Jordan Speith (1 Open, 1 US Open, 1 Masters, 2 Ryder Cup's.)

1993

Jordan Alexander Spieth (born July 27, 1993) is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour, and former world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking. He is a two-time major winner and the 2015 FedEx Cup champion.^[1] In April 2016 Time magazine named Spieth to its list of the "100 Most Influential People", noting that he "exemplifies everything that's great about sports."^[2]

Spieth won his first major at the 2015 Masters Tournament with a score of 270 (−18), earning him $1.8 million. Spieth tied the 72-hole record set by Tiger Woods in 1997 and became the second youngest to win the Masters, behind Woods. He then won the 2015 U.S. Open with a final score of 5-under-par.^[3] He was the youngest U.S. Open champion since Bobby Jones in 1923. He followed up with a win in the 2015 Tour Championship, which clinched the 2015 FedEx Cup. At the 2016 Masters Tournament, Spieth suffered one of the biggest collapses in the event's history after leading by five strokes halfway through the final round.

Spieth was born in Dallas, Texas, to Shawn Spieth and Mary Christine (née Julius) Spieth. He attended St. Monica Catholic School^[4] and graduated from Jesuit College Preparatory School in 2011.^[5][6]

Spieth won the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2009 and 2011, joining Tiger Woods as its only multiple winners. Before turning 18 in July 2011, he was No. 1 in the AJGA Golf Rankings, which promotes the best junior golfers in the world.^[7] He finished second in the 2008 and 2009 Junior PGA Championship.^[8] The American Junior Golf Association named him the Rolex Junior Player of the Year in 2009.^[9]

Spieth accepted an exemption to play in the PGA Tour's HP Byron Nelson Championship in 2010. It was the event's first amateur exemption since 1995.^[10] The tournament's previous exemptions had included Trip Kuehne in 1995, Justin Leonard, and Woods in 1993.^[10] He made the cut, becoming the sixth-youngest player to make the cut at a PGA Tour event.^[11] Spieth was tied for seventh place after the third round, and finished the tournament in a tie for 16th place.^[12] He was offered another exemption into the tournament in 2011, when he again made the cut and finished in a tie for 32nd.^[13]

Spieth played college golf for the University of Texas.^[14] Spieth was a member of the 2011 Walker Cup team, and played in three of the four rounds, halving his foursomes match and winning both singles matches.^[15]

In his freshman year at Texas, Spieth won three events and led the team in scoring average.^[16] He helped his team win the NCAA championship, was named to the All-Big 12 Team, Big 12 Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year, and was a first-team All-American.^[17][18]

Spieth earned a spot in the U.S. Open in 2012 as an alternate after Brandt Snedeker withdrew;^[17] he tied for 21st and was the low amateur.^[19] He became the number one amateur in the World Amateur Golf Ranking after his performance in the U.S. Open and Patrick Cantlay's decision to turn professional.^[20]

Midway through his sophomore year at Texas in 2012, the 19-year-old Spieth turned professional.^[21] He partnered with Under Armour for sponsorship in January 2013^[22] and with BioSteel Sports Supplements in March

Spieth opened the 2013 season in January, at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, missing the cut by two strokes. In March, Spieth made three cuts, finishing tied for second at the Puerto Rico Open and tied for seventh at the Tampa Bay Championship. He earned Special Temporary Member status in March, allowing him unlimited sponsor exemptions, whereas non-members are limited to seven per season.^[23] He notched another top-10 finish in April at the RBC Heritage, a tie for ninth.^[13]

On July 14, about two weeks before his 20th birthday, Spieth won the John Deere Classic in a three-way, sudden-death playoff on the fifth playoff hole against defending champion Zach Johnson and David Hearn. He became the fourth youngest PGA Tour winner and the first teenager to do so since Ralph Guldahl won the Santa Monica Open in 1931. Spieth holed out from a greenside bunker on the 72nd hole to make the playoff.^[24][25]

With the victory, Spieth was granted full status as a PGA Tour member and became eligible for the FedEx Cup, entering in 11th place in the standings. It also earned him entry into the next three majors: the 2013 Open Championship, PGA Championship, and 2014 Masters.^[26] Five weeks after his first victory, Spieth played the Wyndham Championship, where he lost in a playoff to Patrick Reed. Spieth shot a final round 62 in the Deutsche Bank Championship, vaulting him into a tie for fourth. Just two days later, captain Fred Couples selected Spieth for the United States squad in the 2013 Presidents Cup. On September 27, 2013, he was named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. At the end of the 2013 season, he was ranked 10th on the PGA Tour money list and 22nd in the Official World Golf Ranking.^[27]

Spieth made his debut at The Masters and shared the 54-hole lead with Bubba Watson. During the final round, Spieth at one point was the stand-alone leader by two strokes and in position to become the youngest Masters champion in history; Tiger Woods holds the record at age 21. But Watson retook the lead heading into the back nine and never relinquished it. Spieth finished in a tie for second with Jonas Blixt, becoming the youngest runner-up in Masters history. Spieth ended the tournament having shot no worse than an even-par (72) in any of his rounds.^[28][29] His finish moved him into the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time.^[30]

Following the PGA Championship, Spieth earned selection to the 2014 Ryder Cup team, becoming the youngest American to play in the matches for 85 years since Horton Smith in 1929.^[31]

In November, Spieth won his second tournament as a professional at the Emirates Australian Open on the PGA Tour of Australasia; in the final round he shot a course-record 63 to win the title by six strokes.^[32] A week later, he completed back-to-back victories, winning the Hero World Challenge in Florida. He won the tournament wire-to-wire and in doing so set a new tournament scoring record of 26-under-par.^[33]

On March 15, Spieth won the Valspar Championship in a three-way playoff with Patrick Reed and Sean O'Hair. He secured his victory on the third extra hole by sinking a 30-foot birdie putt.^[34]The win moved him to 6th in the Official World Golf Ranking.^[35]

A runner-up finish at the Valero Texas Open moved him to a career-high ranking of fourth in the world. The following week, Spieth lost in a sudden-death playoff at the Shell Houston Open, having held the 54-hole lead. He shot a final round 70, but had to hole an 8-footer on the last to force the playoff following low rounds by J. B. Holmes and Johnson Wagner that had pushed them to the top of the leaderboard. On the first playoff hole, Spieth put his drive nearly into the water, and then followed up with a poor shot into the green-side bunker, causing his elimination from the playoff, which was won by Holmes.^[36]

On April 9, Spieth shot an opening round 64 to finish the day eight strokes under par with a three-shot lead in the Masters Tournament at Augusta, Georgia; Spieth set a record as the youngest player to lead the Masters after the first round.^[37] His score was only one shot behind the course record of 63 shared by Nick Price and Greg Norman, with their rounds coming in 1986 and 1996 respectively.^[38] Spieth shot 66 the following day to break the 36-hole Masters scoring record by posting 14-under 130 through two rounds. The previous record, set by Raymond Floyd in 1976, was 13-under 131. He broke the 54-hole record at the Masters shooting a 16-under 200 through three rounds.^[39]

During the final round Spieth briefly held a score of −19 but bogeyed the final hole resulting in him tying Tiger Woods' 1997 score record at 18-under. Spieth set the record for the most birdies during the Masters by making 28 and became the second-youngest person to win the Masters.^[40] His victory was the first wire-to-wire Masters win since Raymond Floyd's in 1976.^[41][42] The victory moved Spieth to #2 in the Official World Golf Ranking.^[43]

On June 21, Spieth won the U.S. Open to claim his second major championship. He carded a one-under 69 in the final round to finish with a total of 275 (-5) and win the tournament by one stroke over Dustin Johnson and Louis Oosthuizen. Spieth had begun the day in a four-way tie for the lead and played in the penultimate group alongside Branden Grace. He opened his final round with a bogey to fall behind, but then a run 12 pars and two birdies in his next 14 holes moved him into a tie for the lead with Grace at five under par. On the 16th hole, Grace hit his tee shot out of bounds that led to a double bogey and Spieth capitalized by rolling in a lengthy birdie putt to create a three shot swing, which gave Spieth a three shot lead with two to play. However, on the 17th tee, Spieth pushed his tee shot well right into the thick rough, which led to a double bogey and coupled with Johnson's birdie on the 16th, the two were tied for the lead briefly. Spieth made birdie on the 18th to become the leader in the clubhouse. Johnson then had an eagle putt to win the tournament outright on the 72nd hole, but three-putted from 12 feet to finish one stroke behind.

Spieth became only the sixth player ever to win the Masters and the U.S. Open back to back, and the first since Tiger Woods in 2002.^[44] The other four golfers to accomplish this feat are Hall of Fame members Craig Wood, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nicklaus.^[45][46] He became the fourth-youngest player to win multiple major championships and the youngest winner of the U.S. Open since Bobby Jones in 1923.^{[citation needed]}

The week before The Open Championship, Spieth chose to play at the John Deere Classic rather than the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, where many other top-ranked players were competing to prepare for the links style courses.^[47] Spieth shot the lowest round of his professional career to date, with a 61 in the 3rd round.^[48] He eventually won the tournament in a playoff for his fourth victory of the year. Spieth's quest for the grand slam ended when he finished tied for 4th in The Open Championship with a final score of –14, one stroke out of a playoff. He had been tied for the lead but bogeyed the 17th hole to drop one stroke behind and could not make his birdie on the 18th to join the playoff.^[49]

After finishing second behind Jason Day at the 2015 PGA Championship, he became the world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking. He was the 18th different golfer to earn the honor. He was number one for two weeks in August 2015 and one week in September.

Spieth missed the cut in The Barclays and the Deutsche Bank Championship, the first two events of the FedEx Cup playoffs. However, his tied for 13th finish at the BMW Championship kept him second overall in the standings. Only needing a victory to clinch the championship, Spieth won the 2015 Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club by four strokes. With the win, his fifth of the year, Spieth became the ninth FedEx Cup champion and earned a $10 million bonus for winning the Cup. Spieth won $12,030,485 (not including the $10 million bonus) in 2015, a PGA Tour record for a single year. He also regained the world number one ranking.^[1]

Spieth swept all the major awards for the season: PGA Player of the Year and PGA Tour Player of the Year (Jack Nicklaus Trophy), Vardon Trophy and Byron Nelson Award for leading the tour in scoring average, and Arnold Palmer Award for leading the tour's money list.^[50]

Spieth started the year by winning the Hyundai Tournament of Champions with a dominant display that saw him race to an eight stroke victory over Patrick Reed. His score of −30 was not only a personal best, it was also only the second time a player reached −30 in a 72-hole PGA Tour event, after Ernie Els achieved the feat in 2003 at the same event. Spieth also matched Tiger Woods, by winning his seventh PGA Tour event before the age of 23.^[51]

In April 2016, Spieth shot a bogey-free 66 during the first round of the Masters to open up a two shot lead over the field. He carded a two-over-par 74 during the second round, leading by one over Rory McIlroy entering the weekend. He led by one stroke after a third round 73. In the final round, after leading by five strokes heading into the back-nine, Spieth suffered one of the biggest collapses in Masters history, with many comparing it to the meltdown of Greg Norman at the 1996 Masters.^[a] After bogeys at the 10th and 11th holes, Spieth hit two balls into the water at the par-3 12th hole, carding a quadruple-bogey and dropping him to a tie for fourth, three shots back.^[52] He finished second in the tournament, losing to Danny Willett by three strokes.^[58] Three-time Masters winner Nick Faldo, who won the 1996 tournament, said that Spieth's collapse "made Norman's feel like a joyful stroll down Magnolia Lane".^[59]

On May 29, 2016, Spieth was back in the winner's circle for the first time since his Masters collapse with victory at the Dean & DeLuca Invitational. He birdied six holes on the back nine on Sunday to see off the challenge of Harris English by three strokes.^[60]

Spieth declined to be part of the U.S. team at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.^[61]

Following a strong showing in the 2016 FedEx Cup Playoffs, Spieth played a prominent role on a victorious U.S. Ryder Cup Team. As the worlds #3 ranked player, behind Jason Day and Rory McIlroy, Spieth was looked upon as a leader within the American's locker room, illustrating both his maturity as a 23-year-old as well as the respect his peers have for him.

In November, Spieth won the Emirates Australian Open on the PGA Tour of Australasia for the second time in three years, shooting a final round 69 to finish at −12, level with Australians Cameron Smith and Ashley Hall. Spieth claimed the title on the first playoff hole with a birdie, while Hall missed his birdie opportunity. The win was Spieth's 11th of his professional career and his third of 2016.

Spieth began the year as defending champion at the SBS Tournament of Champions, but had to settle for a tie for third, six shots behind eventual winner Justin Thomas. The following week, at the Sony Open in Hawaii, Spieth again finished in third. Another top ten finish followed at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, to maintain Spieth's solid start to the year.

On February 12, in his 100th PGA Tour tournament as a professional, Spieth picked up his first victory of the year at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, finishing at −19. With this win, Spieth became just the second man, along with Tiger Woods, to win nine times on the PGA Tour before the age of 24, post-World War II.

His next start saw him tied for 22nd at the Genesis Open, before finishing tied for 12th at the WGC-Mexico Championship. His next event was also a World Golf Championship event; the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. Spieth was seeded 5th, but failed to progress out of the pool stage; a surprise loss to Japan's 54th seed Hideto Tanihara (who would go on to reach the semi-finals) in his opening match, ultimately costing him. Spieth's first missed cut of the year came a week later at the Shell Houston Open.

At the Masters, his fourth appearance at Augusta, Spieth finished tied for 11th, the first time he had failed to finish either first or second in the opening major of the year. Spieth entered the final round just two shots off the lead, but a 3-over-par 75 on Sunday put pay to his hopes of a second Green Jacket.

After earning a spot on the 2013 Presidents Cup team, Spieth began to plan the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation. The fund provides awareness and financial assistance to special needs children, military families and youth golf.^[62]

Jordan is the son of Shawn and Christine Spieth,^[63] both natives of Pennsylvania. His grandfather, Donald Spieth, is a music teacher at Moravian College and Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he was a long-time conductor of the former Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra.^[64] The Spieths are of German descent.^{[citation needed]} Jordan has two younger siblings, Steven and Ellie. Steven is an incoming junior at Brown University for the 2016-2017 year. He is also the starting guard and has received many Ivy League awards.^[65][66] Ellie has grown up with disabilities and Spieth has credited her with keeping him grounded and focused as well as keeping the game of golf in perspective. He has been linked to Annie Verret, who works at The First Tee after graduating from Texas Tech.^[67] Spieth is Catholic and attends PGA Tour Bible study meetings with other players.

23rd July 2017 Speith took the Open title from the verge of catastrophical lose, to one of the most memorable recovery's of all time, a penalty stroke for a massively cut tee shot on 13 and a drop on the driving range resulted in a monumentaly inspiring bogey! The key to a following burst of birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie that left his valiant opponent Matt Kuchar just wondering what might have happened....