Is Jordan Spieth The Next Golf Super Star?

[eagle eye]

Boy, you talk about hype! But, after a convincing win at the Masters last weekend, Jordan Spieth looks like he could be that next rare player that comes along every 15 years or so. Nobody has really stepped up to challenge Tiger Woods' hold on the golf world but Spieth's mastery over Augusta National was very reminiscent of the way Tiger sort of broke upon the pro golf scene way back in the 90's. This is no flash in the pan event for Spieth who is the first guy since Tiger win multiple junior national titles. His 2nd place finish at last year's Masters was exceptional and if he didn't fade on the back nine he would have been the youngest Masters winner ever beating out Tiger. As it is he's only a few months older than Wood's and he's the second youngest Green Jacket owner ever. Spieth tied Woods record for lowest winning score of -18 set by Woods in 1997. Of course people were watching Woods since his childhood when it was clear Tiger's father Earl Woods taught him the game and he became a childhood phenom. It's feasible that the hoopla over Tiger was about his skill level but also about his race. Even though Tiger's mother was Asian he has always been labeled by the media a black man and to have a working class background black man take a stranglehold on a sport that was traditionally the sole providence of the white country club set made Woods all the more spectacular. Spieth is white and he is from UT so he won't be the phenomenon that Woods was and is. But he is the latest guy to be considered as potentially the next Tiger in much the same way so many guys aspired to be the next Jack (Nicklaus) until Tiger came along. We'll see how this goes, after all, wasn't Rory McIlroy the next big thing?

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For a guy that was supposed to be the "next big thing" Spieth been off the golfing radar since his Masters win in April. Heck, he didn't even make the cut in the Players Championship this past weekend. Maybe we need to start tooting Ricky Fowler's horn. Who knows. Golf is hard and to dominate for any length of time the way Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods did isn't easy. Spieth is young and has a chance to reemerge from his post Masters hangover but to be considered great he can't go into a post major hibernation the way his done since the Masters. It's a lesson relearned about media bravado about a given player. Speaking of Tiger, at least he made the cut at the Players but he sure wasn't a factor in the final outcome finishing well back in the pack.

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While Spaeth seemed to be in the hunt at the Memorial this weekend after Friday's round he slumped to an even par 72 falling 9 strokes behind the leader Justin Rose. One thing is sure, Spaeth is a lot better off than Tiger who shot a career worst round of +13 to totally take himself out of the running. Spaeth may not be the next Tiger but it's increasingly clear Tiger is all but gone off the PGA tour radar.

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Maybe Jordan Spaeth isn't the new Tiger maybe it's Memorial Tournament and 1st time winner David Lingmerth from Sweden which, as we all know, is a hot bed of golfing talent. Lingmerth beat Justin Rose in a playoff to claim his first PGA tour win coming at Jack Nicklaus' event which is a semi-major along with the Players Championship at the top of the second tier of PGA Tour events behind the 4 majors in the sport.

[KABrother88]

Think it's pretty clear now he is

[eagle eye]

Spieth was flying pretty much under the radar since the Masters except for the fact that he had the lowest scoring average on the PGA tour going into the US Open. He didn't say it the same way as Tiger has in the past but he sounded a little like Tiger in that he said he didn't have his best game as he grinded out the win. Still it took an absolute crash on 18 by Dustin Johnson to get the win. Tiger used to say he didn't have his A game in winning and that's basically what Spieth said yesterday after winning. That was even more of a crash and burn that when Phil Mickelson only needed a bogey on 18 to guarantee at least a playoff in the 2006 US Open. Mickelson shot took a double bogey on the hole that was a disaster from the tee shot which he sliced into no-man's land at the Winged Foot 18th hole. Five shots later Jeff Ogilvy, at best a journeyman pro, was the US Open champ and Mickelson was left the bridesmaid in the US Open yet again. That collapse and Johnson's yesterday do nothing but evoke pity for a guy who played so well for 69 holes only to lose it all in four shots. Johnson's may have been more heartbreaking because he had a 12 foot putt for an eagle 3 to win, a 4 foot putt for a birdie 4 to tie but he sank a par putt to lose by one shot has to be gut wrenching. To their credit both Johnson and Spieth they behaved with class and like gentlemen. That is the great thing about golf, the professionalism and courtesy is part of the appeal of the PGA tour.
For Spieth, he sort of backed into the title after his own bad hole on the 17th where he shot a double bodey 5 on the par 3. He actually made the last 3 hole interesting with a birdie-double bogey-birdie finish. Spieth is only the 6th golfer to win the Masters and US Open in the same year and he is the youngest player to do it. The arrow is definitely pointing up but we better not crown him just yet since Rory McIlroy had a good year a couple of years back and he hasn't done much since.

[eagle eye]

Spieth is No 1 in the FedEx standings by a wide margin. He has the most wins so far in 2015, 3, which include wins at the Masters and US Open he is definitely got to be one of the favorites at next month's British Open. Nobody is talking Grand Slam yet but Spieth is the only one who could win it all but winning the British is it's own challenge. It could be a little easier for Americans after having played a true links style course at the US Open. That said, St Andrews in Scotland is like the home of golf and the history and tradition of St Andrews could be a little daunting.

The top 5 in FedEx points are:
1. Jordan Spieth - 3,128 pts - 3 wins - 17 events
2. Jimmy Walker - 1,921 pts - 2 wins - 16 events
3. Bubba Watson - 1, 688 pts - 1 win - 10 events
4. Dustin Johnson - 1,589 pts - 1 win - 13 events
5. Rory McIlroy - 1,510 pts - 2 wins - 8 events

I think it's worth noting that Watson and McIlroy have played half as many events as Spieth with good success. I think that the two major wins vaults him into the No 1 position but he is certainly not dominating a la Tiger.

[eagle eye]

The 3rd leg of the Grand Slam of golf is coming up next weekend and Spieth is the only player with the shot at winning the Grand Slam which includes the Masters, US Open, British Open and the PGA. Nobody has won all four majors in the same year since Bobby Jones did it way back in the 1930's. Tiger has a "Tiger Slam" which means he held all four majors over two years. It would be an incredible feat to win the Slam in a single year and Spieth is in line to do it. He is used to playing a links style course after winning at the US Open which was as close to a British Open venue you can get without travelling to Scotland. He chances, according to the bookies, improved greatly when Rory McIlroy tore up his ankle forcing him to miss the Open. Since McIlroy scratched Spieth is the odds on favorite to win his first Open to go along with his first Masters and first US Open he won earlier this year. If Spieth does happen to win how much pressure will he be under when the PGA comes around next month? I can tell you this, if Spieth wins I'll be pulling for him in the PGA and normally I root for Phil Mickelson above all others but, like American Pharoh last month who I wanted to win the horse racing Slam, I'll be all in for Spieth to win the pro golf slam.

[eagle eye]

Spieth won again yesterday at the John Deere Classic in a playoff with Tom Gillis winning on the 2nd playoff hole. The Deere is the last event before the British Open this week and it gives Spieth a little extra momentum heading into the Old Course at St Andrews. Spieth is not dominating like Tiger did over his career but he's playing pretty well, the best on the PGA tour so far in 2015. He is the clear favorite at the Open Championship with Rory McIlroy out with an injury. Personally, I would love to see a native son from Texas win the Open and go on to win the Grand Slam.

I've been listening to sports talk radio this morning and All the talk has been of Serena Williams winning Wimbledon and Spieth winning at the Deere and the All Star game but I can't say I've heard one person give props to a young lady who won her first LPGA major yesterday. Her name is In Gee Chun and she's from South Korea! The young lady is just 20 years old and she really played a good tournament. I think she deserves a bit of bally-hoo. After all it's not the averageweek Open in who-the-hell-cares Illinois it was the United Stated Women's Open Championship. That means something and she deserves to have her horn tooted. You wonder what the hell they put in the water over there to make the South Korean women dominate pro golf they way they do. Since 2008 South Korean women have won the open in all but 2 years and last year's winner, Michelle Wie, is an American of South Korean descent. Regardless, it was a heckuva performance by a young lady in her first ever US Open. I would have preferred if an American won and Stacy Lewis was close finishing tied for 3rd 3 shots back of Chun and Michelle Wie, defending her title well, finished with a birdie on 18 yesterday giving her a final -2 score which was good for 11th place.

[eagle eye]

I don't want to jinx Spieth but he's one shot off the lead in the British Open. Irishman Paul Dunne is tied for the lead with Louis Oosthuizen from South Africa and Australian Jason Day all at -12. The final round will be tomorrow making it the first time since 1988 that the final round of The Open Championship will be played. Dustin Johnson who led after the first 2 rounds faded with a 3 over 75 dropping him in an 8 way tie for 18th with a -7 aggregate score.

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The other day Colin Cowherd was talking about the next big name in golf. It's pretty clear Tiger has yet to find his game and frankly he may never find any kind of championship form again. The names Cowherd mentioned were Spieth and Dustin Johnson and Colin said he was leaning toward Johnson as being the next big thing. He said it is because Johnson is good looking and a good golfer and because he's flawed. Johnson's flaw as you may remember is the drug test he failed earlier this year and the sabbatical he took to go to rehab. Cowherd opined that Johnson's flaws made him more dynamic and gave him a "pop" factor as far as his appeal to the media and general public. Following that line of thought Cowherd must LOVE the Browns Josh Gordon. Talk about flawed! Cowherd also said that Spieth is too bland. He's a really good golfer but he doesn't have that "it" factor to capture the nation's imagination. I really, really disagree with Colin here. First, one of his examples of a guy with the "it" factor was Jack Nicklaus. When Jack came on the scene he wasn't cool at all. He was "fat Jack" and he was stealing Arnold Palmer's thunder. He was hated. As time passed "Fat Jack" morphed into the "Golden Bear" and he golfing excellence won over the nation. No flaws, no extra marital affairs, dominating golf game and a bland personality. Now Jack is revered as he should be. Jordan Spieth is a little higher up than Jack was. He is good looking, he has a great golf game and he has shown guts going down the stretch. I'm saying this way before he tees off in the final round of the British Open one stroke off the lead. I hope he wins and I think he has a real shot.


As an aside Colin Cowherd seems to be leaving ESPN after 12 years to go to FoxSports1. I like listening to him in the morning and if ESPN replaces him with douche's like George Sedano or the guy who likes to be called "the Coach" I will have to change my listening habits.

[eagle eye]

Well dammit, I did it again. I jinxed a guy I was rooting for. When Spieth looks back on the British Open he will will have 3 regrets. 1) Double bogeying the par 3 8th. Of the 60+ players there were only 13 bogeys or worse and only 2 doubles. Spieth had one of those. Just bogey the hole he's in the playoff. 2) Make a 5 foot par putt on 17. Right before the putt one of the announcers mentioned that that length of putt had given Spieth problems. TV jinx gets the blame here. 3) A little longer approach shot and his 18 foot putt for birdie becomes much shorter. That and the misread on the putt that left it 3 inches wide left. Sounds like nit picking but that's like a mile in pro golf putting. A bogey on 8, a par on 17 and Spieth only needs a par on 18 to win outright. Life is full of missed chances and this was a doozy. Spieth could have been the first man to win the first three majors in a single year since Ben Hogan did it in 1953. Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer, Seve, Faldo or anyone else was unable to do it and Spieth missed it by one shot. To me, the one that hurts worst of all was the double on 8. Almost everyone in the field either parred or birdied the hole. It just wasn't that hard of a hole. Happy for Zack Johnson and it shocked me that he is freaking 39 years old. I swear I thought he was still in his twenties. Glad to see an American won at any rate. I wonder if Spieth pulled a Jim Carrey and went into the bathroom and kicked his own ass?

[eagle eye]

Latest factoid about Spieth is that his aggregate score from the Masters, US Open and British Open is the lowest in PGA Tour history! Even when Spieth doesn't make history he makes history! The only thing wrong with Spieth is he didn't go to Lamar or A&M. Or Oklahoma.

[eagle eye]

The final major of the 2015 golfing season begins tomorrow at Whistling Straits Golf Club in the not-so-frozen tundra of Kohler Wisconsin. THE marquee matchup for Rounds 1 and 2 will feature Spieth, Rory McIlroy and British Open champ Zach Johnson. If the weather is good this should be a very entertaining golf tournament. Spieth could earn golfer of the year, if he hasn't already with a win but Johnson may have a claim of his own if he wins. Life goes on without Tiger but the TV ratings just aren't as good. BTW, Tiger is playing this weekend too. His playing partners are German Martin Kaymer and American Keegan Bradley. Bradley is a fine up and coming kid on tour and he is the nephew of LPGA legend Pat Bradley.

[eagle eye]

Aussie Jason Day won his 3rd gold tournament of the year and his 1st major. He did it in fine style by shooting 4 rounds in the 60's for a total of 268, -20 to win by 3 strokes over--wait for it--Jordan Spieth. Spieth shot a 271 good for -17 and also good for solo 2nd place. Not a bad year for the young man from Texas. He won the Masters in April, the US Open in June, came in tied for 4th at the British open last month and now solo 2nd place at the PGA. Not freaking bad JS! He has 4 wins on the year and looks like a lock for golfer of the year. I guess we'll see when the FedEx Cup championships begin in September but right now his lead in FedEx pTouroints is about 1,600 with Spieth owning 4,100+ points and 2nd place golfer, Jason Day with just over 2,400 points. All that doesn't matter when the multi-tournament playoff race to win the FedEx Cup begins. However, nobody on the PGA Tour can compare with Spieth's 4 wins and 14 top ten finishes this year. Day has 3 wins but only 8 top tens and it all goes downhill from there. Only time will tell but 2015 is a nice start for Mr Spieth no matter how it ends up.
BTW Tiger Woods missed the cut this weekend and it is the first time in his career that he missed the cut in 3 consecutive majors. You just wonder what he's got left in the tank especially since he turns 40 this December. Jack Nicklaus won three majors after he turned 40. He won the 1980 US Open and the PGA in 1980 at forty and the '86 Masters at age 46 which, if you were around to see it, was a thrilling Sunday indeed. If was a terrific last hurrah for the Golden Bear and it did wonders for his endorsements and made an oversized putter the thing to have which, at the time, was a very big deal. Does Tiger have that in him? Who knows but he sure doesn't look like a guy who will threaten any major records in the near future. As the 2016 season begin he'll be forty and if he hopes to catch and pass Nicklaus' 18 pro major tournaments he had better get busy. Tiger has 14 majors now but winning 4 or 5 more seems like a real long shot at this point.