Gary Player: Spieth ‘might be as good a putter as I’ve seen’
A member of the original Big Three has weighed in on the new Big Three (or Four).
In an interview with The Scotsman, Gary Player said that he had once thought Tiger Woods, at his peak, was the greatest putter he had ever seen. And there are plenty of reasons — and video evidence — to suggest Player should still feel that way.
However, after seeing what Jordan Spieth has accomplished in his career, at just 22, Player has reconsidered and elevated Spieth to Woods’ level, if not higher, with the flatstick.
“Rory McIlroy and Jason Day have the best swings of the ‘Big Three’ at the moment, but Spieth might be as good a putter as I’ve seen,” Player said.
Player has a point. While Spieth has worked to improve his swing speed and add some yards off the tee, McIlroy and Day seemingly have unlimited power reserves that they can call on to blast the ball 30, 50 yards past Spieth. However, both McIlroy and Day are streaky putters. If the putter goes, power can only push a player so far. In Spieth’s case, he can use his short-game command and grinder mentality to make poor play from tee-to-green look better — and even sometimes win.
Perhaps that why Player suggested Spieth may do the best of the three in the end.
“It’s going to be fascinating to see who does the best among Spieth, McIlroy and Day,” he said. “But that old saying the Scottish people came up with, ‘You drive for show and putt for dough,’ is so damn true.”
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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