Sips of Maginnes: Spieth's rock star status; Adams' putter fix

text size

Carroll/Getty Images

Jordan Spieth, 16, with Corey Pavin during the final round of the HP Byron Nelson Championship.

I love short par 4s. Not only because I was pound for pound the shortest player on the PGA TOUR for several years but because they can make the best players in the world scratch their heads and then look foolish.

Related

Maginnes column archive
React in the FanZone

The 11th hole at the TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas is a great one and proved it again on Sunday as three men, all looking for their first PGA TOUR victories, had very different results there. Blake Adams, who led by one at the time, laid up and made bogey. Jason Day drove his ball past the green and got it up and down for birdie. Jeff Overton went for the green but blocked it into the trees and made bogey.

For Day, the 11th provided a two-shot swing on two different players and he took the lead into the final seven holes. He made it count, too, when the 22-year-old Aussie hung on and won the HP Byron Nelson Championship by a stroke.

* Dads with teenage daughters generally don't like teenage boys. And professional golfers with teenage daughters like three-putts, fat wedges and double bogeys far more than they like teenage boys.

So perhaps it was only fitting on Saturday that 16-year-old Jordan Spieth was paired with Brooke's (16) and Kristen's (15) dad for the third round of the HP Byron Nelson Championship. Tom Pernice Jr. is, of course, the consummate PGA TOUR pro. He treated Jordan with the same respect he would any other competitor on the first tee and even encouraged him throughout the round.

Jordan, though, had a slightly different take, "I didn't know whether to call him Mr. Pernice or Tom so I just said 'good shot.' I mean, he is kind of like the father of one of my friends."

* Chris Smith played the weekend on the PGA TOUR this week for the first time since the tragic accident that took his wife and seriously injured his children nearly a year ago. It was great to see Chris finding some form with his game. Although he finished at 1 over and wasn't a factor in the ultimate outcome, it was a huge step forward for Chris as the second act of his career and his life moves forward. More importantly he continues to conduct himself with tremendous grace and professionalism. What a great example he is setting for his children Abigail and Cameron.

* On Saturday afternoon Jordan Spieth's mother said that the crowds were so deep that she had to miss all the tee shots on the second nine. The crowd following Spieth looked more like a teenage hoard holding tickets for a Jonas Brothers concert than your typical golf gallery. And they couldn't have been any louder at a Lady Ga Ga show. It was quite a scene as the 16-year-old stole the show on Saturday, playing his way into contention and staking claim to a piece of golf's future.

* Blake Adams was predictably excited about his rookie season on the PGA TOUR. But at the first tournament of the year his golf bag fell off a golf cart and broke his trusty flat stick. When re-shafting and re-gripping failed to replicate the old reliable Blake went on a putter search.

"I've been through at least a dozen since then," he said after the second round of the HP Byron Nelson Championship. Earlier in the week, he found a TaylorMade Ghost that looked to be serviceable -- and it was. He averaged 27.5 putts for the week and ended up tied for ninth in that category. So the Ghost appears to have exorcised the demons of the putter search, and Adams posted a career-high tie for second.

* Blake Adams wasn't the only one with putter issues at the HP Byron Nelson Championship. Kenny Perry had sent his "old faithful" putter back to Ping to get bent. After two rounds at the Byron Nelson with 29 putts each, though, Kenny put his back-up putter in the bag for the weekend. He said that he holed a lot of important putts in Saturday's 26 total and consequently, he shot 66 in spite of hitting just two fairways. Kenny has been an interesting case study this year. He came into the week ranking 140th in putting average for the year after winning twice last year. Going into the final round he ranked third for the week but he finished tied for 37th after an average 32 on Sunday.

* More on the kid. On Sunday Spieth was back in school although he may not have realized it. He saw a traditional style of play in Tom Pernice Jr. on Saturday but on Sunday he was paired with a player who has one of the great imaginations in the game in U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Corey Pavin. Nothing about Corey's game resembles the modern bomb-and-gouge method. He works the ball around obstacles and plays expertly within the confines of his ability. The contrast between Corey and his much younger counterparts is unmistakable. He will be forever remembered for the 4-wood at Shinnecock that wrapped around the front bunker and settled 6 feet below the hole on the way to his U.S. Open victory. That was quintessential Pavin. More was on display on Sunday, and one can only hope that the kid was paying attention.