The official Jordan Spieth thread.

Leishman leads after15 at -16, Zach Johnson finished at -15, and with 5 left for each, Spieth, Day, and Oosthuizen at -14..............Spieth has 5 holes to pass Johnson and catch/pass Leishman, gonna be tough.

 

Oh. My. God

Spieth hits 45 foot putt on 16 to go into tie for lead.

 

Stuck at work. How is Speith doing on 17?

 

Ok, it's over. Spieth needed a birdie putt up from the valley of sin ---- missed by about 6 inches. Finishes 1 out.

 

$teve Patter$son's tweet:

Congrats to Justin Johnny Jackson Jimmy J Speeph for winning competing at the thing over there. Hoockum!

 

It's a bit of a bummer Spieth didn't pull this one off, but it is hard to be too disappointed when a 21-year old wins the Masters and US Open and comes within one of a playoff at St. Andrews. This guy just may prove to be good some day.

 

Better yet is it should hopefully put to rest the criticisms of his decision to stay in the States to play the Deere tourney right before the flight for the Open...no amount of extra days of practice would have fixed the bogey that took him out of the share of the lead. And it wasn't even the first time in the round that he had the share and lost it...

I have no doubt that he will be making Texas proud for many years to come

 

Saturday was the Killer - never should have started.

 

No ****! He did remarkably well considering the **** straw he had to eat!. f**k the british open! On to the PGA! Hook 'em Horns!

 

Zach Johnson played the John Deere Classic and missed the playoff there by one stroke, sound familiar.

Spieth missed some putts he usually makes, the four putt for a double bogie was a killer. It was a great effort, that just fell a little short.

 

I agree as far as it goes, but after reading about his(Jordan's) drive on 17, I'm beginning to think a little choke came into play. Tiger in his prime would have put the death grip on these idiots.

 

I suggest you take a look at his monster putt on 16, which took him to a temporary tie for first with an birdie, in context with his follow-on in 17 and 18. Choke? Followed with a bogie and a par. Not great, but not choking, IMHO.

Four other golfers have won the Masters and U.S. Open, to lose The Open next.

Hogan (1951), Palmer (1960), Nicklaus (1972), and Tiger (2002).

Now Spieth.

Chokers, all of 'em.

 

It was a great put on the 16th hole, but it was just a birdie 3, on the par 4 hole. Wish it had been an eagle, he would have probably won.

It's all subjective now, but I really believe if had holed the par putt on the 17th, he would have birdied the 18th to win. Would have been the perfect storybook finish to make history.

He seems to thrive on things like that. Looked like he was still thinking about that putt and mishit his drive on 18. With a chance to win, he would have been focused more.

Still after all the missed putts, he put himself in a position to win or at least get in the playoff. There's no quit in him and he's still learning. He has a great head on his shoulders and I think he will be around a long time and will win a lot.

Tiger for all his talent, started trying to change his swing, when there was really no reason to. Then all the other off the course things came to light about Tiger. Spieth seems to be very centered in his life and has great self discipline. I don't see him self destructing like Tiger has done on and off the golf course.

Spieth is more like Jack Nicklaus, than Tiger. That's a good thing. Maybe he will be the one that catches Jack, in Major wins. He's off to a very good start and I think he will sustain and have a better last third of his career than Tiger.

 

How is Spieth supposedly being like Nicklaus than Tiger a good thing? Just like Tiger, we really don't know who Spieth is, so it's a little too early to make any sorts of proclamations. Jordans' a great golfer, but he's not even Mcilroy yet. Is he likely to win a few more majors, yes, but we really don't know. For all of Tiger's troubles he still has 14 majors, so Jordan has a long way to go to be Tiger let alone Nicklaus.

Personally, I think golf is a really hard sport to watch without falling a sleep. It's just boring in my opinion, but Tiger brought a swagger to the course that had not been seen before. Abviously him being african american was a major reason casual fans watched, and it also didin't hurt having the great marketing that Nike has. When Tiger was at his best, that's when I became a little more interested in golf. Now that he's not that player anymore, for me golf is what it was before he showed up. When you had Duval, a younger Couples, Mickelson, and Greg Norman, basically a predominantly rich country club sport, that's what it was and has always been prior to Tiger.

Jordans' a great young golfer who went to Texas, but I just don't find him very interesting like Tiger was. And for golf, and the casual fans of golf, that's not a good thing.

 

It's a good thing for him, it works. He thinks his way around the golf course and wins. This is what I am saying. His game is more like a Nicklaus than Tiger. He doesn't just overpower a course, because he can't do that. His kind of game can last a long time. That is never going to change, that's a good thing for longevity and success. I explained it in the last two paragraphs above.

There are golfers who have more raw talent, but they don't win because they can't control that talent. Don't care if some people find it interesting because others will. I think we know a lot about who Spieth is. He has plenty of game and a head for his game, that is better than most. He is very close to being the #1 rated golfer in the world.

I said everything points in that direction, without injury his type of game will last and be successful. People will find it plenty interesting if he keeps on the path he is presently on.

Tiger didn't exactly grow up in the projects and attended Stanford.

Golf is a worldwide sport, just like soccer, there is plenty of interest and international competition. There are excellent players from all over the globe. It will be an Olympic sport in the next Olympics. People all over the world and of all races are finding it interesting. Golf is growing in leaps and bounds and is even very popular in China now. The game of golf is doing just fine.

 

Tiger was more than just talent, he was the best mentally as well. Even if he wasn't playing very well he wouldn't give in. Tiger doesn't have it mentally like he once did. Oh, he was also the best putter in the game when he was on top, something that Jordan isn't. Very rarely did he miss anything from 10 ft and in. You can talk about the game growing but you know the game isn't growing in the U.S. The majority of people who watched Speith play, are people who watch and play golf regularly, the casual fan could care less who Spieth is.

The casual fan is the most important, because the rich country club golf fan is going to watch anyway. And Tiger didn't grow up poor, but he also didn't grow up rich, playing at country clubs in Southlake, like the majority of players and fans do, including Spieth.

 

Tiger became the most talented player in the history of golf. He was an only child that grew up eating and sleeping golf. He appeared on talk shows at a very early age and showed how good he was. He had to become the best and then he had to be the best ever. This meant breaking Jack's record for wins in the Majors, nothing else mattered

Soon other tournaments were just tuneups for Majors, they meant nothing to him. He racked up one Major win after another. It wasn't a matter whether he would break Jack's record, it was just when and by how much. But the progression was not fast enough for Tiger, he had to tinker with his swing. He had to get even better. Breaking Jack's record was a total obsession.

Tiger was the greatest golfing talent, but his Ryder Cup record didn't show it. He did really want to win in the Ryder Cup, but it just didn't fit his mental make up. It didn't count toward breaking Jack's record.

The fixes attempted didn't take, things began spiraling down, his off the course life was in total shambles. Tiger for all his success wasn't happy in his life. Now the dream is all but gone of tying or breaking Jack's record and Tiger struggles just to make the cut in Majors. He couldn't let success come to him, he had to have it as soon as possible.

In the end the only thing that could stop Tiger was Tiger and he did it in as spectacular a fashion as he burst on the golf scene and dominated it. This was because of a lack of mental strength, was it not? He lacked the discipline to have patience and starting forcing things. People wouldn't have watched if Tiger hadn't been successful. Now it's very hard to watch him.

Spieth on the other hand wasn't even the best athlete in his family, his brother was. He found a game in golf where he could become one of the best. He didn't have all the physical tools, but he has the mind, that hasn't been seen in a long time. Golf is not his total obsession, he can turn it on and off. He can be angry at bad shots and show it and then bounce right back.

He is grounded in his life and shows it, he has a special needs sister, that helps him immensely in this. He knows that golf is not the end all in life. This will go a long way to keeping him playing successfully for a long time.

Spieth has already accomplished as much as any golfer his age, in his short time as a pro. How did he do it, if he has all these short comings? Why will he not be able to continue, when he is still learning and should only get better? He's nowhere close to being in his prime yet.

How do you know who watches Spieth play, golf has never had better tournaments. The British Opening had it all for watching and Spieth was the main story. Golf has a whole new generation of great players, golf is more popular with young people. Golfers come out of college now, from all walks of life, and from all nations. They have no fear and are factoring in tournaments. Spieth is a compelling story in his own right. People will watch, just like they watched the British Open, if he continues to be successful. You think casual fans didn't watch this. After a very tough loss, while trying to make golf history, he comes back out and congratulates the winner Zach Johnson. People see this and like him for it. Spieth does nearly all the right things. Tiger didn't do things like this, he was all wrapped up in his game, that didn't win him many friends.

Golf is growing also with the help of programs like the "First Tee" program that is introducing it to youngsters from all economic situations. Golf will never be the top sport in the U.S. It takes a long time to play. I enjoy playing it, but haven't very much because of the time factor. If you enjoy many things in your spare time, as I do, golf is hard to fit in very often. I do like watching it, but not all the time. That was true when Tiger was on top also. I have never played at a Country Club, but wouldn't turn it down. Many golfers now don't have that kind of Pedigree, and are successful.

So is golf going to just die and blow away now? I see it more on television and in more different formats, than ever. It has it's own channel, just like the other major sports. I think golf is doing just fine.

 

You make some good points, the sad thing in my opinion, is when you look at Tiger mania 20 plus years later. The effect that he had on the game of golf, in terms of getting more african americans interested in golf has not come to fruition like a lot people including myself thought, when you look at the PGA tour today. But it's a good thing that according to what you've said, that they have continued to try and get more african americans and Hispanics involed in the game of golf.

 

All that matters is the Speith's girlfriend is hot, hot, hot.

 

NB, I agree the missed putt on 17 killed him. He let eat on him on 18. You could see all over his face. Maybe Greller should have done something. Joke, a kick in the ***, something.

 

Final thought and I'm going to put the Open to bed: this broke my heart. I'm too old to wait for another opportunity like this. I watched Arnie piss his away in 60. Can't live another 55 to see another!

 

NB....great thoughts and observations.

Many golfers, non-golfer and the casual golfer have been lured in by Jordan and his ability but also his character that just jumps out at us....
mature well past 21!

 

The First Tee Program.

 

Congratulations to Jackson Splith on a terrific Wimbledon performance!

Hook'em!

sp

 

Stevie, were you drinking at lunch AGAIN !?

 

Hi! We're in a truck! For some reason my **** got erased on my PC and my new password for shaggy refuge did not work. Help Mr. Admin! Anyway, I'll take Jordan at Whistling Straits. He should have won the open-got all the bad breaks. Hook 'em!

 

Why did this crack me up so hard?

We're in a truck! LOL

Shaggy/Austinstratman I will PM you.

 

Thanks Dion! Have not checked my mail yet, but mucho gracias! BTW, Happy Birthday Jordan! Hook 'em Horns!!!!!!!!

 

@austinstratman Check your PM.

 

Thanks Dion. I'm the one screwing up. I want get back in as Shaggy and have not done so yet. No worries mate. Thanks for your help.

BTW, were you the lead singer of the Belmonts?