THE 2014 MASTERS GOLF TOURNAMENT: JORDAN SPIETH DID NOT BEAT JORDAN SPIETH

Now, down to a Tweet! Jordan Spieth, Give it your best. The wins will follow. Do not be motivated by winning. Be motivated to excel. That is what the Gita the greatest self-help book of all times - teaches us.

ANALYSIS OF JORDAN SPIETHS 2014 MASTERS ROUNDS

Table 1: Jordan Spieths Scorecard for four rounds at the 2014 Masters
Hole Number Par for hole Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 1 4 4 5 4 4 2 5 5 5 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 4 4 3 4 3 4 2 5 4 3 4 4 5 6 3 3 3 2 2 7 4 3 3 4 3 8 5 4 4 5 6 9 4 5 4 4 5 10 4 4 4 4 4 11 4 4 5 5 4 12 3 3 3 3 4 13 5 4 5 5 5 14 4 5 4 3 4 15 5 5 3 4 5 16 3 3 3 3 3 17 4 4 5 4 4 18 4 4 3 4 4 Front nine 36 35 35 35 35 Back nine 36 36 35 35 37 Total 72 71 70 70 72 Data Source: http://www.pga.com/masters/scoring/scorecard/34046 For the non-golfer, par in column 2 is the number of strokes a professional golfer is expected to take to get the ball into the hole, which depends on the layout of the golf course, which changes from hole to hole. The

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numbers in the other columns give the actual strokes taken during four rounds of golf. The lower the strokes the better is the performance of the golfer.

Table 2: Bubba Watsons Summary Scores: Four rounds at the 2014 Masters
Hole Number Front nine Back nine Total Par for hole 36 36 72 Round 1 35 34 69 Round 2 36 32 68 Round 3 36 38 74 Round 4 33 36 69

Data Source: http://www.pga.com/masters/scoring/scorecard/34046

Give it your best. The wins will follow. Do not be motivated by winning. Be motivated to excel. That is what the Gita teaches us (see discussion starting page 5). Now lets apply this standard of EXCELLENCE to Spieths rounds and compare Spieth with Spieth rather than Spieth with Watson. Bubba Watson clearly had three rounds that were better than Jordan Spieths in the 60s - as we see from the scores for all the four rounds. The data was obtained from PGA Tour website. Here we are using the traditional method of scoring, viz. the number of strokes taken by the golfer for each hole. But look again at what Spieth did. In all four rounds he played the front nine holes with a total of 35 strokes, or one under par. Even with the bogeys on holes 8 and 9 in round 4, considered to be the turning point, he still did just as well on the front nine in the final round. The four birdies (with one bogey) through hole 7 in the final round should have been a great motivator for Spieth. Instead, he bogeyed holes 8 and 9 and lost the momentum. But, even more revealing, he played the back nine on Sundays round 4 with 37 strokes. This was his WORST performance on the back nine. That was two strokes more than he needed in rounds 2 and 3; see also Figure 1. This is the reason Spieth did not win the Masters, at age 20, to become youngest in history to win the Masters, and the only one since Zoeller to win it on his first attempt. Spieth did not beat Spieth himself in round 4.
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Actual Strokes, S

5 4 3

2
1 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Par for hole, P

Figure 1: Comparison of Spieths round 3 (diamonds) with round 4 (red squares) using a simple x-y graph. The par for the hole, P, is plotted on the x-axis. We have par 3, par 4, and par 5 holes. The actual strokes taken, S, is plotted on the y-axis. The straight line through the origin is the demarcation between making birdies and bogeys. If the point falls on the line, the player makes par. If it falls below, a birdie (one stroke less) or eagle (two strokes less) is made. If the point falls above, it is either a bogey (one extra stroke) or a double bogey (two extra strokes). Spieth clearly had a better round 3 with two extra birdies than round 4.
Suggestion for veteran golf course designers like Mr. Jack Nicklaus. Why not design golf courses with par 1, par 2, and par 6 holes? Par 1 and Par 2 holes should be fun and test driving accuracy (finesse) while a super-humungus par 6 would test the ability to drive the ball really long (power).

In that sense, the bogey on 12 (with his ball finding the water, see Shackelford article quote on next page) and Watsons birdie on 13 were indeed the turning point. Spieth made par on hole 12 in all the three earlier rounds but bogeyed this hole in round 4. After Watsons bogey on 10, Spieth only had to make up one stroke. The bogey on 12 widened Watsons lead and, perhaps, motivated Watson to make the birdie on hole 13 and widen his lead to 3 strokes.
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Lets look at Spieth versus Spieth now more critically after the tide turned. Hole 13 was an opportunity missed. Birdie round 2, par round 4. Hole 14 was opportunity missed. Birdie round 3, par round 4. Hole 15 was opportunity missed. Birdies rounds 2 and 3, par round 4. Had Spieth matched Watsons birdie on hole 13, the 3-stroke deficit would never have materialized. Had Spieth played holes 14 and 15 like he did in the earlier rounds, Watsons lead would have evaporated and the momentum turned in Spieths favor before the 18th hole. That would have decided the tournament for an exciting Masters with, perhaps, even another playoff, as in the 2012 Masters that got Watson his first green jacket and Masters win. Spieth did not beat Spieth in round 4. That is the untold story of the 2014 Masters. Give it your best, Jordan. The wins will follow. Do not be motivated by winning. Be motivated to excel. Look at your own performance. Compare yourself with what other legendary players who have won the Masters have done, notably Tiger Woods in 1997. Dont be hungry for the win. Excel instead. The wins will follow. That is what the Gita teaches us. It is a lesson that Jordan Spieth could learn, or what that matter any athlete who wishes to rise to the top of his/her sport.
The two holes that sealed the Masters' fates of Bubba Watson and Jordan Spieth By Geoff Shackelford Sunday 9:31PM ET

http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2014/04/the-two-holes-thatsealed-the.html (Following taken verbatim from Shackelfords article.) Bubba Watson and Jordan Spieth agreed. The complexion of the 2014 Masters changed at the eighth and ninth holes, when Watson's birdies and Spieth's bogey led to a four-stroke swing.
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Still, anyone watching Sunday knows Spieth was still very much in the hunt until the series of events played out the 12th and 13th holes. First it was Spieth dunking his tee shot into Rae's Creek on the former. Then it was Watson laying into his drive on the 13th. These two holes were the true turning point of the final round. My thoughts: Speith should have been in the hunt even after hole 13. Thats what the analysis here shows.

In summary 1. Jordan Spieth did not have a single round in the 60s, unlike Bubba Watson. Clearly, Spieth performance needs improvement. 2. Jordan Spieths performance, especially in the back nine, actually deteriorated in the final round compared to earlier rounds. Jordan Speith fell short at the 2014 Masters because he could not beat Jordan Spieth of the earlier rounds.

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Table 3: Hypothetical Best Round for Jordan Spieths at the 2014 Masters
Hole Par Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Hypothetical Best 1 4 4 5 4 4 4 2 5 5 5 5 4 4 3 4 4 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 2 2 5 4 3 4 4 5 3 6 3 3 3 2 2 2 7 4 3 3 4 3 3 8 5 4 4 5 6 4 9 4 5 4 4 5 4 10 4 4 4 4 4 4 11 4 4 5 5 4 4 12 3 3 3 3 4 3 13 5 4 5 5 5 4 14 4 5 4 3 4 3 15 5 5 3 4 5 3 16 3 3 3 3 3 3 17 4 4 5 4 4 4 18 4 4 3 4 4 3 Front nine 36 35 35 35 35 29 Back nine 36 36 35 35 37 31 Total 72 71 70 70 72 60 Data Source: http://www.pga.com/masters/scoring/scorecard/34046 To live up to his promise (note, I did not say hype), Jordan Spieth must be able to produce the round shown in the last column here. He is talented. Now, all he has to do is to focus his energies (read the Gita verse). A record breaking 60 is what he could have produced. (Of course, we can do this for any golfer! Spieth is now the focus of the golf world.) Speith made an eagle on hole 15 in round 2, see http://www.galvestondailynews.com/news_ap/sports/golf/article_050873a6-73c5-5affac90-b34b3f5d089d.html See also http://www.scribd.com/doc/218982700/The-2014-Masters-Golf-TournamentJordan-Spieth-did-not-beat-Jordan-Spieth-in-the-final-round-and-so-lost-the-Masters http://www.scribd.com/doc/219052185/Hypothetical-2014-Masters-Golf-TournamentJordan-Spieth

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The following is from the post I just made on my Facebook page on April 16, 2014 (~ 6:44 PM)

Vj Laxmanan

37 mins Edited https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn

TWO THINGS TO AVOID AT WORK: SPORTS AND POLITICS That's what I learned a long time ago, and practiced it. But sports and religion?

S ll
O Arjuna, your authority only extends to the performance of your duties, never over their fruits. Do not be motivated by the fruits of such labor. And, do not also get attached to the idea of forsaking action. Srimad Bhagavad Gita, chapter 2, verse 47.

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TWO THINGS TO AVOID AT WORK: SPORTS AND POLITICS That's what I learned a long time ago, and practiced it. But sports and religion? They do mix and I have sometimes found the behavior of athletes as they try to win tournaments a nice topic of discussion within the context of Gita's teaching, especially the famous verse from the Gita, chapter 2, verse 47. KarmaNyeva adhikaaras te maa phaleshu kadacana l Maa karma phala hetur bhooh maa te sangastu akarmaNi ll 2.47 ll A young 20-year old named Jordan Spieth is now the talk of the golf world. He has risen rapidly up the golf rankings and is now No. 9 in the world http://www.pgatour.com/players/player.34046.jordan-spieth.html). He played at one of the most prestigious golf tournaments for the first time - the Masters, which concluded this Sunday, April 13, 2014. And he wanted to win it on his very first appearance. He wanted to win it so badly. And for a while, on Sunday, it appeared that he might. He was playing in the final group and shared the 54-hole lead with Bubba Watson, a terrific player, who had already won the Masters in 2012. Spieth made four birdies (and a bogey) over the first seven holes. At 4:01 PM, he was leading the tournament by two strokes.
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THE 2014 MASTERS LEADERBOARD AND SCORECARD

The 2014 Masters Leaderboard with the Top 5 Courtesy: http://www.masters.com/en_US/scores/index_low.html

The scorecard for the final round 4 on Sunday, in the over/under format used by Masters. A plus 5 means both Bubba Watson and Spieth were 5 under par at the start of round 4 on Sunday April 13, 2014. Spieth went to 8 under through hole 7 and then went down to 6 under by hole 9. Bubba took the opposite path and went from 6 under at hole 7 to 8 under by hole 9. A two-shot lead for Spieth had turned into a two-shot deficit. Over the period of the next 40 minutes, everything changed. Spieth made two bogeys (means took one additional stroke, compared to par, to get the ball
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into the hole) and lost his two-stroke lead. To make it worse, Watson made birdies (one less stroke than par) on the same two holes. The two stroke lead had suddenly changed into a two stroke deficit. Spieth was in shock! I did not watch the tournament after that and had to leave, just as Speith's 40 minutes of disaster struck. I remember saying though that the bogey on 8th hole could become the turning point if Jordan does not recover fast.
9 8

Score Overunder, S

7
6 5 4 3

Watson

Spieth

2
1 0 0 3 6 9 12 15 18

Hole Number (Round 4), N

Figure 2: Graphical representation of the Over/Under scores for Jordan Spieth (diamonds) and Bubba Watson (red squares) in the final round of the Masters on Sunday April 13, 2014; see the crossover at hole 7 and the separation of the two graphs between holes 12 and 13. Spieth never recovered. Holes 12 (Spieth bogey) and 13 (Watson birdie) further sealed his fate. By the 17th hole it was all over. Spieths dream of winning the Masters, that too on his first attempt, was shattered; see what he told his caddie on the 17th hole and the perspectives
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from professional golf writers. Watson won by three strokes - his second Masters victory in three years; http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/theloop/2014/04/the-two-holes-that-sealed- the.html http://golf.about.com/od/majorchampionships/l/bl2014masters.htm and http://www.golfchannel.com/news/joe-posnanski/spieth-learns-valuable-lessons-defeat/

Can Spieth win again? Sure, he can. He is only 20 years old. Thats what a lot of folks think. He has a ton of fans. But, something tells me, he will NOT because he has made it all about winning and not about giving it all the best on the golf course. Give it your best. The wins will follow. Do not be motivated by winning. Be motivated to excel. That is what the Gita teaches us. Krishna says in this verse as he discusses the topic of yogas and how to perform our actions, "(O Arjuna), Your authority only extends over your actions, never over their fruits or consequences. Do not be motivated by the (perceived) fruits of your actions. But, do not also get attracted to the idea of inaction, or the refrain from performance of your duties and actions." This young man needs to reflect on these ancient teachings. That pretty much is all I wanted to share here. The rest now is just idle discussion! The sad part, as I see it, is that nobody can talk to this kid. Everyone is adoring him. Nobody can find anything wrong with him - not even his parents. He is so full of himself and the golf world, and all the golf writers, are just egging him along; see http://www.golfchannel.com/news/joe-posnanski/spieth-tiger/. (Couples too was being egged on by Tiger all week with text messages, http://m.golf.com/892817/tiger-egged-on-fred-couples-via-text-atmasters/) There is no one out there to put some perspective into this kid about what he may be doing WRONG. Something did go WRONG, didnt it? What he told his caddie, as reported in the golf story I just read (see link) does not bode well and is inconsistent with the teachings of the greatest of all gurus - Krishna. That is why we say, KrishNam vande Jagadgurum. (I bow to Krishna, the guru for all the worlds; jagat all the worlds and vande I bow.) http://grantland.com/the-triangle/bubba-and-jordan-at-augusta/
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Comment Posted at 8:12 PM on April 16, 2014 http://espn.go.com/golf/masters14/story/_/id/10785511/2014-masters-jordan-spiethsays-sting-loss-last-awhile

The Gita has influenced the greatest minds all over the world and has also been quoted in Nobel Lectures on Physics. It goes beyond religion. It is a handbook about how to live our lives and excel in the performance of our duties, or whatever it is that we are engaged in. Krishna does declare that He is the Supreme Being (chapter 15, verse 15). He also declares (chapter 2, verse 27), Just as it is certain that everyone who is born will die, it is equally certain that everyone who has died will be born again. This idea of rebirth is unique to what we call Hinduism. Then in chapter 2, verse 51, and in chapter 6, verse 45, Krishna describes where we all get to after many births and rebirths, which lead us to higher and higher levels of perfection and make us perfect yogis. Minus these statements (about the Supreme, rebirth/reincarnation), the Gita becomes the handbook for life itself.
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Do see the following sources for the word-by-word meaning of the verse and the commentaries by two gurus. I have added my own word-by-word meaning, which, I believe, is more rigorously correct based on my years of study of Sanskrit, starting from a very young age. Some discussion by golf writers and fans is also added here, for additional perspective.
http://www.asitis.com/2/47.html Commentary by Srila Prabhupada, founder of ISKCON http://www.swami-krishnananda.org/bgita/bgita_05.html See Discourses 4 and 5 by Swami Krishnananda, on How to Live our Lives and Chapter 2 conclusions.

karmaniin the performance of ones prescribed duties; karmaNi is the locative case (the seventh case in conjugation of nouns in Sanskrit) of the noun karma and so in has to be used; see later phaleshu. evaonly; karmani + eva = karmanyeva following the rules for compounding of words in Sanskrit adhikarahthis word means authority but it is commonly translated as right; having authority over the performance of ones duties is a much better translation and its deeper implications can be understood much better than the commonly statement of having the right to perform ones duties tefor you; or belonging to you; adhikarah+te = adhikaraste, following the rules for compounding. maa--never; phaleshu--in the fruits (see use of in here, phaleshu is also locative case of phala); kadacana--at any time; ma do not (negation) karma-phalathe fruits of work, or ones labor; hetuhmotivation, reason, cause for ; bhuh--become; hetuh+bhuh = heturbhuh, following compounding rules ma--never; teto you; sangah--attachment; astu--be there; akarmani--in not doing, in the forsaking of your actions or duties.

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Spieth learns valuable lessons in defeat

By Joe Posnanski

April 13, 2014, 9:04 pm

My comment (in italics) posted on http://www.golfchannel.com/news/joeposnanski/spieth-learns-valuable-lessons-defeat/

It is called being "cocky". The I thought, I thought.... means, to me at least, I didnt do anything wrong. That just goes to prove he hasn't learned anything yet. May be he will, eventually, after this happens again in 2015 and then again in 2016 and when he is no longer the youngest to win the Masters and past the age that Tiger was when he won.

Jack Nicklaus may have said a lot of things about learning but one thing that needs to be said above all is: Be humble, even at the moment of your greatest triumph. I have been warning about Jordan Spieths cockiness since Saturday, long before he fell short on Sunday, as can be seen from what follows here.

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Ourgitapage shared a link. about a minute ago (as of 6:11 am on April 17, 2014)

GITA IN REAL LIFE On the Saturday before the final round of the 2014 Masters (on Sunday April 13, 2014), I posted a comment on the golf message board that Jordan Spieth was too "cocky" and that may be his undoing on Sunday. Surprisingly, my comment generated quite a bit of discussion and it was surprising because the discussion and comments were "civil" without the usual name calling in such forums. Then, I read some more about Jordan Spieth's reactions (I could not watch the full tournament on Sunday, because of the Tamil New Year celebrations at the temple, in the evening, that I have always attended) and posted the following brief article calling attention to Gita's most famous verse and how Spieth can benefit from it. In the revised version here, I have included some more links to the discussion, by golf writers, about Jordan Spieth's reactions. All of them point to one thing - his cockiness. He will NOT win unless that changes. That is the unpleasant truth that needs to be told here, with "hitam" in mind - I would like to see this young man change and reflect and become successful. Right now, he does not seem to realize that he is "justifying" himself and is mad with the world, or destiny, for it has done to him. That is much more than cockiness - it is downright dangerous and destructive. (The Sanskrit word hitam means welfare, caring for someone, or thinking about some ones good. It is found in chapter 17, verse 15 of the Gita. Our speech must be pleasant, it must be truthful, and must be aimed at some good. Unpleasant speech should always be avoided. If unavoidable, some hitam must invariably be its objective.) http://www.scribd.com/doc/218721972/The-Bhagavad-Gita-and-the-2014Masters-Golf-Tournament
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Heres the earlier comment from the ESPN golf forum and replies by several golf fans.

Vj Laxmanan Timeline Vj Laxmanan shared Michigan Engineering's photo. 8 hours ago

Brainteaser. If the wheel is turned as shown, will the load first rise or fall?

Left this here just for the fun of the readers who have come this far. The comment mentioned follows.

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Vj Laxmanan commented on an article. April 13 Edited He is too "cocky" and that may be his (Jordan Speith) undoing on Sunday. But, if he does win, I would call it the end of the Tiger era for sure. Besides his health and other mental issues, Tiger would have to contend with a whole army of such major winners at each major, many of whom have tasted major victories during Tiger's long long major drought.

O'Connor: Spieth's Masters dream within reach Like Stop Notifications Promote Share Like Stop Notifications Promote Share

Frank Pohl He's 20 years old, finished 10th on the money list in 2013, and sits currently at #12 on the money list. He has earned the right to be "cocky." Besides, this story talks about him speaking to people privately when he was a kid. Shouldn't be judged on that. April 13 at 3:22am Edited Like 1

Ken Becht He is CONFIDENT and GREAT players are. He willbe the face of golf, no question about it. He is the real deal and will be winning lots of majors including tomorrow. April 13 at 5:11am Like 2 Page 17 of 19

Vj Laxmanan Frank Pohl I was merely saying his cockiness may be his undoing, not judging him from his private remarks. BTW, nobody should ever be "cocky", earned or not. April 13 at 5:36am Like 1

Ben Johns Vj Laxmanan You probably haven't watched Spieth very much. He is far from cocky, and in the interview above refers to "Mr. Crenshaw" and "Mr. Nicklaus".

He is playing well, and plays with confidence but doesn't go around strutting, or bragging. If you heard him talk, and didn't know who it was, you would have a hard time guessing it was a 20 year old. April 13 at 9:14am Unlike 1

Frank Pohl Vj Laxmanan I disagree with you. There are so many elite athletes who were/are notoriously cocky. Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Lawrence Taylor, Joe Namath, Babe Ruth...off the top of my head but I'm sure I could go on and on. The best of the best often believe they are simply better than others even early in their careers when the evidence isn't there yet. They believe they are capable of things that nobody else thinks is reasonable. And they use that belief to push themselves beyond their normal limits and never stay satisfied with what they've got. Cockiness doesn't help every person. There can be a downside if other facets of the personality are flawed. But it's definitely not always bad. It's also not the only approach. Humility and self-awareness are helpful traits. But that's not the point. The point is that there's not only one approach, and cockiness, despite its dictionary definition, can be beneficial to a competitor. April 13 at 10:06pm Like

Vj Laxmanan Frank Pohl Good discussion, appreciate it. Humility and self-awareness are helpful traits. But that's not the point. To me, that tis the point,. One can be humble and also competitive and win. Rare talent but that is the standard I prefer. Page 18 of 19

April 13 at 10:18pm Like 1

Vj Laxmanan Ben Johns Yes, I haven't but I did today, but only through the front nine. (had other things to do and did not watch the finish!) He is certainly more pleasant than his cockiness reputation but may be that was because of the circumstances of this Masters... u know April 13 at 10:20pm Like

Vj Laxmanan Ben Johns Waiting to hear him talk about Mr. Woods too! April 15 at 12:02am Like

P. S. I sincerely hope the addition of these comments here, with full attribution, will be acceptable to all concerned, including ESPN and the other of the article that prompted these comments and discussion.

Thomas Boswell Columnist

78th Masters: Jordan Spieth comes close but falls short on the final day http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/othersports/78th-masters-jordanspieth-comes-close-but-falls-short-on-the-final-day/2014/04/13/2ac74b14c360-11e3-b195-dd0c1174052c_story.html
Within an hour of finishing runner-up, Spieth was already talking like a superior player who anticipates his eventual place and looks back on the present moment as if it were only part of a larger narrative that he is watching even as he lives it. Is that cocky? See what Bubba Watson said after his second Masters win, same article. Does this validate him as a great player, he was asked. No, no. I just got lucky enough to win two green jackets, he said without any sarcasm or snark. Im just trying to keep my Tour card every year.
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