuit. “I love the way I played this tournament when I was in high school … play aggressive, not hold anything back.”

With more off-course distractions on his plate these days, not to mention two fellow Nelson competitors staying at his $7.1 million house during tournament week, Spieth said: “It’s a tough line to walk between [supporting the tournament] and still getting the right work done to where you feel you can go out and play your best golf, because it’s difficult to do both.”

But that is Spieth’s goal this week. He’s opened his Dallas home to fellow competitors Colt Knost and Alex Moon, as well as caddie Michael Greller.

As the top-ranked player in the Nelson field, Spieth considers this an ideal backdrop to show he has rebounded from his Sunday swoon at the Masters, where he squandered a four-stroke lead on the back nine that included two water balls during a quadruple bogey at the 12th hole.

In his lone post-Masters event, Spieth missed the cut last week at The Players. He believes he has gotten his game, as well as his psyche, back into position for a bounce-back week in Irving.

But soggy course conditions could expand the list of potential Nelson contenders. The TPC layout already has absorbed early-week rains, and Thursday’s forecast calls for additional thunderstorms before first-round play is slated to unfold at 7 a.m.

Ryan Palmer, a Colleyville resident who has cracked the top 10 in three of the past five Nelson events, anticipates a birdie barrage that could trigger unexpected names on leader boards.

“There’s going to be some low scores with the soft conditions,” Palmer said. “For me, I’m able to carry the ball a good distance so I’m able to hit a lot more lower irons [in rainy weather] because I’m not having to worry about the roll.”

Knost, one of Spieth’s house guests at his 16,655-square-foot Dallas home, said he would welcome a rain delay that would provide time to enjoy a few more creature comforts at his home during tournament week.

“It’s pretty special, a real cool house. There’s a TV every three feet,” Knost said. “It’s a phenomenal place, especially for a 22-year-old to be living in.”

Spieth, who took home a reported $53 million in combined on-course and off-course earnings during the 2015 calendar year, said he looks forward to recapturing his A-game this week in his hometown event. But he acknowledged that off-course distractions could complicate that task.

“I need to really focus on that,” Spieth said. “Because I can hit either extreme this week, trying so hard to play so well in front of so many friends and family. And if you’re not quite doing it, which I haven’t in the past four years, it can be really tough to kind of hold it together.”

This story was originally published May 18, 2016 at 6:28 PM with the headline "Spieth eager to rebound from Masters meltdown at Byron Nelson."