Jordan Spieth has shown “some good signs of light” on the Augusta National, believes the 2x masters champion Ben Crenshaw. It’s been almost a decade since Spieth won the Masters. Despite that, he has had a great history with the Augusta National GC over the years. That’s the reason Crenshaw is still confident about the 31-year-old and believes he still has that spark left in him. 

Recently, Ben Crenshaw sat down with Smylie Kaufman on the Smylie Show. They reminisced about Masters and also discussed putting at Augusta National. While doing so, Kaufman brought up Jordan Spieth’s 2015 victory and drew a comparison to Scottie Scheffler. He asked Crenshaw for his perspective on watching both players — how their games differ and what stands out to him the most about each of them.

Responding to the question, Crenshaw said with a laugh, “Those two are my favorites. Right off the top of your story, right? Yeah, I love both of them. They’re such great guys, and they’ve got exceptional talents.” However, he got into specifics and added, “You know, Jordan has an unbelievable touch, obviously, when he made all those putts. But to me, his short game, his chipping, is unbelievable. Seve-like. Yeah, and there’s not a spot where he’s not gunning for the hole. He can hit a lot of different shots.” 

2015 was an incredible year for Jordan Spieth. He carded a 270 (−18), tying the then 72-hole record set by Tiger Woods in 1997 and becoming the second youngest golfer to win the Masters. In the same year, he won his second major title at the US Open. Following that, the 31-year-old won his third major title at the 2017 The Open Championship. Since then, he has yet to win another major title. Not only that, but he also hasn’t won any tour event since the 2022 RBC Heritage.

Witnessing this, Crenshaw is aware of what Spieth might be feeling right now. “And, of course, I always loved Jordan’s swing, too. I know that he’s a little frustrated right now. He’d like to be doing a little bit better, but I think he’s shown some good signs of light. And I think this place, this place turns him on. It does. And I look for him to play really well,” he added while showing confidence in the 3x major champion.

Speaking of showing light, aside from his win in 2015, Spieth has been one or two steps away from winning most of the time since his debut. That’s right. The golfer played his first masters back in 2014 and finished at T2. 2016 was a repeat telecast of 2014, as he had a similar T2 finish. Following that, he had a T11 and 3rd place finish in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Although he was unable to make the cut at the 2022 and 2024 masters, he was tied for 4th in 2023.

Although he has really good finishes on the luscious greens of the Augusta, it’s not the same feeling of wearing the green jacket. But, among all this, the 2018 edition of the tournament remains as one of the most heartbreaking ones in his career. 

What happened to Jordan Spieth in the 2018 masters?

Trees aren’t always your friend, especially on the golf course — and that’s likely what Spieth was thinking back in 2018. His tee shot on the 18th hole hit a tree and dropped straight down, leaving him too far from the green to reach it in two shots. That missed opportunity for a birdie proved costly, as he was trying to catch Patrick Reed, who ultimately went on to win the Masters. After this unfortunate event, the golfer couldn’t hold his anger and yelled, “Are you kidding me? You have got to be kidding me. I just barely got past the ladies’ tee.”

This incident is certainly in his mind to this day, and the golf world hasn’t forgotten about it either. However, according to Geoff Shackelford, it’s not just the tree but the 18th Hole itself is a hurdle at Augusta National. He talked about it recently with Rob Collins and Andy Johnson on the Fried Egg Golf podcast. “How did Jordan hit that tee shot off the tree? Well, those trees really hang over. It doesn’t, doesn’t take much from that back tee to bring those in play. And we always see some really awful tee shots there in recent years because it’s just, it’s a hard tee shot from back there. Uh, and awkward, it’s awkward, ” said Shackelford, backing the 3x major champion in a way.

Do you think Jordan Spieth can wear the green jacket again this time? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!