STACK Athlete of the Year 2015: Jordan Spieth Became One of the Most Dominant Golfers in the World at 22-Years-Old
Young stars officially took over the PGA in 2015, a season that could be considered a preview of the future of golf. The three top players in the world are in their twenties. The youngest and quite possibly the best of the bunch is Jordan Spieth, who currently is ranked No. 1 in the World.
Not too shabby for a 22-year-old in only his third season as a pro.
Arguably, no young golfer has generated as much excitement and anticipation since Tiger Woods. The comparisons between Spieth and Woods started early, as they are the only players to win the U.S. Amateur Championship multiple times.
When he was younger, golf was just one of many sports at which Spieth excelled. Playing multiple sports as a kid generally creates better athletes. It appears that in Spieth’s case, this holds true.
“He hung up his golf clubs during football and baseball season—he was a quarterback and a pitcher—two pretty big roles. Then, he’d pick up golf again when summer rolled around,” Spieth’s mom told Purpose2Play.com. “It wasn’t like he excelled in one sport over the other. He seemed to have a gift for them all.”
Spieth dazzles with precision shot-making on the course, because he puts in even more work behind the scenes. He trains hard at AMPD Golf Fitness in Dallas, a facility that specializes in golf performance. Recently, Spieth posted this extremely challenging workout on Instagram.
Spieth’s first two seasons as a pro went well. He won two tournaments and became the second-youngest player to be named to the U.S. Ryder Cup Team. However, he suffered a tough loss at the 2014 Masters. He was leading in the final round, but ended up as the runner-up to Bubba Watson.
“I’m definitely still stinging, there’s no doubt about it, to work your whole life to be in position to win a golf tournament you’ve always dreamed of [and then lose],” Spieth said on ESPN Radio’s “Mike & Mike.” “But I never expected to be in that position maybe this early, so I’m definitely looking back at all the positives going forward.”
And there were lots of positives to come in the 2015 season. He set modest goals—”to make the Presidents Cup team, contend for at least one major and make the cut in all the majors”—and he achieved each of them with ease.
Spieth won the 2015 Masters, breaking the tournament scoring record and tying Tiger Woods’s 18-hole record at 18 under par. He then went on to win the U.S. Open, which had everyone thinking Grand Slam. Unfortunately, he didn’t win the Open Championship or the PGA Championship, so a Grand Slam will have to wait. He did win three more tournaments, took the FedEx Cup and became the No. 1 golfer in the World.
“I accomplished one of my life-long goals and in the sport of golf,” Spieth said, as reported by GolfChannel.com. “That will never be taken away from me now. I’ll always be a No. 1 player in the world.”
Despite his successes and over $30 million in prize money, Spieth remains humble. He is consistently praised by golf fans and the media for his strong character and respect for the game. Based on our observations, it appears this praise is well deserved.
“Me speaking about humility is very difficult, because it wouldn’t be humility,” Spieth told the Washington Times.
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STACK Athlete of the Year 2015: Jordan Spieth Became One of the Most Dominant Golfers in the World at 22-Years-Old
Young stars officially took over the PGA in 2015, a season that could be considered a preview of the future of golf. The three top players in the world are in their twenties. The youngest and quite possibly the best of the bunch is Jordan Spieth, who currently is ranked No. 1 in the World.
Not too shabby for a 22-year-old in only his third season as a pro.
Arguably, no young golfer has generated as much excitement and anticipation since Tiger Woods. The comparisons between Spieth and Woods started early, as they are the only players to win the U.S. Amateur Championship multiple times.
When he was younger, golf was just one of many sports at which Spieth excelled. Playing multiple sports as a kid generally creates better athletes. It appears that in Spieth’s case, this holds true.
“He hung up his golf clubs during football and baseball season—he was a quarterback and a pitcher—two pretty big roles. Then, he’d pick up golf again when summer rolled around,” Spieth’s mom told Purpose2Play.com. “It wasn’t like he excelled in one sport over the other. He seemed to have a gift for them all.”
Spieth dazzles with precision shot-making on the course, because he puts in even more work behind the scenes. He trains hard at AMPD Golf Fitness in Dallas, a facility that specializes in golf performance. Recently, Spieth posted this extremely challenging workout on Instagram.
Spieth’s first two seasons as a pro went well. He won two tournaments and became the second-youngest player to be named to the U.S. Ryder Cup Team. However, he suffered a tough loss at the 2014 Masters. He was leading in the final round, but ended up as the runner-up to Bubba Watson.
“I’m definitely still stinging, there’s no doubt about it, to work your whole life to be in position to win a golf tournament you’ve always dreamed of [and then lose],” Spieth said on ESPN Radio’s “Mike & Mike.” “But I never expected to be in that position maybe this early, so I’m definitely looking back at all the positives going forward.”
And there were lots of positives to come in the 2015 season. He set modest goals—”to make the Presidents Cup team, contend for at least one major and make the cut in all the majors”—and he achieved each of them with ease.
Spieth won the 2015 Masters, breaking the tournament scoring record and tying Tiger Woods’s 18-hole record at 18 under par. He then went on to win the U.S. Open, which had everyone thinking Grand Slam. Unfortunately, he didn’t win the Open Championship or the PGA Championship, so a Grand Slam will have to wait. He did win three more tournaments, took the FedEx Cup and became the No. 1 golfer in the World.
“I accomplished one of my life-long goals and in the sport of golf,” Spieth said, as reported by GolfChannel.com. “That will never be taken away from me now. I’ll always be a No. 1 player in the world.”
Despite his successes and over $30 million in prize money, Spieth remains humble. He is consistently praised by golf fans and the media for his strong character and respect for the game. Based on our observations, it appears this praise is well deserved.
“Me speaking about humility is very difficult, because it wouldn’t be humility,” Spieth told the Washington Times.