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Could the drought finally be over for Jordan Spieth at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am?

Jordan Spieth at the 2020 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Heading into the final day, Spieth has a two-shot lead over the chasing pack and is looking to secure his first PGA TOUR victory in nearly four years.

After his T4th finish at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, many thought Jordan Spieth had returned.

You know, the man that dominated the field back in 2015 - claiming three Majors in two years. Yes, that Spieth.
And it looks like they could be absolutely bang on the money.
Still looking down at the rest of the field, golf fans will be glued to their screens to see if the Texan can claim his first win since the 2017 Open Championship on Sunday.
Let's delve into the history books and see if he can hold his lead.

His performances when leading after 54 holes

Holding a 54-hole lead or co-lead in back-to-back weeks on the PGA TOUR isn't new to Spieth. He's been in this position before.

Back in 2015, when he was playing some remarkable golf, Spieth finished tied second at the Houston Open. He followed that seven days later by collecting his first Major title thanks to a brilliant wire-to-wire victory at The Masters.

The question is, can he do it again? Can he follow up his T4th finish at the Phoenix Open with an overdue and much-needed victory at Pebble Beach?

The statistics would suggest that there's a good chance that Spieth could finally taste success once again.
He's currently 9-of-17 on TOUR with the 54-hole lead/co-lead which includes his one-for-one at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2017.
And if that doesn't get your juices flowing, the last time Spieth had a lead of exactly two-shots after 54 holes, he claimed his second victory at the John Deere Classic.

Although, in the last three outings that he's taken a solo or tied lead into the last day, he's failed to win, his best finish coming at the 2017 Northern Trust Championship where he fell to Dustin Johnson in a playoff.

Despite the sudden turn of form, Spieth's driving is still an issue. Hitting 27 out of 42 (64.29%) fairways, it ranks him T46th in the field on driving accuracy.
So far, it hasn't hindered any chances of a win, but he'll be looking to improve this on the final 18 holes.

How he's stayed around the top

It's fair to say Spieth hasn't let his impressive performance at TPC Scottsdale last week be a one-off fling.

His opening round was just what he had hoped for. A clutter of birdies, one bogey and an eagle which ignited the excitement.

Spieth's 7-under 65 was the 27-year-old's lowest opening round score to par in nearly two years.

It was a trip to Spyglass Hill for Spieth's second round, and he made sure consistency was at the forefront of his game.
Something which had been severely lacking these past few years.
Six birdies and again, only one bogey, propelled the American into the outright lead on 12-under.
It's only the third time in his career Spieth has been -12 or better through 36 holes - he went onto win both tournaments.

Saturday saw him start to card a few more bogeys, with birdies chirping less.

Heading onto the par-4 16th, Spieth was trailing by two shots, but another bit of magic saw him hole out for a second time, with the eagle ascending him back into a tied lead with Daniel Berger, before the latter collapsed on the 18th and double bogeyed.

"In the air I thought it was going to be really good, as it landed it was just exactly where I was trying to hit it, certainly a bonus for it to drop," said Spieth.
Spieth's 1-under 71 was enough for him to still be perched alone, at the top of the leaderboard.

In his own words

"I would say definitely more so. I feel like I've left quite a few shots out on the course and I'm in the position I want to be in," on being more confident going into Sunday compared to last week.
"It's just being massively patient. I just wasn't patient enough last week, tried to force a little bit early and ended up not taking advantage of some easy holes that towards the end would have been really nice to have those couple shots," on what he's learnt from last week.
Does the winless time period matter to Spieth and what will he be like standing on the first?
"I don't really care about the time frame stuff. I'm really just going to throw that out of my head because I'm finally consistently doing things over the last two weeks that I've wanted to do for a long time.
"It's not going to be the most comfortable feeling to start out, but it never is. I can't speak to one time that I stood on the first tee on a Sunday with the lead and felt super, super comfortable."

The chasing pack

Despite the two-shot lead, the number of possibilities that lie in front of Spieth are endless.

If he is to falter and starts racking up bogeys, the golfers in contention and ready to pounce are clear to see.

Five players feature on 11-under, including first round leader Patrick Cantlay. Spieth's fellow American ranks first in strokes gained from tee-to-green but 62nd (out of 67) in putting after the third round.

If his putter was to become hot, he could be a serious contender to ruin Spieth's welcome back party.

Daniel Berger is another who's in with a very good shout on -11. If we forget about his costly mishap on the 18th, the 27-year-old had a steady round which included an eagle on the fourth.

If that wasn't enough to handle for Spieth, a group of four including, Jason Day and Omega Dubai Desert Classic winner Paul Casey lurk on 10-under.

Spieth's in control but has one very crucial hurdle to jump over.

Paddy Power price Spieth 15/8, Cantlay 10/3, Berger 11/2, Day 12/1 and Casey 12/1.

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