Jordan Spieth’s time at The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale is over, and it ended in a way no golf fan ever wants to see. The man three-putted from just 3 feet, 11 inches away on the par-5 17th hole, leading to a jaw-dropping score of 9 on a single hole. Forget making the cut; this was an absolute nightmare that had him packing his bags and heading home way too early.
The Royal Birkdale Meltdown on the 17th
Can you even imagine? You’re playing in The Open Championship, on a par-5, and you end up just shy of four feet from the hole. At that point, Spieth was already three shots behind the projected cut line. The best he could hope for was a double bogey to keep some incredibly slim hopes alive. You step up, ready to tap it in, get the double, and move on. But that’s not what happened. He missed that double bogey putt. Okay, deep breath, next one for a triple. He missed *that* too! What should have been a short tap-in turned into a full-blown mental block, resulting in a shocking 9 on the hole. This wasn’t just a missed putt; it was a total unraveling right there on the green. It was, as social media users quickly pointed out, a classic case of the “yips.”
Is It The Yips? Social Media Says Yes
When you see a pro golfer struggle like that from such a short distance, especially twice in a row, the ‘yips’ conversation just explodes. It’s that dreaded mental block that turns the simplest stroke into an impossible task. Christopher Powers on X called it a “Grueling watch,” and honestly, he’s not wrong. It’s tough to witness any athlete, let alone someone as talented as Spieth, go through something like that. We’ve seen Spieth at his absolute best; he’s a truly great player capable of incredible things on the course. But the source material reminds us that when things go wrong for him, they sometimes go *very, very* wrong. This moment on the 17th wasn’t just wrong; it was a full-blown disaster that will be replayed for all the wrong reasons.
This painful exit from Royal Birkdale is definitely going to sting for Spieth. After a performance like that, you have to wonder what’s next. He’ll be looking to shake off this rough memory, re-group, and hopefully, find that “great player” form again when he tees off at his next event. Golf is as much a mental game as it is physical, and this weekend was a brutal reminder of just how fragile that mental edge can be.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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