There is a new star in the constellation of golfing excellence – Jordan Spieth – the winner of this year’s Masters Tournament. In his four rounds of play he tied or set several tournament records: The first player to hold the leader board in each round (since Raymond Floyd did so in 1976), The second youngest player to ever win a Masters (behind Tiger Woods), His four-round score of 270 tied the course record (which was set by Tiger Woods), and His 28 birdies in four rounds (which beat Phil Mickelson’s 2001 record). Truly, a Masterful performance.
Spieth is recognized by other professionals for playing a balanced game… for strategic thinking with regards to playing the course, for not underpowering/overpowering his shots and for executing each shot with almost robotic accuracy. Also deserving of remark, at least for now, are other golfer’s comments that Spieth’s game seems to improve with pressure – an enviable trait in any sports professional.
At 21, the world and its distractions have yet to touch Jordan Spieth. We would like him to remain in this state…winning tournaments and creating artful vignettes as the media records his every shot…as he is an inspiration to all golfers. For now, we congratulate Mr. Spieth on his win and look forward to seeing him back in play very soon.
Testing oneself against greatness transforms a winner into a champion….which requires prior champions to be in the competition. Phil Mickelson (who won in 2004, 2006 and 2008) played that role in this contest – finishing 14 under par and tied for second with England’s Justin Rose (who was, from round one, a prime competitor and always in contention).
Mickelson’s opening 2-under 70 put him six shots off Spieth’s 8-under pace. By day two, despite working himself into the #6 position, he was eight shots behind the leader. In day three’s play, Mickelson pushed through the crowd to end at an impressive 11-under and had taken three shots back from Spieth who sat at -16. Turning up the pressure on the final day, he recorded a 3-under 69 and closed out a 14-under effort – a winning performance on any day were it not for a man who was shooting the round of his life. Time simply ran out.
Augusta was as gorgeous as always. The pristine greens and beautifully sculpted fairways make it seem as if players are part of a living portrait. The tradition which began in 1934 is strong now and will be so in the future.