Jordan Spieth left a Masters official hunched over in pain after tagging him in the nether region with the grip of his golf club. Cameras picked up the American smirking as he made his way to the next hole, having cheekily got one over on one of his Augusta pals.

Spieth has been flying under the radar for most of the week. He just about made the cut, having taken his score to +2 over the course of Thursday and Friday, before an impressive round of 69 on Saturday moved him into the red. The 31-year-old was in a cheerful mood as he marched towards the third tee, having birdied the first and then parred the second at the start of his final round.

And one unlucky customer bore the brunt of his playfulness by taking a tap in the crotch. Spieth dished out fist bumps to fans as he walked through, before appearing to intentionally flick out the grip of his putter and hit an unidentified individual where it hurts.

The victim was stood on the players' side of the ropes, and clearly felt the force of Spieth's practical joke as he looked to be in some discomfort. Spieth may have smirked for a minute too long about the comical moment, as he went on the bogey the third hole, taking him to level par for the day.

The three-time major winner, who has not added to his haul since 2017, is not in the frame to challenge the leaders having left himself 11 shots behind Rory McIlroy after the first three rounds.

Spieth wore the green jacket in 2015 and has finished inside the top five on five other occasions. This week has been a positive one for the Texas-born star, who did not crack the top 20 in any of his four major appearances last year.

But he feels it could have been even better if tournament organisers did something to decrease the amount of mud balls players are dealing with. "It's just so frustrating because you can't talk about them here," he said. "You're not supposed to talk about them. Mud balls can affect this tournament significantly.

"They've done a better job - there are less than normal, but I still had them today [Saturday]. I had them yesterday [Friday]. Every person is having to deal with it. But the fact that you're not supposed to talk about it is a bit frustrating because it is a difference-maker."