Josh Antmann: Jordan Spieth is my golfing Gazza
Jordan Spieth of the United States reacts to a par-saving putt on the 16th green during the final round of the 2015 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 12, 2015 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images).
As a presenter for Sky Sports, it’s important for me to stay impartial. I have to see things objectively and look at all sides of a subject. However, now and again someone comes along who completely encapsulates you and that unbiased opinion utterly falls apart.
It’s hard not to have favourites, but I’m a sports fan just like everyone else. Growing up, Paul Gascoigne was my footballing hero. I had his books, videos (showing my age there) and sticker collections. Everything he did on the pitch was mesmerising and each time he touched the ball you just knew something magical was going to happen.
Jordan Spieth is getting awfully close to my golfing hero. Are you allowed to have new heroes at the age of 40? What’s odd is that it’s incredibly hard to put into words why he’s so watchable. It’s a combination of awe, frustration and the rollercoaster ride he takes us on every week.
Being a fan of Spieth is not something you do week to week; it’s more shot to shot. One minute he’ll produce a piece of brilliance which boggles the mind, and the next he’ll make an error which boggles the mind.
There are very few golfers, playing now, who are quite as box office as Spieth. When Tiger tees it up and he’s on the tv, everyone watches. I would argue, apart from Rory, that Spieth is the only other player capable of that. He’s an incredible mix of Tiktok putting reels and having internal monologues out in the open which make him a must watch.
I think the first real time he properly came to my attention was his Valspar win back in 2015. It was the start of a quite absurd season, and he was only 21 years old. He’d won the John Deere two years previously and gave us a glimpse of what was to come by holing a bunker shot to force a playoff, which he went onto win.
Jordan Spieth celebrates after putting on the 18th green to force be a part of a playoff during the final round of the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort Copperhead Course on March 15, 2015 in Palm Harbor, Florida. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images).
He also won the Valspar via a playoff with a 40ft putt and a celebration which lived long in the memory. He captured five wins in 2015 including back-to-back major championships, won twice in 2016 and three more times in 2017 including that incredible Open victory at Birkdale.
Being a fan of Spieth could be summed up in that astonishing 90 minutes on the back nine in Southport. I can’t begin to tell you how far right his tee shot was on the 13th…it was nearly in the next county! 29 minutes it took to get things organised, moved, and reshuffled for him to hit his second shot and he actually made a superb bogey.
There aren’t many players who could recover from a near meltdown, and show the mental strength, to comeback like he did. A near ace on the 14th, followed by a 50ft eagle putt on the 15th which prompted an outstretched finger to Michael Greller shouting “go get that!” and then another huge putt holed on 16 for birdie. Go and find the coverage of that back nine at Birkdale and watch it in its entirety. It’s insane and lesser souls would have capitulated.
I mentioned Michael Greller, his caddie, and if knighthoods were available to the golfing community, then I think he might be top of the list. Now and again an on-course microphone might pick up what Spieth is saying and it’s a complicated monologue of what’s going through his mind at that precise moment. It’s wonderful to hear what professionals actually think on the course but save a thought for Greller who has to hear it every shot! He must want to sit in a dark room after each round. His patience, understanding and, more importantly, friendship of Spieth is a huge reason for the success.
We all have internal battles and Spieth does too. After that 2017 Open win he said, “Stuff goes into your head. I mean, we walked for two minutes, three minutes in between shots. And you can’t just go blank. You wish you could, but thoughts creep in.” That’s precisely the reason I’m such a huge fan, and I think thousands of others are too…he’s relatable. He’s one of us.
Michael McEwan, digital editor of bunkered.co.uk, was on the podcast recently and he said a similar thing about Spieth. “He has to battle to shoot the numbers he does. Golf is tough and Jordan Spieth is a world class golfer, former World No1 and multiple major winner and it looks like golf doesn’t come naturally to him. We gravitate towards him because he’s like one of us but much better.”
Spieth found it tough a few years ago and fell to a lowly 82nd in the world at the end of 2020. He looked miles away from the 2015 version of Spieth, and I genuinely thought, along with many others who know more about the game than I do, there was no coming back for him. His tee shots were wayward and he was awfully close to the ‘yips’ on the greens. However, much like that back nine at Birkdale, he has fought back like a champion. Making some obvious changes and different swing thoughts has provided a way back for Spieth. His win at the Valero Texas Open in 2021 was massive and it made him believe again.
I’m sure all Spieth fans want him to win another major, and he’s only one PGA Championship away from the career Grand Slam! He’s had a sensational year already and could have arguably won twice at the Arnold Palmer and the Valspar.
I firmly believe 2023 could see him win a fourth major and possibly some company in his wardrobe for that green jacket. His record at Augusta is extraordinary and a place he adores. It will not surprise me if we see him in the Butlers Cabin on Sunday evening.
He’s sure to take us on another rollercoaster this year, but that’s why we love him. He’s the haunted house at the fairground where you’re scared one minute but want to have another go soon after.
Jordan Spieth reacts as he makes a birdie putt on the 18th hole during the third round of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club on May 29, 2021 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images).
Alex Perry, editor of National Club Golfer.com, is a fellow Spieth enthusiast and he puts it beautifully, “There’s a reason Jordan Spieth is so popular. For a player who sits comfortably under the global superstar banner, Spieth is about as relatable to us mere mortals as it gets.”
It’s hard to be impartial when someone like Spieth plays the game we love. The sport is so lucky to have him.