The ball… it’s going that way…

This week’s card will come as no surprise to most, as Jordan Spieth’s meltdown was seen by just about all who care about the game. Already there have been hyperbolic headlines and columns about just how big of a collapse it was, comparing his flop to the likes of Mickelson, Norman, and even van de Velde. While most of the comparisons are over the top (this was nowhere near van de Veldeian), Spieth’s card was one for the ages as Augusta National proved once again to be the most exciting back nine in golf.

Now, before Sunday’s fireworks even came about, Spieth provided a quality opener with his Saturday back nine:

Saturday’s Back Nine

This, my friends, is a solid way to shoot +1 on a side. He’s got a bit of everything: only three pars, two doubles, three birdies, and every number from 2-6 covered. Lovely, and just a hint of what was to come. Sunday’s front nine may have started innocently enough but

Sunday’s Front Nine

Now, three pars and a par-5 birdie through four holes is just about as tame as it gets, but just you wait. A heady bogey on hole 5 to lull onlookers into a false sense of lassitude before ripping off four straight to close out the side. I was fairly sure at the time that Jordan would not make another par or worse for the rest of his life. How could he lose this thing? Well…

Sunday’s Back Nine

The ol’ bogey-bogey-quad. Larry at the muni starts breaking clubs at this point, and Spieth’s 4-stroke lead becomes a 3-shot deficit in about a half hour. When the hell was his last par anyway. Oh, right, at the 4th. Birdies on the par-5s brought victory back into the realm of possibility, but Spieth failed to convert a shortish birdie attempt at 16. That, as they say, was that.

You can find Jordan Spieth’s full scorecard here.