The Zone Interactive Golf Magazine (UK) The Zone Issue 26 | Page 27

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h, the precocity of youth. Fearless,
unhindered by failure, with a
long and winding road to riches
stretched out into the future. Four-foot
putt? Just knock it in the hole. Need to
hole a bunker shot to make a playoff? Just
watch this. Pressure? What pressure?
This, without the shadow of a doubt, has
been the year when we have witnessed the
arrival on the PGA Tour and, indeed on
the golfing world, of a young man who,
by the time he hangs up his clubs, will
have won multiple majors. I will stake my
reputation (such at is) on it.
Jordan Spieth is a phenomenon. Just
turned 20, he will finish the season as
Rookie of the Year. He will recall briefly
contending for The Open Championship
at Muirfield and how much he enjoyed
seeing his name on the leaderboard, he
will look back fondly on his maiden Tour
win, at the John Deere Classic, achieved
when he was 19 years old thanks to an
amazing stroke at the 18th hole, he
will reflect on a glorious 62 during
the Deutsche Bank championship
that took him into the top 10 in
the FedEx Cup standings and he
will reflect on being chosen as a
captain's pick for the Presidents
Cup team. At 20!
Of course, none of the above
should come as a surprise
to anybody. He won the US
Amateur Championship in
2009 when he was just 17 and
repeated his success two years
later to join Tiger Woods as the
only golfers ever to have won the
event more than once.
Despite his age, the most striking
feature of Spieth's game is his
maturity. Yes, he is fearless,
but he already knows how to

THEZONE / ISSUE 25

think his way around the toughest of golf
courses. He hits the ball a mile, but he
knows there are times when the driver
should be left in the bag. And he possesses
a short game that most of his peers would
die for.
So who is Jordan Spieth?
Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Spieth
attended St. Monica Catholic School
and Jesuit College Preparatory School,
graduating in 2011. He played college
golf for the Longhorns at the University
of Texas.Spieth was an integral member
of the 2011 Walker Cup team, and played
in three of the four rounds, halving his
foursomes match and winning both singles
matches.
In his freshman year at Texas, Spieth won
three events and led the t