Skip to content

Spieth unsure where tee shots are going: It's 'not a great feeling'

Gregory Shamus / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Jordan Spieth revealed a jarring lack of confidence off the tee following his opening-round 73 at the U.S. Open on Thursday.

"Standing on a tee at the U.S. Open and not exactly knowing where the ball is going to go is not a great feeling," Spieth said, describing a sensation that's familiar to most golfers.

"But I'll grind it out," he added. "I don't ever give up. I have no reason to. I'm here."

Spieth split the fairway with his first drive of the day, but then he lost his ball in the right trees on No. 2. He logged a bogey and a double-bogey to start to his day before rattling off three consecutive birdies to get back to even par.

However, the three-time major winner only hit three of 14 fairways at a course that punishes inaccurate drivers. His 3-over round placed him outside the top 70 when his round concluded.

So what's the fix? Spieth isn't sure.

"I'd love to, but the second I try and just pick a tree and swing at it, the ball goes pretty far offline," Spieth said about trying to play more freely and moving away from relying on swing mechanics. "There still needs to be focus on the mechanics."

"There's a lot that's off. I'm not really sure," he continued. "If I knew, I'd fix it."

Spieth won't get much time to correct the issues before his second round begins at 1:16 p.m. ET on Friday.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox