Several weeks ago he finished second at the Masters. One year ago he won his first PGA tournament. Two years ago he won the NCAA national championship. And six years ago he wore a little blue name tag and walked the halls of 12345 Inwood Road.
This man is Jordan Spieth, no stranger to any current, future, or former Jesuit student. Spieth made headlines a few weeks ago on Sunday, April 13 by almost becoming the youngest Masters’ winner ever. Here’s how he nearly won Augusta:
Spieth played well all weekend of the tournament. Going into Sunday, the final round, Spieth was tied for first at five strokes under par. He was paired with former Masters champ Bubba Watson, who is now the hottest name in golf.
Spieth played well on the front nine as he birdied the par-five and then proceeded to chip in a shot from the bunker at the fourth hole. That shot put Spieth two strokes in the lead. The Jesuit alum was the first Ranger to ever be in the lead at the Masters.
Spieth’s hot streak continued on holes six and seven as he birdied both of those. However, his luck soon ran out as he would shoot two bogeys prior to the back nine holes. Watson capitalized on these mistakes and countered with two birdies going into the back nine.
Spieth’s attempt to regain the lead presented itself at thirteen and fifteen, but he shot par on both, making it impossible to catch up to Watson. Spieth would finish the tournament at five under par, tied for second place with Jonas Blixt.
Despite finishing second, this was in many ways a moral victory for Spieth. This was his Masters debut, and finishing in the top two on your first time on the course is impressive. Secondly, he gained experience by being in serious contention at a major. And lastly, he gained notoriety and popularity as the future of golf.
But Spieth is not only the future of golf, but also the present, for he is now ranked seventh according to the Overall World Golf Rankings and eighth in the PGA Tour FedEx Cup standing. That means that right now, he is one of the top ten golfers on the planet.
And Mrs. Chris Spieth, Jordan’s mother, is sure to tell you that he doesn’t want to wait for the future of golf, he wants to win now. “He is extremely happy with how he did. He’s also disappointed, but who wouldn’t be? If he’s not disappointed then he’s never going to want to win.
“It’s actually the fourth time he’s gotten second place on the tour,” she continued. “This one was a little different because he was actually in the lead for part of the tournament. In his mind, he had it in his hands. Bubba started playing unbelievable golf, and he knew the golf course better. He still thought he had a chance coming down the stretch. He never gives up. Even at high school tournaments, he never gave up.”
When asked about her reaction to Jordan’s spectacular finish, she said, “I’m not surprised because I know him personality, and I know what he wanted and what his goals were. But I never expected it to happen this quickly.”
As many analysts in the golf world explained, Spieth composed himself extraordinarily well for a twenty year old kid on his Masters debut. Sure enough, it was his family and his Jesuit brothers who helped Jordan keep calm:
“The company rented a house around the corner specifically as a place for food and entertainment. So they rented a pool table and ping pong table, and he had his three best friends from Jesuit there. There was no talk of golf and no TV on (except when the Mavs were playing). He insisted on not having CBS or the Golf Channel or Sports Center on because it’s just not healthy to get caught up in that. Having his Jesuit brothers there was a big help.”
Moving on from his bitter sweet finish at Augusta, Spieth has a couple of upcoming tournaments back in his hometown. He will be in Dallas on May 15-18 at the HP Byron Nelson, a tournament he competed in while in highschool, and May 22-15 at the Crowne Plaza at Colonial in Fort Worth.
It’s hard to believe this Jesuit alum is now a superstar athlete. Tune into future PGA tour events because it’s very likely that you’ll see Jordan Spieth at the top of the leaderboards this year, and for many years to come.
