There was a time when Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus would banter at the Masters about how many green jackets Tiger Woods would win after his runaway 1997 victory at age 21.
And he has won four, matching Palmer and two short of Nicklaus’ record.
But Jordan Spieth, 24, has stamped himself again as the player to beat after a first-round 66 on Thursday in the 82nd Masters.
He has followed that first Masters win at age 21 with a U.S. Open victory in 2015 and a British Open victory in 2017.
A look at his previous four Masters appearances:
2017
Last April, Spieth shot his worst round at the Masters with a 75 in the first round. And yet on Sunday was in position to challenge for the victory before he fell off with another 75.
Scores: 75-69-68-75
Place after rounds: 41-10-4
Finish: Tied for 11th as Sergio Garcia won a playoff against Justin Rose.
2016
Spieth shot a 66 in the first round and seemed headed to a coronation of back-to-back wins here when he quadruple-bogeyed No. 12 on Sunday, shooting a 73.
Scores: 66-74-73-73
Place after rounds: 1-1-1
Finish: Tied for second with Lee Westwood, three strokes behind winner Danny Willett.
2015
Spieth shot a first-round 64, and then set the 36-hole record at 130. He was the first Texan to win the Masters since Ben Crenshaw in 1995.
Scores: 64-66-70-70
Place after rounds: 1-1-1
Finish: First by four strokes over Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose.
2014
Spieth, at age 20, was tied for the lead after 54 holes with Bubba Watson. But Spieth bogeyed Nos. 8 and 9 while Watson birdied both, and Watson won by 3.
Scores: 71-70-70-72
Place after rounds: 12-3-1
Finish: Tied for 2nd with Jonas Blixt of Sweden
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