Spieth has no reason to worry

He can’t close out a golf tournament anymore.

He can’t find the fairway off the tee.

He can’t knock in clutch putts.

Sounds like Tiger Woods, but it’s not about him. This is the chatter about Jordan Spieth, the world’s No. 2 golfer, and what’s happened to his game as of late.

Guess what?

There’s nothing to be concerned about. Sure, Spieth faded Sunday after getting himself in contention after 54 holes at the AT&T Byron Nelson. Sure, Spieth missed the cut at the Players Championship in his first start since the Masters. And sure, he blew up down the stretch at Augusta National in April.

The dip in form, though, isn’t abnormal.

What Spieth did in 2015 was ridiculous. Reaching the same heights as last season was an unfair expectation. Look at the numbers from his 2015 campaign: 68.94 scoring average (tops on the PGA Tour), 62.91 percentage with driving accuracy (80th on tour), 67.87 percentage with greens in regulation (49th on tour) and .571 putting strokes gained (second on tour).

So far in 2016, this is what Spieth’s statistical ledger looks like: 69.90 scoring average (sixth on tour), 62.62 percentage with driving accuracy (76th on tour), 64.97 percentage with greens in regulation (118th on tour) and .428 putting strokes gained (32nd on tour).

He won five times for all of 2015, while registering one victory this season thus far. But in an instant gratification culture, it’s what have you done for me lately. Golf isn’t a sport that is built on a fast pace. It’s a grind, especially at the highest level. Therefore, let’s not be so quick to jump down Spieth’s throat asking the question of what’s wrong with his game.

He’s never been the guy everyone pointed to as having that classic swing, but it worked for him. He’s been the player with an incredible thirst to succeed and cashed in on miscues by other players, such as Dustin Johnson’s misstep at the 72nd hole of the 2015 United States Open, while drilling all the clutch putts to rack up a banner year.

Prior to 2015, Spieth had one career victory on the PGA Tour. He blossomed as a bona fide star last season. This isn’t a long decline. It’s a blip on the radar. Spieth, himself, even took to social media with a response after missing the cut at the Players Championship with a tweet directed at his haters.

Clearly, Spieth isn’t concerned. And neither should the golf world.

Lefty’s legacy: Phil Mickelson’s name was splattered all over for all the wrong reasons recently. Lefty’s golf game wasn’t at the forefront. Instead, it was his alleged indiscretion with insider trading from Dean Foods, where he reportedly earned $931,000 plus interest. However, Mickelson escaped the Securities and Exchange Commission’s wrath. He did this with the help of a previous legal precedent involving a man named Thomas Newman, whose insider trading case (his conviction was overturned) gave new protection to traders that are separated by at least one degree from the original information source.

So does this tarnish Mickelson’s legacy? Only time will tell, but the SEC saga has withered to a murmur. And in today’s fast-changing climate, Mickelson’s golf — and not this off-course episode — is what fans will likely remember the most.

This story was originally published May 26, 2016 at 12:51 AM with the headline "Spieth has no reason to worry."