Who would have thought that a player such as Jordan Spieth, who was just about on top of every list a short time ago, has now slipped to 25th in the world. I believe that he has gone 13 consecutive tournaments without a top-10 finish and hasn't had better than a 35th place in eight starts this season.
Spieth now sits in the bottom half of every major statistical category -- a mysterious slip for a player who, at one point in his career was ranked as one of the very best in every facet of the game. He was ranked first on Tour in iron play in 2017. Currently, he's 116th. He was also seventh on Tour around the green in 2015. Currently, he's 132nd.
You don't have to be a body-language expert to see that he's subdued and looks isolated. Usually walking alone with slumped shoulders, head down, brooding. Really frightening is to think for a second that his putting was scorching-hot back in 2016 and the second best on Tour -- now he's positioned 114th. There was nobody better from 15 to 25 feet, but recently he has looked increasingly uncomfortable on the greens. Where is his magical stroke gone, and will it reappear?
The game of golf will make you feel naked when even the littlest defect creeps into your swing -- or much more deadly, your putting stroke. Confidence that one had in abundance seems to become less and less every time you tee it up, and those golfing demons, who have destroyed many a golfer, are beginning to turn their attention to you!
Out of Bounds: "I believe that every golfer has the potential to change, to transform one's own attitude, no matter how difficult a round maybe. We are human beings, and we have this marvellous brain and marvellous heart, so there is potential to develop a proper mental attitude even under the most arduous of circumstances". I think someone sent Kiradech Aphibarnrat this message after his recent round of 84.