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Four-Ball: Keeping tabs on Spieth, Day with U.S. Open on the horizon

Golf, PGA Tour

Two-time major champion Jordan Spieth missed his second straight cut this past week at the AT&T Byron Nelson. So how worried should we be about the former world No. 1's game?

Lexi Thompson notched her eighth LPGA Tour victory at just 22 years old. Will her victory spark more titles for her, and possibly her compatriots?

Our panel dives into those topics and more in this week's edition of Monday Four-Ball.

1. What, if anything, is wrong with Jordan Spieth's game this season?

SportsCenter anchor Matt Barrie: Spieth's game off the tee has been the issue. He ranks 112th in accuracy and when he's erratic off the tee, it spirals into other parts of his game including his emotions. I thought TPC Las Colinas would be the perfect remedy after Sawgrass, but instead we saw another struggling Spieth.

ESPN.com senior golf analyst Michael Collins: Other than improving on his fairway percentage, nothing is wrong with Spieth. He missed two cuts in a row. When he finished third two weeks in a row (at the SBS Tournament of Champions and the Sony Open) were we saying he was going to dominate this year? The dude is third in greens in regulation, second in birdie average and fifth in scoring average for the year. That doesn't seem like something is wrong to me.

ESPN.com senior golf writer Bob Harig: It's difficult to pinpoint an area of his game that is really hurting him. His strokes gained off the tee number ranks just 116th on the PGA Tour, and yet he is second in strokes gained in approach to the green. His putting stats are not great, but what sticks out are the high numbers that have cost him, including during the first round of the Masters and in the second round at the AT&T Byron Nelson, where a quadruple-bogey cost him a shot at making the cut.

ESPN.com senior golf writer Jason Sobel: Let's not make it out to sound like he's slumping; after all, he already has a win this year. If there's something wrong, I don't think it's a technical aspect of his game. Spieth has enjoyed so much success in his young career that he tends to press too much when things aren't going his way.

2. Should more Americans play the BMW PGA Championship on the European Tour this week?

Barrie: I'm indifferent here. Having lived and worked in Dallas-Fort Worth for five years, covering both the Byron Nelson and Colonial, I know what these tournaments mean for golf fans in DFW. So getting the reward of the best players in the world, most notably the Americans, is important.

Collins: It's the European Tour's version of the Players Championship. The purse is bigger ($7 million vs. Colonial on the PGA Tour at $6.9 million) and the field could be stronger if the top 50 showed up. But no Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia or Henrik Stenson can be found on in the "entries" this week. If it doesn't matter to them on their tour, why should it matter to an American player?

Harig: It would be nice, but it's not very realistic to expect them to do so unless they are members of the European Tour. Despite its prestige, the European Tour's flagship event doesn't offer much beyond what PGA Tour players can get by staying at home.

Sobel: I'm never a big fan of questions that start with "should" and conclude by asking about players' schedules. There are very few instances, if any, where observers should be able to criticize the decision-making process. The truth is, you could make the case that players "should" play a specific event every single week -- which obviously isn't feasible.

3. In 2016, the LPGA only saw two American winners. With Lexi Thompson's victory at Kingsmill, she's No. 3 in 2017. Over/under on 3.5 more American wins this season?

Barrie: Give me the over. But barely. Four more American winners.

Collins: Over. I believe Stacy Lewis, Jessica Korda, Michelle Wie, and one other will all get a win before the season is over. I wouldn't be surprised if it's Angela Stanford or Gerina Piller who push the number to the "over."

Harig: Under. Americans have struggled for a reason: there is an abundance of worldwide talent.

Sobel: I'll take the over. In a bubble, these things tend to seem like long-term problems for the state of women's golf in America, but it's just cyclical, as is being proven this year.

4. After Jason Day's near-win at the AT&T Byron Nelson, what do you expect from the former world No. 1 in the coming weeks?

Barrie: I expect to see Day regain his No. 1 form. He was on a tear this time last year, coming off the win at the Players. And it was good for golf. His driver was a bit suspect this week, and missing the 4-foot putt in the playoff was a bit shocking, but Day's game will be in top form come Erin Hills at the U.S. Open. Give me that vs. peak Dustin Johnson, and I'll sit back and watch.

Collins: A win is coming. His game is rounding into form as we lead up to the U.S. Open. I'm not saying he's going to win that major, but I expect his first win of the season will come in one of his next four starts. When Day's putter starts performing like it did last week -- one 3-putt in four rounds -- a victory is imminent.

Harig: It is too early to say if this means he is emerging from what has been a malaise this season, but his showing at the AT&T Byron Nelson was a great sign. Day had remarkably not contended at all this year and had gone more than a year without a victory. This is an excellent step forward.

Sobel: I didn't love how he played that playoff hole -- a former No. 1 should be smelling blood in this type of situation -- but Day has shown that when he's confident in his game, big results tend to happen in bunches. He could be rounding into form just in time for a title contention at Erin Hills.

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