Jordan Spieth Is Making the Right Decision Playing in the John Deere Classic
By Matt Cochran
The winner of this year’s first two majors heads back to the place where he got his maiden PGA TOUR victory as he prepares for the third leg of the grand slam.
TPC Deere Run is a course all too familiar for Jordan Spieth. Spieth grabbed his first career PGA TOUR win back in 2013 at the John Deere Classic and became the youngest TOUR winner in the last 82 years. Two years and two major wins later, he returns to get a final tuneup before heading across the pond for the Open Championship.
Entering the week as a 3-1 favorite, many people have criticized Spieth’s decision to play in the John Deere Classic. He is honoring his commitment to play in the tournament just one week before he sets out for his third leg of the grand slam, but many think he should be in Scotland getting a feel for the Old Course.
Spieth has a long-standing relationship with the John Deere Classic and even with the opportunity to win the first three majors of the season, something that hasn’t been done since 1953, he’s keeping his promise of playing in event. He understands what he means to the tournament and with everything that’s on the line, he still has the awareness to see above it all.
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If you’ve watch this kid since he’s arrived on the scene, you’ve already realized Jordan is wise beyond his years. He’s quickly figuring out how to live life as a professional golfer and he doesn’t need anyone to start telling him what to do. He may have not seen much of St. Andrews, but then again he didn’t see much of Chambers Bay and look how that worked out for him.
While he has plenty of people criticizing what he’s doing, there are also some pretty important people who don’t have a problem with what he’s doing. Those people being Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
"“He showed again that he is battle-tested and mature beyond his 21 years,” Nicklaus said after the U.S. Open. “He now has two major championship victories, six wins, and 27 top-10 finishes, and he is still younger than I was when I won my first tournament at 22. I have always said that winning breeds winning, and that holds true even at the age of 21. This victory further validates that Jordan is not only one of today’s great young players, he has become one of golf’s greats — period. Wow.”"
Tiger, a guy who 14 majors of his own, put things into his own words, saying it’s all about the ‘feels’:
"“I think it’s great for him to play, get the playing feels, keep the playing feels going,” Woods said this week. “Whether you’re playing here or overseas, doesn’t really matter. Long as you have your feels. Feels travel.”"
He may not be able to be at St. Andrews this week, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t seeing the course. Spieth knocked out a wall in one of the bedrooms of his new Dallas mansion and put in a $100,000 golf simulator. He’s been playing the Old Course on the simulator the weeks leading up to the British Open in order to preview the track. Jordan has even sped up the greens and increased the firmness of the fairways to get a more realistic feel. He will be hopping on a private jet as soon as the tournament ends, provided by John Deere, and head over to St. Andrews.
"“I’ve got a full swing golf simulator at my house. I’ve played a few holes. I was able to see some of the lines off the tees. Obviously, it’s not the same as being there. But at least I get to see some of the holes so when I get there I’m not too surprised. Best prep for me is getting myself into contention the week before.”"
The kid may not be making the right decision in the eyes of the arm-chair golfer, but who are we to tell him what he’s doing is wrong? Did we tell him how to win the first two majors this year? The only person he should be listening to is Jordan Spieth, because at the age of 21, he is wiser than any of us will ever be.