Jordan Spieth plays down gutter talk as Rory McIlroy warms up for Masters

Jordan Spieth has said he did not intentionally hit his ball on the roof of the clubhouse during the third round of the Texas Open.

Clips of Spieth went viral Saturday afternoon after the events in San Antonio. The Texan found the side of a ditch with his second shot to the par-five 18th. From there he swung away from the hole and ended up in the clubhouse gutter; It was believed he did it on purpose after receiving a free drop. Instead of making the most of his erratic scenario, he three-putted for a double bogey seven.

After round four, the 2015 Masters champion replied, “No, I didn’t,” when asked if he had aimed for the roof. He added: “I should have just hit it left-handed into the fairway.

“I asked the rules official, he told me there’s no way out of bounds and if you can get him up there and you know where he is, you should drop him at the scoreboard, which is better than if I would hit him left. up towards the fairway.

So I tried it, but it didn’t turn out so well and sure enough, the next take I was left with the same kind of situation.

“If I hadn’t three-putted, I might have felt like I saved a shot, but in the end I could have just played again and gotten a better score. Yes, it looks weird. I played some very, very solid tee-to-green golf course this week and of course one weird hole makes it all look crazy.

The 30-year-old will head into the Masters in high spirits after signing off with a 69 for a share of 10th place. Rory McIlroy is in an even better situation. The Northern Irishman posted a Sunday 66, his lowest score of the week by three, to take third place. His fourth round included six birdies and was bogey-free. Next stop, Georgia.

“I’m in a better place than I was a few weeks ago,” McIlroy said. “During the Florida swing there was just a lot of volatility in my game, some good, some bad, quite a few big numbers, so I just tried to clean that up.

I will always be able to make good shots, it just depends on how bad the bad ones are, and this week the bad ones were still in play and not too bad.”

McIlroy said his mental approach will be crucial as he seeks a first Masters title. “Control my emotions and my thoughts,” he said of his main goal.

“If I can check those, the physical control of everything becomes a lot easier and simpler. For me, next week is all about discipline.”