Jordan Spieth breaks Masters record

Edited by Anand Datla

April 12, 2015: The numbers speak to what kind of a Masters Tournament this has been for Jordan Spieth. In addition to being in good position to capture his first Green Jacket — and major championship — on Sunday, Spieth has set or is threatening statistical milestones at Augusta National.

Despite a double bogey on the 17th hole and thanks to a deft pitch-and-putt par on No. 18, he shot a 70 for a 16-under 200 total after 54 holes. That broke the Masters record of 201 set by Raymond Floyd in 1976 and matched by Tiger Woods in 1997. Both Floyd and Woods went on to win the next day.

Spieth will need to shoot a 69 Sunday to break Woods’ 72-hole Masters scoring record of 18-under 270 in 1997. Floyd (1976) and Jack Nicklaus (1965) have the next lowest 72-hole score of 271.

The 21-year-old Texan is the first person at the Masters to hold the outright lead after each of the opening three rounds since Greg Norman in 1996. Spieth’s 22 birdies through 54 holes broke Woods’ mark of 21 in 2005. Phil Mickelson has the Masters record for most birdies in 72 holes, making 25 in 2001.

If Spieth is able to ride his four-stroke, 54-hole lead to victory, he would become only the fifth wire-to-wire Masters champion, joining Craig Wood (1941), Arnold Palmer (1960), Nicklaus (1972) and Floyd (1976). Spieth’s 36-hole total of 130 set a Masters record and his five-stroke margin equaled the biggest halfway lead.

When Spieth birdied the 15th and 16th holes late Saturday afternoon to get to 4-under for his round, he was poised to shoot under 70 for the third straight day. His double bogey at No. 17 thwarted that possibility and an opportunity to do something never achieved at the Masters.

Three rounds in the 60s have been shot at the Masters 38 times by 32 players. Phil Mickelson is the only golfer to have done it three times. Woods, Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Luke Donald have done it twice.

Twelve times someone has broken 70 each of the opening three rounds. No one, however, has ever been in the 60s for four rounds at Augusta National since the Tournament began in 1934.

The feat has been accomplished in the other three majors. Lee Trevino (1968) and Lee Janzen (1993) did it at the U.S. Open. Six players have achieved it at the Open Championship, including three winners: Norman (1993), Nick Price (1994) and Woods (2000). It has happened most often in the PGA Championship, 15 times, with five players winning as a result, the most recent being David Toms in 2001.

Spieth perhaps can take heart from Floyd’s experience four decades ago, although Spieth’s four-stroke lead over Justin Rose is half of the margin Floyd had over Nicklaus with a round to go in 1976. Floyd, too, had followed his torrid opening 36 holes with a third-round 70. A closing 70 gave him an eight-stroke victory over Ben Crenshaw and the second of his four career major titles.

A year ago in his first Masters, Spieth went into the final round tied with Bubba Watson. He took the outright lead early on the first nine Sunday, but bogeyed Nos. 5, 8 and 9 to lose his momentum. He tied for second with Jonas Blixt, and the Tournament has been on his mind often.

“All the time. We always think of Masters Week,” Spieth said. “This is the greatest week in our sport. And, you know, last year definitely left a bad taste in my mouth. I’ve been looking to get back, looking at trying to get some revenge on the year. I’ve got a long way to go still.”