Spieth uses all facets of game for first-round lead | 2022 Masters
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Posted April 9, 2015, 8:31 pm
BY
David Lee

Spieth uses all facets of game for first-round lead

Augusta National Golf Club tends to play long, but as is case with most courses, it favors the golfer who can put together all facets of the game.

Jordan Spieth accomplished that by hitting fairways and greens, and putting tremendously well, en route to 8-under-par 64 on Thursday in the first round of the Masters Tournament.

Spieth wasn't the heaviest hitter off the tee in the first round, averaging 281 yards and posting a round-high 293. But he hit 11 of 14 fairways and gave himself shots into greens.

That resulted in hitting 83 percent of greens, tied for fifth for the round. It's well above his mark last year of 74 percent over four rounds.

Spieth didn't particularly stick his approach shots, but he left them within reasonable distance, and he let his putter finish the job. He made birdie putts of eight, 14, 11, 12, seven, two, three and 20 feet. Data shows an eight-foot putt has a 50-percent chance of being made on average by professional golfers, so Spieth was feeling it on the greens.

The strong approach and putting from Spieth isn't surprising. He's ranked fourth in Strokes Gained Tee to Green and fifth in Strokes Gained Putting this season. That sort of combination is why he's the fourth-ranked player in the world and leading the Masters by three shots at 21 years old.

Spieth is the youngest to shoot 64 in Masters history and tied for second-lowest first-round total in tournament history. He was within one stroke of matching the record for lowest score in major championship history.

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