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Jordan Spieth went low. Here we go again …

Spieth’s honeymoon

Would you believe it if I said I didn’t want to do this? Jordan Spieth has been a frequent subject in the newsletter this year because of rounds that looked a lot like Thursday’s 7-under 65. He was incredibly sharp with his approach play and putting, displaying more than a few whiffs of the old Spieth. He was genuinely great. Yet we said the same thing about his second round at THE PLAYERS Championship, his final round at The Genesis Invitational, and during multiple short aspurts during the Masters. None of those ended with a top-10 finish, a result he’s still chasing in 2026.

So what’s the difference? Why talk about him after just one good day? Well, the details he shared after the first round of the Cadillac Championship provided a reason that brings both optimism and pause.

Ahead of this week, Spieth made significant changes in his equipment setup. He swapped out his old driver and 3-wood for Titleist’s latest line in each. The bigger change? He switched golf balls, only the second time in the last five years. The first time he did that, just over a year ago, was nominal: swapping his 2021 Pro V1X model to the 2025 Titleist Pro V1X. This one is much more consequential: switching to the much lower-spinning 2026 Pro V1X Left Dash model. I won’t belabor you with all the specifics here (my colleague Lisa Antonucci did a great job here), but making that switch has many downstream effects throughout the bag. Cameron Young (more on him momentarily) credits the golf ball switch he made last year to much of his breakthrough success. It’s the first thing he brings up. He did it again on Thursday after his low round.

Which begs the question: Is this a brief honeymoon period for Spieth? Or could it be the missing link that completes his game, which he insists has been close for months?

Those answers will take more than a round – or a week – to reveal themselves. For now, Spieth’s low round is just that – a low round in a year that he’s squandered more of them than he’s hoped.

It could also be a turning point.

Playing through

• 🏖 The TOUR is back at Doral for the first time in a decade. Here’s what you need to know …
• 📺 Catch up with the Round 1 highlights …
• ❓ Doral is known for its closing hole, once considered the hardest on TOUR. Here’s why …

Young’s ideal course fit

On Wednesday afternoon, Michael Kim tweeted: “Yo Doral Blue Monster is a freaking hard course.” If we ran that sentence through golf’s version of Google Translate, it likely would have spit out something like “Cameron Young is a perfect fit for this golf course.”

Young has a proven track record of excelling on difficult setups. It’s how his major championship record outweighed his TOUR record, and had his peers gushing about him before he ever picked off wins at the Wyndham Championship and THE PLAYERS. But saying only that hard courses are a good fit for Young – and that’s why he would succeed at Trump National Doral – is a bit reductive. The better way to put it is that Young excels in the very areas Doral attempts to test players in. The course measures a gaudy 7,739 yards, putting great emphasis on driving distance. At the same time, water lines much of the course. So just because you hit it far, doesn’t mean you’ll succeed. You must be accurate, too. Well, Young is around 10 yards longer than the average TOUR player and ranks in the top 25 in accuracy. That’ll work.

Doral also demands great long iron play, with three par 3s measuring over 200 yards and more than a few lengthy shots required into par 4s. Well, Young is 33rd on TOUR from outside 200 yards. Narrowing down even more, he leads the TOUR in proximity on approaches between 250-275 yards. He’s fourth from 175-200 yards and fifth from 275 yards or longer.

So, should we be surprised Young led after 18 holes with a bogey-free 64? Not at all. It also helps when you make nearly 100 feet of putts, as he did Thursday. Young could be in line for back-to-back wins in the Sunshine State.

Parting shots

• 🏎 Justin Rose's first round with his new McLaren Golf clubs left something to be desired. He doubled his first hole and shot 2-over 74. He lost strokes on approach while using the new irons, though his biggest issue was around the green. Those wedges weren’t part of his equipment shakeup.
• 😬 Scottie Scheffler opened with a 1-under 71, setting up yet another week of the world No. 1 trying to claw from behind. Halfway through the season, here’s where he ranks in scoring average per round: 72nd, 14th, first, first.
• ❌ Adam Scott was penalized two strokes for hitting the wrong ball from the rough on the par-5 eighth hole. He had no idea until after he hit it. Tough. The most recent champion at Doral is 4-over par.
• 🤕 Jake Knapp withdrew ahead of his round with a thumb injury, a worrying start to a big upcoming stretch. Knapp has been one of the most improved players this season. He has finished 11th or better in seven of nine starts.