Spieth Looking for Hometown Win
By Matt Cochran
Apr 30, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; Jordan Spieth lines up a shot at the eleventh hole during day two of the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Match Play at TPC Harding Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
The PGA TOUR heads to Fort Worth, Texas this weekend for the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial and then heads to Irving for the AT&T Byron Nelson. For the 2015 Masters champion, that means sleeping in the comforts of his own bed for the next two weeks. Jordan Spieth is a resident of Dallas, Texas and will have all eyes on him for the next two tournaments as friends and family will flock to the course to see the 21-year old native. After all, he is bringing back the green jacket to the state of Texas for the first time since 1995 when Ben Crenshaw won. He’s also the first Texas-born to win a major since Justin Leonard at the 1997 Open Championship, but Jordan was only 4-years old at the time. The first Masters champion to play in the Crowne Plaza Invitational since Phil Mickelson in 2010, many are attributing the 25% increase in ticket sales to Spieth’s homecoming.
The Crowne Plaza falls at a perfect time for Spieth during this busy part of the TOUR’s schedule. Following his win at the Masters, Jordan struggled in his next three tournaments, finishing tied for 11th at the RBC Heritage, failing to get out of group play at the WGC-Cadillac Match Play, and then missing the cut at THE PLAYERS. Playing in front of plenty of family and friends this week, Spieth knows he needs to play well.
"“Obviously, the first tee shot when I’m introduced, it’s going to feel really cool with the crowds that we’ll experience these two weeks,” he said. “But then once I step over the ball, all that’s in my head is I need to play better than I’ve played the last couple of weeks.”"
That first tee shot will be quite the crowded one, especially since his Alma mater, Jesuit College Prep School, bought a stack of tickets for the bleachers overlooking the first tee.
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Sleeping in the comforts of his own home will also be an advantage for the busy Masters champ. Spieth went on a media frenzy for the next few weeks, which probably had something to do with his poor performances. He even said he lost ten pounds in the weeks following his first major win. Catching up on rest these next couple of weeks will be huge for him as he gets ready for the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay in a couple of weeks.
“My energy is up; my weight’s back up,” Spieth said. “… When I’m home, it’s a lot easier to keep weight on versus when you’re traveling.”
Jordan will be reminded of golf’s rich history in Texas when he walks past the statue of Ben Hogan near Colonial’s clubhouse, but he is just beginning to add his name as a part of that history. Looking for his first win in his home state, Spieth has a nice track record at Colonial. He has top-15 finishes in his last two trips, when he tied for 14th in 2014 and tied for 7th the year before. Playing some of the best golf on TOUR this season, all eyes will be on Jordan for the next two weeks, but that’s no problem for him. When asked about his homecoming, “This is going to be a really fun stretch, to come back home with the green jacket and be introduced like that….There’s nothing better than playing well in front of your hometown family and friends.”