"Why is he sending out Jordan Spieth"- USA Ryder Cup fans in disbelief after Saturday foursomes were revealed
Jordan Spieth performed below expectations in his first Ryder Cup appearance. Fans are unhappy with the overall performance of the American team, and Spieth's play is one of the most criticized.
Teaming up with Justin Thomas, Spieth tied his four-ball match against Viktor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton on Friday afternoon. Fans were expecting much more and took to social media to make their voices heard.
Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas did not play foursomes on Friday, but they will play in the second round on Saturday morning. Keeping their first appearance in mind, fans have been complaining about them being given this chance to play.
Let's take a look at some of the reactions on social network X:
"Why is he sending out Speith"
Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas reached the 18th hole to win their match, but a birdie putt by Viktor Hovland led the Europeans to victory. Meanwhile, the United States finished the first day of the Ryder Cup with three ties and five losses.
Jordan Spieth at the Ryder Cup
The captains of the two 2023 Ryder Cup teams, Zach Johnson and Luke Donald, announced their pairings for the second round of foursomes on Saturday morning. Once again, Johnson made decisions that American fans found controversial.
While Donald stuck to the same line that led to his victory on Friday morning, Johnson made several changes from the first round of foursomes at the Ryder Cup.
One was to put the pairing of Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in the field. As mentioned above, fans still remember Spieth's performance on Friday. But it doesn't hurt to remember what the three-time major champion's Ryder Cup run has been like.
Jordan Spieth has played in four editions of the Ryder Cup (2014, 2016, 2018, 2021), winning twice (2016 and 2021). His personal record is 9.5 points in 18 matches and he has eight wins, three draws and seven losses.
His performance in foursomes and four-balls is quite balanced. Excluding 2023, Spieth has three wins, one halved and two losses in foursomes, and three wins and two losses in four-balls. His worst performances have come in singles, where he just has one tie and three losses.
It is also good to remember that Spieth's performance when teamed with Justin Thomas has been quite remarkable. They have played six matches together in the last two Ryder Cups, winning five and losing one. They also have three wins and one loss in foursomes and two wins in four-balls.
Spieth's professional career spans 11 seasons, with 16 wins at the professional level, including 13 on the PGA Tour. He has won three major tournaments (The Masters Tournament and the U.S. Open in 2015 and The Open Championship in 2017). He is only one stop away from the Grand Slam of golf, the PGA Championship.