Putting woes derail Spieth: I 'struck the ball well enough to win'

The flatstick seriously hindered Jordan Spieth at Augusta National over the weekend.

Spieth was brilliant from tee to green in his quest for a second green jacket, but a subpar display on the putting surfaces kept him from contending for the title and saw him finish in a tie for third. While that's certainly an impressive showing, the 27-year-old admitted it was difficult for him on the greens this week.

"I struggled a little bit with it. I've been trying to do some patterns with it that feel like more than just a little draw or a little cut path," Spieth said after the round. "I've had to mess with shaft angle and stuff just on bad tendencies I got into. So that's continued work as well."

Spieth missed 12 putts that were 10 feet or less over the weekend, including a Saturday round that was his worst on the greens in his career at Augusta. While the putter was an issue, there's no doubt his ball-striking was on point, something he acknowledged after the tournament.

"I hit some good putts, burned a lot of lips, certainly struck the ball well enough to win the golf tournament, and they just didn't go in," Spieth said. "Certainly had them go in here plenty of times."

With his fifth top-3 showing in eight career starts at the Masters, Spieth will surely rise again in the world rankings from his current spot at No. 38. He's been on a tear since falling to No. 92 after the Farmers Insurance Open in January, capped by his first win since 2017 at last week's Texas Open. Spieth will look to improve his flatstick at next month's PGA Championship on Kiawah Island.