Jordan Spieth refuses interview after 3rd round of PGA Championship
Jordan Spieth hits out of a bunker on the 15th hole during the third round of the PGA Championship golf tournament, Saturday, May 18, 2019, at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
FARMINGDALE, N.J. — Jordan Spieth’s third round in the final group of the PGA Championship with runaway leader Brooks Koepka will have to speak for itself.
Spieth didn’t talk to the media.
Minutes after signing his scorecard on a scrambling round of 2-over 72, the 25-year-old Texan refused a request by The Associated Press for an interview.
A man with Spieth said no one in the media had asked to talk to the player after the round and he was not going to do a one-on-one interview.
Spieth, looking to become the sixth player to win the career Grand Slam, spent five minutes signing autographs for fans around the putting green at Bethpage Black. He then started to walk to the clubhouse when he was approached again by the AP, once more asking for an interview.
He was polite in his refusal, but he would not discuss his round that included two birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey. He will enter the final round tied for eighth place with Adam Scott, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele at 3 under, nine shots behind Koepka, who has a seven-shot lead.
“I did eight (interviews) yesterday and I think I have said most everything to be said,” Spieth said as he turned and walked away. “I’m good.”
Spieth, who shot 69 and 66 in his opening two rounds, said he would talk after the final round.
His third round was all over the place on the 7,459-yard public course. He hit seven of 14 fairways, 10 of 18 greens and needed 30 putts. His main problem was he couldn’t get anything close to the pin. His birdies putts came from 13 and 7 feet on Nos. 12 and 13. His double bogey on No. 9 resulted after he found a greenside bunker from the fairway, had his bunker shot land 47 feet from the hole and three-putted.
A shot from the fairway to a greenside bunker also cost him a bogey at No. 4. Missing the fairway led to a bogey at No. 16.
Spieth is winless since the 2017 British Open at Royal Birkdale. He had chances on the back nine of two majors last year and failed to capitalize.
In the eight stroke-play events this year when he played on the weekend, Spieth on average has finished 14.5 strokes behind the winner. He has yet to finish in the top 20, with his best result a tie for 21st at the Masters.
