AUGUSTA, Ga. — Jordan Spieth knows he is not supposed to talk about it, but then he went ahead and talked about it anyway. At length. Apparently, any mention of mud balls draws the ire of the powers that be at Augusta National Golf Club, but the 2015 Masters champion insists that mud balls are the X-factor in determining the outcome of the year’s first major. Spieth posted an early three-under 69 on Saturday, a result that fell far short of elevating him into contention as he stood at one under, and though Spieth didn’t make a bogey in the third round, he couldn’t help lamenting one key aspect of his performance that held him back.
“My iron play killed me the last two days, and to be brutally honest with you, it was primarily mud balls,” the Texas native said. “It’s just so frustrating because you can’t talk about them here. 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.”
Mud has a significant effect on the flight of a ball, making shots more unpredictable, as detailed in this 2020 Golf Digest story. Augusta National has sand capped the fairways to minimize the issue, but apparently it’s still a thing, especially on the holes at Amen Corner, which is the lowest point on the property.
“They’ve done a better job … there’s like less than normal, but I still had them today on those holes [11 and 13]. I had them yesterday on those holes. It’s something to pay attention to for sure for the 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.”
Spieth, 31, has driven the ball particularly well the last two days, hitting 12 of 14 fairways on Friday and 11 on Saturday. So he would notice the trend. And Augusta does seem to facilitate that balls are going to pick up mud through agronomic practices.
“Look, it’s mowed into the grain,” he said of the fairways. “The ball is digging in on every shot. A lot of times you have it on 75 percent of your drives. It’s definitely getting better, but it’s like the key holes, when they pitch into … even on 8, it’ll pitch into, even though it’s a downhill shot. I’m surprised on 11, but you’ll get them on 13 and 15 a lot, and it’s like, ‘all right, well, here we go.’”
“Every person is having to deal with it, but 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.”
Sounds like something to keep in mind over the next few days as leaders battle more than their nerves and the test in front of them.