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?

[eagle eye]

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.

[eagle eye]

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.

[eagle eye]

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.