Jordan Spieth has hinted at censorship from Augusta National officials after taking the rare stance to bemoan one quirk of the famed Masters course.
Spieth, the 2015 champion, has vented his frustration at the amount of mud balls he has been picking up on the fairways of the hallowed grounds.Mud balls have long been a feature of the Masters from tee shots, perhaps because of the way the pristine grass is mown in the direction of the tee boxes, causing balls to dig into the surface.
But Spieth, who shot a three-under 69 in Saturday’s third round, has clearly had enough.“My iron play killed me the last two days and to be brutally honest with you, it was primarily mud balls,” the three-time major champion explained.
Spieth then made a comment that might risk the wrath of the green jackets.
“It’s just so frustrating because you can’t talk about them here,” he said.
“You’re not supposed to talk about them. Mud balls can affect this tournament significantly, especially when you get them a lot on 11 and 13. They’re just daggers on those two holes.”He added: “There’s like less than normal but I still had them today on those holes.
“I had them yesterday on those holes. It’s something to pay attention to for sure for leader groups, because you just have to play so far away from trouble or lay up when you’d normally go for it, just random stuff, because it will affect it significantly.
“And if you’re on the wrong side of the hole you’re either in the water or you almost can’t make par depending on what hole it is. Look, it’s mowed into the grain. The ball is digging in on every shot. A lot of times you have it on 75% of your drives.“Obviously the lower you hit it, the less chance. But, every person is having to deal with it. The fact that you’re not supposed to talk about it is a bit frustrating because it is a difference maker. It can be a difference maker in scores on some holes.”