Jordan Spieth will be looking to make some decent progress at the Augusta Masters this year. Aiming to win the tournament, Spieth has been looking in some fine touch. Spieth, a three-time major champion, is known for taking bold and unconventional routes to the hole. Back in June 2025 at the Memorial Tournament, one such risky shot nearly struck several fans, yet he still managed to walk away with a par. This time, however, things played out differently. Spieth’s par would not have been possible without an unexpected assist from a fan, as a fortunate deflection kept his effort alive.
During one of his swings, Spieth’s shot went out of bounds and hit a fan on the body. Jordan Spieth received an unexpected assist from the gallery during his round. Off the tee, he drove the ball deep down the left side of the fairway, and television coverage initially showed it heading straight into the trees. However, in a surprising turn, the ball suddenly ricocheted back out and settled in the middle of the fairway.
It was later revealed that Spieth’s shot had struck a patron at the Masters. “What a bounce,” the commentator remarked, per ESPN. “I think that hit that patron’s hand.”
Jordan Spieth’s tee shot ended up in the fairway after it bounced off a patron
Spieth went to check on him and gave him a signed glove
pic.twitter.com/i42qPCJymA
— ESPN (@espn) April 10, 2026
Immediately, as the fan could be seen writhing in pain, the pro golfer walked up to him and apologized. But that was not all. He also tried to cheer up the fan by taking out one of the gloves and handing it over to the fan. Surely, this was a great gesture from the golfer. Unfortunately, he has not been able to achieve the desired result till now.
Well, this was not the only instance of him hitting spectators. During the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson and the 2024 The Players Championship, too, a similar incident occurred. Meanwhile, last year in Augusta, Spieth became viral after one of his shots hit a patron in the groin. Interestingly, Bryson DeChambeau, too, had a similar experience once, and as a custom, he, too, gave the fan a signed glove.
Luckily for Spieth, the ball hitting the fan was a blessing in disguise. If it hadn’t hit him, the ball would have ended up in a worse place, behind the trees. Thus, with the ball trickling back to a more favourable position, Spieth was more than happy with the end result.
At the moment, the PGA Tour pro is stranded at T17. However, there might be a chance that he can make a comeback later in the tournament. Till now in 2026, Spieth has clinched four top 25 finishes in 7 starts. Some of his most remarkable performances include that of a T12 finish at the Genesis Invitational. Later on, he also got a T24 at the Sony Open alongside a T29 at the Pebble Beach.
Thus, it looks very much plausible that a late surge is incoming. Meanwhile, as he looks to forget the 2016 setback, Spieth recently doubled down on what lessons he has learnt.
Jordan Spieth reflects on 2016 Masters collapse a decade later
It was back in 2015 when he tied the 72-hole scoring record of -18 and set the 36-hole record at 14-under (130). He became the second-youngest player to win the Masters at age 21. And in 2016, he unfortunately suffered a historic collapse in the final round, turning a commanding five-stroke lead into a three-stroke loss to winner Danny Willett. And now, after a decade, as he stepped into the 2026 Masters, he reflected on his 2016 performance.
Talking to his caddie, Michael Greller, back in 2016 while on the 12th hole in the Augusta greens, Spieth said, “Buddy, it seems like we’re collapsing.”
Going down the memory lane, he said, “What I’ve learned the last 10 years is a lot. Anything can happen. You just have to be staying within reach.” He added, “It’s certainly gone both ways for me here. So stay within arm’s reach and try to make it go my way.”
Back in 2026, his shot unfortunately found Rea’s Creek, and despite leading for seven consecutive rounds across 2015-2016, a quadruple bogey on the 12th hole saw the then 22-year-old Spieth finish tied for the second position.
