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Letter from Sawgrass: Jordan Spieth’s first round was a mixed bag of good and bad

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That struggle with the demons in his swing is offset by the angels he still can conjure up.

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He’s not been his best self since his peak 2015, but golf fans still get their money’s worth with Jordan Spieth. Good … bad … often both at the same time.

The three-time major winner performed the full Jordan Spieth experience on Thursday morning at TPC Sawgrass. Through his first 12 holes, Spieth recorded three pars – one of them from deep in the trees after making the turn on one. He also had two bogeys, one double, three birdies including a pair of dagger darts to kick-in range and a pair of hole-out eagles – the first from 53 feet out of the bunker on 11 and the second from 77 well left on 16. The only putt outside of 3 feet that he made to get to 3-under in that span was an 11-footer on the par-5 second hole.

“I’m obviously very aware of what I’m doing, but, I mean, no, I feel like I’d like it to be boring,” Spieth said after posting a colorful 2-under 70 to sit four shots behind leader Lucas Glover in the first round of the Players Championship.

“All the volatility was just in those first five, six holes and from there it was just almost and just close to being really good.”

Earlier this season, the former world number one had plummeted to No. 85 in the Official World Golf Ranking before starting to bounce back with a T4 in Phoenix and a T9 two weeks ago at PGA National. He continues to fight with his game as he tries to get back to the consistent contender he once was back in his 20s.

That struggle with the demons in his swing is offset by the angels he still can conjure up.

“I’m still in a position right now where I’m still not at the place I want to be and just trying to work my way there,” he said. “So when that happens there’s going to be volatility. I don’t feel super tight yet, but I do feel like I’m on the right path and I’ve had a number of tournaments where I’ve played boring towards the end and I’ve had plenty where there’s volatility, too.

“A lot of the times when it happens it’s when I’m trying to do too much, and that’s when I’m aware of it and that’s the most frustrating one. Bad swing, you go learn how to make better swings.”

Spieth has always struggled to come to terms with the Pete Dye Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. Since tying for fourth in his Players debut in 2014, he’s missed six of nine cuts and his only finish better than 40th was a T19 in 2023. Sitting in red figures within striking distance of contention is a bit of a bonus, considering, even after his ideal birdie-eagle start to the round on 10 and 11.

“I got off to a dream start, and then I just wasn’t very tight off the tee today, and out here eventually that will hurt you,” he said. “But I battled really well on my second nine. Posting two-under when out here a lot of times for me when I’m a little off I’ve shot over par in the first round and really feel behind. Been driving the ball pretty well. Today was not one of those days, so I’ll go try to tighten it up and hit more fairways tomorrow.”

That’s always a solid script, but one Spieth rarely follows in his adventurous career.

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Paige Spiranac’s surprising NFL fandom confession triggers heated debate over loyalty, authenticity, and fan culture

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The 2026 NFL Draft starts Thursday night in Pittsburgh, and the spotlight isn’t only on prospects and front offices. Golf influencer Paige Spiranac has again found herself pulled into NFL conversation, this time for her open support of multiple teams.

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With the Steelers hosting the first round, her long-standing connection to Pittsburgh has resurfaced. But it’s not just about hometown ties. Her broader fandom, which stretches beyond one franchise, continues to draw mixed reactions at a time when fan loyalty is often treated as non-negotiable.

Paige Spiranac roots for 2 NFL teams: Who are they?

Paige Spiranac has never hidden where her loyalties lie, even if they don’t fit the usual mold. She has consistently pointed to her roots while leaving space for other allegiances.

“Both my parents are from Pittsburgh so I’ve been a Steelers ..fan since the day I was born. I also love the Bills. It’s a complicated relationship…Who’s your team?” she previously asked her followers. It’s a candid admission, one that reflects personal history more than calculated fandom.

Still, the reaction has been sharp. NFL culture tends to rew ..

 

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Quiet moments on the course can say a lot about what’s coming next.

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Sometimes the most important work happens when nobody is really watching.
Lexi Thompson was out on the 18th green, working through her putting during a practice round ahead of the Chevron Championship in Houston.

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It’s a simple scene, but it shows the kind of quiet preparation that goes into these big tournaments—getting the feel of the greens, adjusting to conditions, and building trust in every stroke.

These are the small details that can shape how a player starts when the pressure kicks in.

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Predicting what will happen to Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson if LIV Golf collapses

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It looks like LIV Golf is over.

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The Saudi Public Investment Fund has reportedly decided that this league simply isn’t worth the hole it’s burning in their pocket, and they’re pulling funds at the end of 2026.

That gives them less than a year to seek new investment. While CEO Scott O’Neil seems confident, it’s going to be extremely difficult to secure funding for a league that is operating at such eye-watering losses.

So this probably pulls the curtain closed on one of the most turbulent, frustrating, confusing, and ridiculous eras in golfing history. Hopefully, we can all return to some reality after the year is over.

But there is still so much uncertainty surrounding golf’s future thanks to this. Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed saw the signs early and jumped ship, but they did that with some leverage. So what on earth is going to happen to the rest of these players who didn’t take the olive branch when it was offered to them?

Feelings will be hurt, and careers will be ended. Let’s take a look.

Jon Rahm rejoins the PGA Tour

Koepka returned to the PGA Tour under the returning member program, which saw him pay $5 million to charity, accept that he’ll receive no FedEx Cup bonus money, and agree he cannot be a sponsor exemption for the 2026 signature events.

 

That same deal was offered to Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. They didn’t accept it, but a similar offer will likely be handed out to them again.

 

If LIV Golf folds, Rahm will not hold the same leverage as Koepka did, but he is a bigger star at this stage of his career. Make no mistake, the PGA Tour will want him back immediately.

But Rahm does risk leaving himself without any options at all. Reed didn’t come straight back to the PGA Tour, so he’s spending a year on the DP World Tour first. You’d imagine Rahm would consider doing the same, but it might not be so easy for him.

Rahm is in a feud with the DP World Tour, as the only one of eight players to reject a deal which would have seen him retain his full-time membership. If Rahm agreed to play in six DP World Tour events this year, then he could have played on both LIV Golf and the tour. He did not agree.

For now, his membership is at risk. So, will it be possible for him to spend a season on the DP World Tour like Reed? Maybe not. That makes it all the more likely that Rahm will be back on the PGA Tour the moment LIV folds.

Bryson DeChambeau does YouTube full-time

With DeChambeau, I don’t think it’s as much of a done deal that he returns to the PGA Tour. Not immediately anyway.

He’s been negotiating his contract with LIV, which expires at the end of this season. During these negotiations, he’s made it very clear that he is completely willing to step away from full-time competition and be a full-time YouTuber.

DeChambeau’s channel has over two million subscribers, so he could feasibly do that with all of the money he’s making there.

He was annoyed to see LIV move to a four-day format, so he could commit himself fully to being the content king. It would be a wild thing to do, but it’s also exactly the kind of move you could see the two-time major winner making.

He could qualify for The Open Championship and the US Open, and earn enough points there to play The Masters and the PGA Championship. It’s possible.

He does seem to live for competition, so maybe YouTube won’t quite scratch the itch, but it is on the table for DeChambeau. At least for a year until his suspension expires. Out of Rahm and DeChambeau, the American is absolutely the least likely to take a deal.

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