Jordan Spieth comes up just shy in hometown, poised for PGA

MCKINNEY, Texas — Before his round Sunday, Jordan Spieth wanted to be 25 under par on the 72nd tee.

He missed by one. One was the difference.

A birdie on the last hole of the AT&T Byron Nelson gave him second place alone and a sting he said he’d feel for a while. Spieth shot 5-under 67 to finish 25-under total, one stroke back of K.H. Lee, who became the first back-to-back winner of the tournament since Tom Watson achieved the Texas two-step in 1979 and 1980.

While disappointing to lose a meaningful tournament in his hometown, the one that gave him a sponsor exemption when he was in high school, Spieth said his performance through four rounds at TPC Craig Ranch gave him confidence, purpose and a sense of calm as he starts to focus on next week’s PGA Championship at Southern Hills.

“Good momentum going into next week,” said Spieth, who lacks only the PGA in a quest for the career Grand Slam.

Spieth started the fourth round in the final group, one stroke off the lead held by fellow Dallas resident Sebastian Munoz.

He shared the lead at times on a topsy-turvy afternoon. He showed glimpses of the Jordan Spieth of old, the one who putted boldly and delivered one quality iron shot after another.

He also made three bogeys through 10 holes. But the mistakes were past him at that point.

“I played the holes from there exactly how they were supposed to be played,” Spieth said. “Grabbed three more birdies and it just wasn't quite good enough.”

The drama built throughout the round and reached its apex at the tee of No. 14. Spieth was two shots behind Lee when he reached the short par 4.

The group ahead, which included the defending champion, allowed the final group to play in. Spieth drove the green.

He marked his ball. Then he watched Lee three-putt.

The par by the leader kept Spieth in the chase. He two-putted for birdie, reaching 24 under, a shot behind Lee.

It was that way until the end. Spieth saw Lee make a 6-footer for par on the long 16th and a gritty 12-footer for par on the short 17th. He watched from 245 yards away in the par-5 18th fairway as Lee lined up his putt for eagle. Lee two-putted for birdie, granting Spieth one more chance.

Spieth cut a 3-metal. It stalled in the crosswind. His ball landed just short of the green, near a seam in the grass, 30 feet from the hole. He chipped it close but not in.

“I would love to win it someday,” Spieth said. “I had a good chance here.”

He goes to Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a recent win (the RBC Heritage in April) and a pair of runners-up, including the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February. He appears well clear of the winless streak of 83 starts that ended at the 2021 Valero Texas Open, his 12th PGA TOUR title. He is making putts he used to miss.

“I thought I made some really nice 5-foot sliders down the stretch,” Spieth said. "Those are ones that I just put good fluid strokes, more judging line than speed. I was more outwardly focused than stroke focused. So that's really important under pressure as I look into a major.”

Spieth said last spring that he was seeking the swing of his youth. He said Sunday he felt much closer to that goal.

“I feel like I’ve got every shot,” he said.

He made an eagle and 29 birdies at the AT&T Byron Nelson. TPC Craig Ranch and Southern Hills Country Club are two different courses, but Spieth said he trusts his game to travel intact to Oklahoma.

“I don't feel like I have to go change much,” he said. “I just feel like I'm doing the right things.”