Well, that was fast.
Jordan Spieth’s reign atop golf’s world rankings lasted just two weeks, as the 22-year-old Texas wunderkind played another disjointed round in The Barclays at Plainfield Country Club on Friday. His second-round 3-over 73 made for a 36-hole total of 7-over, as he missed the cut by five shots.
That means going into the second leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs, next week at the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston, it will be Rory McIlroy again as world No. 1, a title he held for just over a year until Spieth’s terrific season allowed him to usurp it two weeks ago.
“It is what it is,” said Spieth, who won this year’s Masters and U.S. Open, finished fourth at the British Open and second at the PGA Championship. “Hopefully I can just retain it when we’re both playing in the same tournament.”
McIlroy took off this week in hopes of helping his ailing ankle, having torn a ligament in early July that forced him out of action until the PGA two weeks ago. There, Spieth finished second by himself to Jason Day, and got his first taste of what it’s like to be atop the mountain.
“I’ve reached that peak already and I know it’s going to be close enough to where, if I just get the job done next week, I’ll be back in that ranking,” Spieth said. “But again, that ranking, it’s great once you reach it, but it’s not something that I’m going to live or die on each week.
“It doesn’t really make much of a difference. If you go on a three- or four-year cycle, Rory is No. 1 in the world. If you go just based off of this year, I am. They just use two years.”
For the second straight day, Spieth was the worst in his powerhouse threesome, with Bubba Watson shooting a scrappy 2-under 68, getting him to 7-under for the tournament, with a one-shot lead going into the weekend.
Day was the other member of the group, and he shot a second consecutive 2-under 68, making him part of a 13-player group that is three shots or closer to Watson’s lead.
“Bubba, he’s got some good control with his ball, and he’s going to be tough to catch,” Day said. “But I think the weekend is going to be a challenge out there.”
Spieth was visibly upset throughout Friday’s round, hitting just six of 14 fairways, and again looking uncomfortable over the putter. Yet the lowlight of the day came when he was looking for his ball in a murky hazard on the 12th hole — and stepped on it, incurring a one-shot penalty en route to a double-bogey.
“I don’t think that situation will come up again,” Spieth said, “and if it does, then it’s just unlucky.”
It’s not uncommon for the young Spieth to have off-weeks. He already has accrued 11 missed cuts in his young pro career. (It took Jack Nicklaus until the age of 40 to reach the same number.)
“I’m definitely searching for answers,” Spieth said. “I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do from here as far as how I get prepared for next week, but I have some time to figure it out.”
Even with his fall in the world ranking, Spieth likely will still be in the top 5 in the FedEx Cup rankings come next week. He was quick to point out last year’s FedEx winner, Billy Horschel, missed the cut at The Barclays, and still went on to take the $10 million first prize at the end of the four-tournament playoffs.
So even with Watson in the lead, and with Day on his tail — along with the likes of Henrik Stenson, Zach Johnson and Jason Dufner all within three shots — Spieth still has a big-time goal in sight.
“In my mind,” Spieth said, “it’s just about trying to win the FedExCup at this point.“