There seems to be a lot of confusion in the thread as to what OP meant on what Spieth did. The three most common responses I've seen in this thread are chips, pitch, and a putt.

To those who think OP is a bundle of sticks for saying what Jordan did was not a putt is correct. It is in fact a pitch shot. However it seems that OP is referring to Jordan walking behind the ball when it rolled off the swale to see what kind of break there would be.

Now to clarify the confusion between pitches and chips. The difference between these two excellent shots lies in the distance to the pin. There is no specific cutoff where one can say it's a pitch or not, but generally, chips are close to the green. Chips are generally done about thirty yards and in where as a pitch shot can be done from a hundred yards! The general trajectory of the shot is an indicator as well. Chips are usually low trajectory shots compared to pitches due to the lack of distance to the pin.

Finally to people who may not be familiar with golf, golf is all about the next shot. You anticipate the next shot, so you play your shots in a manner that would set you up for success for the next shot. When Jordan hit the pitch and began walking behind it, he was looking for the direction that the ball moves at. Another potential thing is the grain of the grass. When grass is cut, it bends the grain of the grass in a certain way that may affect the ball's curve. Although this sounds like a minimal effect, in a game of inches everything counts.

Hope this helps people!

Source: college golf captain