OVERVIEW After a season that left him looking for answers, sleeping giant Jordan Spieth instead got more questions in his first two starts of the 2018-19 campaign. At the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas, he opened with a 66 but struggled with a new driver and 3-wood and finished T55. The next week, making his first visit to the Riviera Maya for the Mayakoba Golf Classic, he went back to the driver/3-wood he’d played for the last five years. And he felt encouraged — in the practice rounds. Alas, when it counted, he hit just six fairways in each of the first two rounds, shot 71-69, and missed the cut. Spieth’s dizzying freefall on the greens, where he languished at 136th in Strokes Gained: Putting last season, remains a concern. By comparison, in 2015, when he won the FedExCup, he was 9th in that stat, followed by 2nd and 39th in 2016 and ’17, respectively. Largely as a result of his putting woes, Spieth went winless 2017-18, finished 31st in the FedExCup and, surprising many, including himself, missed the TOUR Championship. Granted, he’s had a lot on his mind. In addition to his equipment travails — Spieth said he would do more testing — he was also wedding-planning (longtime girlfriend Annie Verret), which included giving the boot to his housemates in Dallas, including TOUR rookie Kramer Hickok, a former teammate at Texas. Jordan and Annie were married over the Thanksgiving holidays. The home life is solid. As for golf? There’s work to be done for one of the brightest talents in the game. — By Cameron Morfit Click here to see who else made the Top 30 list. BY THE NUMBERS FEDEXCUP UPDATE Current 2018-19 position: 190th Playoff appearances: 6 TOUR Championship appearances: 5 Best FedExCup result: Won the FedExCup in the 2014-15 season SHOTLINK FUN FACT Jordan Spieth made the longest putt of the 2017-18 PGA TOUR season, rolling in a putt from 90 feet, 8 inches at the Sony Open in Hawaii. INSIDER INSIGHTS PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Jordan Spieth in 2019. TOUR INSIDER: Spieth, always precocious, at times looks like he’s having a mid-life crisis at age 25. After toiling on the range at THE NORTHERN TRUST last summer, he said he was working on the wrong thing and had been wasting his time. To his credit, he knows his woes aren’t limited to the greens. Last season he was 54th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, not bad but a far cry from 2015 (15th in that category). He was 26th in SG: Approach-the-Green after ranking 1st in that category in 2017. The stage is set for a comeback. — By Cameron Morfit FANTASY INSIDER: Maybe only once over the years have I referenced the jazz classic, “I Can’t Get Started,” but I think of it every time a headliner misfires time and again as he did throughout the 2017-18 season. The song was written and composed eight decades ago, but its message is as timeless as it is specific. The ballad settles on the incompleteness of a man who succeeds in everything but love, but it’s not so much a tale of falling short as it is of confusion. The irony, at least in the context of my placement, is that one of the lyrics acknowledges good scores on the golf course. Spieth still doesn’t have any trouble beating par, but he’s endured a falling-out with his putter. Perhaps now as a married man he’ll rekindle his other love starting soon. As much as gamers want to believe that he’ll regain a consistently healthy relationship with it, we really have no choice, particularly salary leaguers who are treated to bottom-dollar sticker price of $2.793 million. — By Rob Bolton EQUIPMENT INSIDER: After using a Titleist 915D2 driver (9.5 degrees) for years, Spieth has finally switched into a new TS2 driver (10.5 degrees), and a new TS2 3 wood. His Titleist Tour Rep says Spieth switched due to higher ball speeds and a higher launch. Both of his new metalwoods are equipped with Graphite Design Tour AD-IZ shafts. What’s less likely for Spieth to change out is his rusted Scotty Cameron 009 putter that he putts with cross-handed (and sometimes not even looking at the ball). Spieth briefly switched to a mallet-style Scotty Cameron in 2017, but he’s currently still gaming the rusted, blade-style Scotty. We’l keep you posted if he makes a switch in 2019. — By Andrew Tursky STYLE INSIDER: Spieth experimented with some new colors and looks in 2018. His pants are now slimmer, more tapered, and are hemmed at the tops of his shoes for a streamlined look. He even worked in a few black-on-black outfits, but he never seemed to find a comfort zone with them. In 2019, I’d like to see Jordan continue to stay up on the modern trends when it comes to fits while finding some other go-to colors besides blue. — By Greg Monteforte
Online Sports Betting
Top 30 Players to Watch in 2019: No. 9 Jordan Spieth
OVERVIEW After a season that left him looking for answers, sleeping giant Jordan Spieth instead got more questions in his first two starts of the 2018-19 campaign. At the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas, he opened with a 66 but struggled with a new driver and 3-wood and finished T55. The next…
NBA YoungBoy Concert Erupts in Violence After Heckler Tried Stealing his Chain
NBA YoungBoy’s concert exploded into violence Friday night, after someone ran up on him and tried stealing his chain. The rapper was performing in South Carolina, sitting on his bodyguard’s shoulder in the crowd, when a fan snuck up on him and tried yanking the bling off his neck. You see NBA Click here to…
Reggie Jackson and Pascal Siakam: Elite Players to Target
Ranking by ownership percentage (91%), Reggie Jackson is expected to be the #41 guard for the rest of the season. The projections have him 13 spots higher in the rankings. Even if he is highly owned, he is still undervalued and if you act quickly there is a clear buy low opportunity. Unless someone offers…
NBA transaction buzz from the G League Showcase
NBA Insiders ESPN.com Our experts dish on what they saw and heard in Las Vegas at this week’s NBA G League Showcase, including what team executives are saying about Anthony Davis, buyout candidates, 2019 free agency, prospects to watch and more. Click here to read the full article…
LeBron James Tears Into NFL Owners: ‘Old, White Men’ With ‘Slave Mentality’
The Los Angeles Lakers player said that “in the NFL they got a bunch of old, white men owning teams and they got that slave mentality,â€� reported multiple media outlets. James contrasted the way in which NBA commissioner Adam Silver allowed basketball stars to politically express themselves on the court to the NFL’s attempt to…
Gold Rush: Will Miami cover vs. Wisconsin?
The Holiday Season is here which can only mean one thing… it’s time to bet on some bowl games! Click here to read the full article…
LeBron creatively shuts down tampering talk
LeBron James was asked about the potential tampering charge he may face for talking about wanting to play with Anthony Davis. Click here to read the full article…
Ailing James racks up triple-double in Lakers’ win
LeBron James, sick enough earlier in the day that his ability to take the court Friday night was in doubt, nonetheless finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists as the host Los Angeles Lakers turned back the New Orleans Pelicans 112-104 on Friday night. It was James’ third triple-double Click here to read…
Buster’s Buzz: Is signing Bryce Harper now the move the Dodgers have to make?
L.A. avoids huge long-term deals, but looking at their alternatives after the Reds trade, Harper could be the free agent they finally break the bank for. Click here to read the full article…
These under-the-radar RBs can make fantasy titles a reality
Over the years, the fantasy football community has seen some real interesting characters bring home the championship. Last season, Jaguars wide receiver Keelan Cole posted back-to-back 100-yard efforts in Weeks 15 and 16 to help his owners win the title. The year before, it was Oakland running back DeAndre Click here to read the full…
Friday’s NFL: Former Michigan star Maurice Hurst giving Raiders a lift
Alameda, Calif. — Shortly after being drafted, Raiders defensive tackle Maurice Hurst received a phone call from Jon Gruden. The conversation didn’t last long but turned out to be prophetic in several ways. Gruden informed Hurst of the renovation plan for Oakland’s defense that was being mapped Click here to read the full article…
Replacing Cam Newton only a small part of Taylor Heinicke’s NFL journey
The 6-foot undrafted QB, whose father died when he was 18, will get his first start Sunday. He’s out to prove “the people that believed in me right.” Click here to read the full article…