Jordan Spieth: A Competitor That Will Rebound
Spieth remains his own harshest critic - making sure this
Masters gaff won't linger on throughout the season
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A few days following the mayhem that occurred at this weekend’s Masters, I have finally been able to digest the drama that unfolded. My heart goes out to Jordan Spieth — over the course of 3 and half solid rounds of golf, Spieth had convinced the world that the green jacket would again be his through some masterful play and stellar putting.
As a spectator my stomach knotted witnessing one of the world’s best put up a 7 at the gusty 12th. I couldn’t imagine the angst that 22 year old Jordan Spieth was enduring after two shots consequently defined his entire tournament.
What occurred on #12 shows us how cruel of a game golf can be—when everything seems to be in a steady groove, it can all come crashing down in moments—Jordan Spieth learned that lesson on Sunday at the notorious Golden Bell. It was a moment in that young man’s career that will undoubtedly haunt him, or at least irk him—my belief is that it won’t be for long.
Anyone who has watched Spieth on a regular basis knows that he is his own harshest critic. Time and time again the Texan has thrived to be better andbecome better—putting a tremendous amount of pressure on himself to achieve even his most lofty goals.
He is not shocked by his success, but rather by how quickly it has come to fruition.
He talks about “patience” on the golf course in many of his interviews. Spieth preaches patience because he plays run-and-gun golf, takes risks and appears to always want to push limits and elevate to the next level. Through and through he has managed to stay grounded appearing robotic, yet rhythmic and downright unstoppable at times.
Simply put, based on what I’ve seen with Jordan over his young career, he seems to be one of the few in history that possesses the passion and mental strength to develop into one of the world’s greatest golfers—this is why this painful setback at Augusta has the potential to pave way for a vengeful comeback that can truly display the young man’s grit and determination through an unprecedented psychological strength that has been evident throughout the duration of his short, yet staggering career.
The 2016 Masters won’t be a moment that defines Spieth, rather develops his character. It will act as a reminder of the first true golf heartbreak he has gone through, which develops a thick skin and the necessary situational experience to compliment his mental strength.
Yes, there is no arguing that it would be have been more ideal to be reflecting on Jordan’s magical back-to-back, wire-to-wire Masters win, but there is a silver lining in this situation—a lining that will continue to strengthen a Spieth that has taken the world of golf by storm in a very Tiger-esque fashion. This setback has some serious capability to push Jordan Spieth to new levels—a thought that is more frightening and more realistic than the idea that this event will result in his demise.
The vast majority of tour players would have written off the round after a quadruple bogey, let the wheel completely fall off and psychologically check out, as seen before in the cases of Norman, Rory and others. However, even without the situational experience of being faced with extreme adversity on the most significant stage in golf, Spieth fought to stay alive, making birdies down the stretch to stay in contention, and narrowly missing a putt on 16 that would have made things even crazier coming down 17 and 18.
No, he didn’t pull off what would have been one of the most thrilling comebacks in golf history, but he sure gave it a run after most would have just thrown in the towel. That sense of fight is rare and begs a high level of mental fortitude.
Walking up 18, knowing his fate and conscious of his responsibility at the post tournament ceremony, Spieth handled himself better than most pros would (especially at the ripe age of 22). Narrowly missing out on his second Masters title, Spieth fought back tears in what I could only imagine to be the most agonizing hour of his life after finishing up on the 72nd hole—this time without the crowd ready to burst out in celebratory jubilation after his final putt.
To conduct his interviews with class and fight back the flurry of emotion—or the “numbness” as Nick Faldo put it—was impressive, and can arguably be chalked up to the young man’s disciplined mind. I should be preaching that athletes across all sports should be taking a page out of Spieth’s book— displaying class and mental strength., which they really should— but it is these attributes that I think makes Spieth unique, and what will allow him to blossom into one of the most elite all-time.
I remember just a few short years ago watching Spieth when he was 19 and breaking into the PGA, his NCAA resume polished after an incredible stint with his local Longhorns. It wasn’t his swing, consistency or even his incredible putting stroke that amazed me—it was his mental toughness. It was the ability to persevere when stuck in a jam, to make a meaningful putt, or even jar a shot out of the sand when it mattered most.
This all stems from a unique hybrid of mental toughness and natural ability—that is what drew me to his game, and has kept me watching closely every since. Taking down major champion Zach Johnson (and Canadian David Hearn) at the 2013 John Deere got my attention in a hurry—Spieth has continued to develop at a rapid rate and will continue to, regardless of what happened in Augusta on Sunday.
Growing up in the Tiger era, I never thought that there would be anyone to ever rival my childhood idol—I refused to believe it and maybe part of me still does. All I can say for now, is that Spieth has exemplified a level of mental toughness that rivals Tiger in his younger days— a bold statement I know, but bear with me.
Much like Tiger, Spieth’s play has been so solid over the start to his young career that he’s faced very little adversity as a result of superior play. Granted not everything has gone perfectly for the Texan, but his resume speaks for itself—finishing no worse than T4 in the last 5 major championships, 2 major titles to his name , along with a Fed-Ex Cup and 7 PGA Tour wins—that in itself is more than most players can generate in a career.
However, as I already mentioned, I’m a firm believer that the adversity that Jordan faced this Sunday builds character and enables learning through experience—a gut wrenching experience at that, but one that he will do everything in his power to ensure never happens again.
Let’s not forget the famous Tiger Woods —the most psychologically discipline player in our era—blew a 54 hole lead at the 2009 PGA Championship for the first time in his career. Woods has yet to win a major since this setback—perhaps due to the fact that he had never faced this type of grueling adversity before (in conjunction with his personal troubles).
Granted the circumstances were much different and Tiger was at a later point in an already legendary career, my point is that Spieth has the capability to allow this moment to build his career in the idea that this short-term pain will ultimately result in long-term gain when put in a similar predicament.
It was okay that Jordan faced the thunder on Sunday, because maybe he’ll be the one to rise up and do what Tiger couldn’t—rebound. Spieth is a young man focused on his legacy and footprint on the game (perhaps subconsciously) more so than anything else. This refreshing attitude can be seen it in the way that he conducts himself both on and off the golf course, and it really is something amazing.
Spieth’s mental drive and untapped obsession to become the best is a blend of attributes that only the elites such as Nicklaus, Palmer and Woods have possessed, and it is what makes Jordan Spieth special. It is what gives him the mental edge to bounce back and bury this weekend’s Masters as a dark chapter in an otherwise riveting storybook. Even the best falter and at 22 Jordan Spieth will be a better golfer because of it.
