Jordan Spieth turns dream to reality by winning Masters
AUGUSTA, Ga. — As a kid growing up in Dallas, Jordan Spieth would haul the lawn mower out to the front yard and create a makeshift putting green.
On many days and usually into the night, with his brother, Steven, in the gallery, Spieth would face a putt and imagine it was to win the Masters.
In a far different place, on a far bigger green, Spieth's dream came true.
On Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club, the big kid from Big D put the finishing touches on a Masters masterpiece by tapping in for bogey on the final hole to win his first major championship. He didn't need the putt to win, of course, but it felt the same.
Under cloudy skies, Spieth shot 2-under-par 70 to finish at 18-under 270 and four shots clear of three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson and 2013 U.S. Open victor Justin Rose.
"It's the most incredible week of my life," said Spieth, who finished in a tie for second last year in his first Masters. "This is as great as it gets in our sport. … This isn't an honor that's carried lightly. The members of Augusta National and everyone who partakes in the Masters and is a part of the Masters, demand the most, the highest quality on and off the course from their champions. I feel ready to carry that baton."
From his opening 64 Thursday, Spieth, the second youngest winner of the Masters at 21, lit up the famous white scoreboards and the history books.
The bogey at the last kept him from establishing a tournament scoring record of 19 under; instead, he equaled the mark set by Tiger Woods, who torched this sacred ground 18 years ago when he, too, won his first major championship at age 21. Spieth did set his own records — scoring marks of 130 after 36 holes and 200 after 54. And he made a record 28 birdies.
By winning for the fourth time worldwide in four months, he moves to No. 2 in the world golf rankings behind Rory McIlroy, who finished fourth in his quest to complete the career Grand Slam and win a third consecutive major.
Spieth has gone 1-2-2-1 in his last four starts. In his last 12 worldwide starts, he has four wins, two seconds, a third, a fourth and two ties for seventh.
"He has no weaknesses," Mickelson said. "He doesn't overpower the golf course, but he plays the course strategically well. And he has that ability to focus and see things clear when the pressure is on and perform at his best when the pressure is on. That's something that you really can't teach."
Spieth, who would be a mere two months from being measured for his cap and gown for graduation ceremonies at the University of Texas if he hadn't turned pro, will not let the green jacket go to his head.
The roots to his lofty stature in the game sprung in the Lone Star State, where he followed the example set by his parents. He is a down-to-earth, polite-as-can-be wonder who won't allow his burgeoning fame and fortune to define him. He is humble to the core — and just as hungry for more titles.
His major rite of passage comes about from many sources. For starters, he comes from good genes — his mother Chris played basketball at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa., his father Shawn played baseball at Lehigh in Bethlehem. His younger brother by two years, Steven, is a 6-6 guard for Brown University and was the perfect playmate in numerous sports when they were growing up.
But it is his sister, Ellie, who provides inspiration and always keeps her older brother grounded. She is 14, born with a neurological disorder that places her on the autism spectrum.
"There is no way he'd be here without growing up with Ellie. Just no way," his mother said. "Her brothers could never be down around her. She always thought they won at everything, so she was always happy. And they always let her be happy."
Shawn Spieth talked this week of how Ellie keeps the whole family grounded, that each day is to be appreciated and enjoyed. Ellie wasn't in Augusta, instead staying at a home in the Dallas area with friends and teachers from her special-needs school where Spieth volunteers. But Spieth stayed in touch via phone and FaceTime, and Ellie certainly watched on TV.
And he said he'd call her as soon as he can.
"When I speak to her, she's going to probably tell me to just bring something home, bring a present home to her," Spieth said with a smile. "I'm sure she was watching."
Earlier in the week, he talked of how inspiring she is.
"She's the funniest member of our family," Spieth said. "I really love when she's able to be out there, love spending time with her. It's humbling to see her and her friends and the struggles they go through each day that we take for granted. Their kind of lack of patience or understanding, where it seems easy for us and it's not for them.
"But at the same time, they are the happiest people in the world."
Fellow PGA Tour pro Justin Thomas, who has known Spieth since they were 14, said Ellie is Spieth's 15th club in the bag.
"She's just great. The whole family is," Thomas said. "It was great last week in Houston and I was at dinner with Jordan and Ellie. She was so happy for Jordan. She was on the course at the tournament, always hugging him, always cheering for him. Friday she thought he had already won and was so happy.
"She will always be there for him. And he'll always be there for her."
Here this week with him was just about everybody else. Spieth rented two homes for the week. The extra room came in handy as his parents, grandparents, three of his best buddies from high school, his caddie, and his girlfriend, high school sweetheart Annie Verret, other friends, and corporate sponsors were on hand. One house was for playing poker, ping pong, shooting pool and playing some hoops. Talk was of anything but golf.
The other house was for sleep.
With his victory, Spieth became the first Texas native to win the Green jacket since Ben Crenshaw in 1995. Crenshaw, who played in his 44th and last Masters this year, said Spieth just has a different look than he's ever seen before.
A look of confidence, a look of control. A look remindful of an iconic symbol of American frontier justice, whose legend was shaped in a shootout at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Ariz.
"The first time I met him he just had this certain look about him that was like Wyatt Earp," said Crenshaw, who gave Spieth putting tips during a practice round this week. "He looks at you different but he is just as nice as you can be.
"But there is competitive fire in there. He has a great dimension of scoring and his imagination is great. He takes things in stride and plays his own game. But he's a scorer. He gets the ball in the hole. And he has a great temperament.
"He is special."
