Jordan Spieth has not simply utilised the practice tee at Augusta
National to hone his iron skills. The 20-year-old sought out veterans of
the game, such as Tom Watson and Ben Crenshaw, to seek insight into
what detailed and specific qualities are required to win at venues such
as this.
Earlier, he had chewed the fat with Jack Nicklaus. Spieth
was neither intimidated nor cheeky; he has used the same approach time
and again as he looks to become the best golfer he can possibly be.
To
Spieth, that trio remain as Mr Watson, Mr Nicklaus and Mr Crenshaw.
Watson will almost certainly have Spieth as part of his Ryder Cup team
in September in Scotland, three years after he participated in a Walker
Cup at Royal Aberdeen as an amateur.
"Mr Crenshaw talked to me a
lot about just the pull on the greens and just how you really need to
watch out and keep an eye on where that 11th green, 12th green pins are
located, not for the break of the greens but for the speed," Spieth
said. "That's kind of the most important thing he said. The greens out
here are really about understanding the speed of the putts, whether it's
a four-footer or a 40-footer, because then you understand how quick or
slow it's going to be.
"Then you can pick your line instead of
like a lot of courses, where it's just outside right and firm; there's
no such thing here. These guys are pretty good guys to learn something
about the golf
course from."
As
Spieth played himself into Masters contention, thereby endorsing the
promise he had shown on the PGA Tour last season, there was evidence
that he had listened carefully to such words of wisdom. Already this
season, Spieth has played in the company of Tiger Woods and shot 63;
there was no sense of fear on display whatsoever.
Whether veteran
major winners or otherwise, few of those who have encountered Spieth
have failed to be impressed. This is a young man with mannerisms and
maturity way beyond his years.
"For a 20-year-old, he is pretty
savvy," said Fred Couples, who has encountered a fair few golfing
flashes-in-the-pan. "Not much bothers him."
Spieth's grounding has
a basis in family reality. His younger sister, Ellie, was born
prematurely and with special needs. The pair are extremely close,
regardless of where Jordan's travels may take him.
On returning
from tournaments, Spieth has brought his sister home a keyring as a
memento. The player has also established his own charity, aimed at
assisting those with special needs.
"My brother [Steven, who is a
college basketball player] and I wouldn't be where we are today without
Ellie," Spieth said. "She is seven years younger than me and was born so
early that she almost passed away a couple of times when a baby but she
pulled through it.
"She is far stronger than either of us and
definitely funnier than either of us. I hear her supporting me all the
time. If the crowd are roaring at a golf tournament, I still hear her
voice over any other one.
"If I would come home upset at myself
after playing badly somewhere, she would always be the first one there
to come and give me a hug at baggage claim. That has always been
extremely special and made everything else suddenly seem less
important."
The theory that Spieth is a tournament rookie is
slightly at odds with reality. He has been honing his putting skills
with the experts at Scotty Cameron since he was 13.
In May 2010 a
16-year-old Spieth, a high school junior, played in and competed for the
Byron Nelson Classic. "I'm going to start firing because I got nothing
to lose, nothing to hold back," said Spieth at the time. He finished
inside the top 20.
As a child in Dallas, Spieth was a pretty
decent baseball player. He could readily have adopted that, rather than
golf, as his pursuit of choice.
"Then I started to play a little bit less baseball and my golf swing got better," he explained.
"My
mum wanted me to mow the lawn, we had lots of chores we wanted to do,
so I decided I wanted to mow a little green and dug a little hole in it.
Every morning before school I would go out there and hit chip shots
into that green. If I pushed the ball I was on to the road and troubling
cars so I had to be accurate.
"I broke 70 for the first time when
I was 11. It was a 63. I realised then that this was a lot of fun and
would like to do it more often. I switched to the instructor I have now
and the rest is history."
With Tiger Woods's fitness open to
long-term question, golf is seeking new heroes. Spieth fits the bill
perfectly; and not only for the way he plays the game
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