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The final result was always going to matter
less to Spieth than his form heading into the U.S. Masters,
which starts on Thursday.
The 2015 Masters champion arrived in Houston looking to find his
swing and putting stroke and, with the exception of a mundane
third round, showed clear improvement as the week progressed.
He even flirted with contention on Sunday before carding
six-under-par 66 to finish three strokes behind winner Ian
Poulter, who beat Beau Hossler in a playoff.
"Starting four back on a very gettable golf course, you kind of
need a really flawless round (to have a chance of winning),"
Spieth told NBC after nailing a 30-foot par putt dead center at
the final hole at Golf Club of Houston.
"I had an opportunity to shoot eight or nine under. I’m very
pleased with my six-under," said the three-times major winner.
"Goal accomplished for the week."
Most pleasing for Spieth on Sunday was his short putting, which
has been a weak link in his game recently.
"On and around the greens I’ve been looking for what’s been
off," said the Texan.
"Today was able to have pressure-packed putts where I trusted
what I have been working on from the beginning of the week and
it still looked good to me and the ball started on line.
"That combination is how I get back to the putting I’m used to
seeing. I’ll just try to nail it in the next few days."
Spieth acknowledged he would probably would need further
improvement to have a chance of a second green jacket, but was
optimistic.
"I've made some big strides from my last couple of tournaments
so I'm very excited for what next week holds," he said.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina, editing by
Nick Mulvenney)
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