Jordan Spieth looking to regain Masters magic at Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Jordan Spieth, one of the most popular players in the game, is trying to regain the magic at the Masters since winning a green jacket in 2015.

Spieth was young and precocious back then.

He’s now a husband and a father of two with a third on the way.

“Yeah, it was a different place in life for me than I’m at now,” Spieth said Wednesday. “But at the same time, it kind of all blends together here, too. It can feel like it’s yesterday at the same time. It’s good memories, but I feel like I can grab another chance this week.’’

Asked if he has a winning score prediction in mind for this week, Spieth said, “I think you stand on the first tee and sign for 3-under each day and you feel like you’re walking up the 18th with a lead or with a chance.”

The annual Par-3 Contest on Wednesday of Masters week is considered by some fans more anticipated than the tournament itself.

Spieth, playing in his 12th career Masters this week, called it “full-circle” for him.

“I used to play it with myself, Justin [Thomas] and Rickie [Fowler] and we were doing hole-in-one bets,” Spieth said. “I used to see [other players’] kids out there. Man, that seems so far away. Now, I have two walking around with a third on the way. It’s kind of crazy.”

Both Thomas and Fowler, too, are married and are fathers.

“It’s a special day,” Spieth said. “This place is unlike any other. We don’t do this anywhere else.”

Max Homa is struggling so mightily at the moment that his own caddie, Joe Greiner, split with him last week.

Usually, when a player is struggling he’ll change his or her caddie in an effort to find something.

“It was not my choice, so it sucked,” Homa said. “But he always had a deal that we’re friends first and friendship mattered more than the work thing, and he was wise enough to do what he did. It’s hard. I’m just so used to him caddying.

“But I was happy that he did it, because I would rather, at the end of my days, that we continue to be great friends than one of us resent the other for how hard this game can be on a relationship. So, it sucks because I just pictured always walking fairways with Joe. But again, that was not the deal. I would rather walk life with Joe forever than this dumb game.”

In eight events this year, Homa has missed five cuts in a row and his only four-round tournaments have come at no-cut events, a tie for 26th and a tie for 53rd along with one withdrawal.

A year ago, he tied for third at the Masters, which was his last top-5 finish.

Greiner is actually caddying this week for Justin Thomas, whose regular caddie Matt Minister is out with a back injury.

The split with Greiner comes on top of Homa leaving his longtime coach Mark Blackburn.

Homa, whose world ranking has plummeted to 81st, has also changed clothing sponsors and golf clubs as he’s searched for the form he had before this season.

If it were up to Masters officials, they’d rather dress Aussie star Jason Day with his tournament week outfits than his controversial clothing company Malbon, which features some baggy, garish designs.

Day disclosed that he was asked (ordered?) to tone down his Malbon fashion game at this week’s Masters.

Day was asked by tournament officials to remove a loud Malbon sweater he was wearing at last year’s Masters.

Day this week acknowledged that outfits had to be revised after a pretournament review by tournament officials, saying, “We kind of cut everything in half.”

“With what we’re supposed to wear, they said that’s a little bit much, but that’s OK,” he said. “I think I’m on the short list of guys that have to send their [outfit] scripting in now. I get it. It was a little bit much on Thursday [last year]. I understand. We’re here for the tournament.’’