Jordan Spieth won a PGA event in his home state of Texas for the first time with a three-shot victory at the Dean & Deluca Invitational at Colonial Country Club.
It appeared the two-time major winner’s recent indifferent form in final rounds was continuing when his overnight lead was reeled in by Harris English but a five-under-par back nine took him to a winning total of 17 under in Fort Worth.
English was second at 14 under with Webb Simpson and Ryan Palmer a further stroke back in third.
Spieth led by one shot overnight from Simpson and Palmer, with English, Kyle Reifers and Martin Piller two back.
His opening nine featured nothing but pars, allowing English to move ahead after opening with an eagle in a three-under-par outward half.
A 32-foot saving putt at the eighth had got Spieth’s momentum going, though, and he birdied the 10th and 11th for a share of the lead as English bogeyed the 12th.
The 22-year-old from Dallas moved ahead on his own with a third straight birdie, as English’s long birdie putt at the par-three 13th slid just by.
But Spieth found the left-hand bunker on 13, pitched out to just short of the water and though his chip on was good, a dropped shot ensued. Playing partner Palmer was lucky to escape the water off the tee and rescued par with a neat up-and-down.
English got up and down from a bunker at the 14th to share the lead but, as on the 10th, Spieth holed a huge right-to-left breaker for birdie at 16 to nudge ahead once more.
And there was no way back for English after Spieth, having had a free drop from in front of the grandstand at 17, chipped in for a remarkable birdie to move two clear playing the last.
English finished with a par for a 66, allowing Spieth the leeway to make bogey at the last hole — but a solid approach to the green set up birdie from 34 feet.
Spieth told Sky Sports 4: “It means a lot, the crowds were fantastic for me, for Palmer — and for Webb, but Ryan being a member here had all his buddies out so people were really rooting for both players.
“That (birdie at 16) was cool, everybody in the crowd standing up and cheering. I was really lucky on 17, being able to drop out and it landed in a matted area where I could get the club on the ball.
“Eighteen, just get it down there, another bonus. It was pretty cool.”
Winning also helped soothe the pain of Spieth's dramatic failure to close out Masters victory at Augusta, where he shed six shots in three holes to open the door to eventual champion Danny Willett.
Spieth said: “It’s something you’re not going to talk about until you’ve got over it and won one, but that was a tough hurdle to get over.
“It’s an experience I don’t want anyone to have to experience, losing that lead on the back nine of a major, so to come out in the third tournament back and win this, I hope it can be a springboard to go on again.”
