Spieth stuns with 79 at Riviera for worst PGA Tour 1st round

Jordan Spieth didn’t see this coming. No one did. But, here we are.

Spieth shot 8-over 79 on Thursday to open the Northern Trust Open, where last year he finished a shot out of a three-man playoff eventually won by James Hahn. The poor start put him in a tie for next to last in a 144-player field.

Just as Spieth was mangling the finish with a three-putt double-bogey sixth on the 18th at Riviera Country Club, first-round leader Camilo Villegas wrapped up (with a bogey) an 8-under 63 that has him three clear of three players. The two players’ symmetrical scores to par leaves Spieth in a 16-shot hole heading into Friday’s second round.

“It’s just a day to forget,” Spieth said. “It’s one in, hopefully, every couple years. I’ve shot 80 before — I’ve shot in the 80s a couple times on tour. I think I shot 79 today. In the course of a career, I imagine it’s going to happen. Just unfortunate when it actually does.”

Spieth’s round spiraled out of control after making the turn. He played the final seven holes in 6 over par, including the stunning three-jack from 8 feet to close out the round.

Maybe, in a way, Spieth needed this. Last week at Pebble Beach, Spieth looked rusty — though he scored much better than he did Thursday — and he seemed completely miserable. Today? Not so much.

Spieth kept a decent poker face about the whole thing. He didn’t admonish himself. He didn’t slam clubs. He kept talking to playing partner and friend Justin Thomas, as well caddie Michael Greller. That’s not all to say Spieth deserves a ribbon for not taking out his frustrations Tiger Style, but rather that it’s an improvement in how Spieth has carried himself in the past during disappointing rounds.

“I felt like there was a couple rounds last week where I shot 2 under and I was more miserable than I was today,” Spieth said. “It’s amazing. I feel really confident about where my game is, and had a great range session.”

After the round, Spieth went to the range to work with instructor Cameron McCormick, who happened to travel with the world No. 1 this week. The swing may have looked fine, but it could have been an opportunity to reframe how he sets targets for his shots. He’s seemingly stuck thinking every green is as big as the ones at Kapalua, where he won the Hyundai Tournament of Champions by eight shots.

“I went through the next few tournaments after Hawaii thinking that that’s what I’m going to do every week,” Spieth said, “and I just need to manage the expectations and realize the greens aren’t 50-by-50 yards, so your misses aren’t still on greens and you don’t necessarily putt that well every week.”

So, even though Spieth trails the lead by 16 and the current cut line by eight, his Friday round is a good opportunity for live target practice. Call it youthful naivete, but Spieth thinks that if he can get squared away between now and his first tee shot on Friday that he might be able to make the cut.

“I’m not throwing this tournament away,” Spieth said. “I believe that I can shoot 10-under par on this golf course. … I’m not packing it in by any means.”

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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