Jordan Spieth started his FedEx Cup title defense in earnest on Thursday, shooting even-par 71 in his first competitive round at Bethpage Black on Long Island.
This is the first time The Black has hosted the playoff curtain-lifter since 2012, before Spieth was a PGA Tour member. After getting a few days to learn the A.W. Tillinghast design and playing it in Round 1, Spieth has come to realize there’s a warning sign before the first tee for a reason.
“It’s up there in the top few toughest courses I’ve ever played,” Spieth said. “If they made the greens firm today, it would have been unplayable on a few holes. It was very tough, challenging, but fair today. We just had it really, really tough in the afternoon with those winds so high.”
And that’s saying something considering this year’s major championship lineup included Oakmont Country Club, one of the world’s most difficult courses — a fact Spieth acknowledged ahead of the tournament.
“Oakmont is obviously challenging any time we play a U.S. Open, it’s tough,” he said. “But as far as an everyday-type golf course, obviously they grow the rough up here more than unusual. … You don’t have to do too much to [Bethpage Black]. You grow the rough up; you’ve got the fairway that bends this way or this way, and you hit into it and you’re fine. If you don’t, you’re penalized for it.”
Spieth felt that penalty down the stretch. After making three birdies in the first seven holes, he only made one more the rest of the way, on the par-5 13th. The world No. 3 knows that if he intends to move up from a tie for 33rd, five back of the lead after Round 1, he’s going to have to spend more time in the short grass.
“I think I hit seven (fairways) today, so I only hit half of them,” he said. “In order to win out here, you’ve got to hit more than that, so that’s really my takeaway today. Just need to drive the ball a bit better.”
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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