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Jordan Spieth: Reset

By Elizabeth Bethel

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Three weeks ago Jordan Spieth failed and it was a huge, public failure.  With two holes remaining to play at the 2015 Open Championship and a share of the lead, Spieth failed to close out his third major victory of the year; and in that brief moment of failure Spieth’s central goal, completing the Grand Slam, evaporated.  He’d been half-way there on Thursday.  He’d been within spitting distance Sunday afternoon. He’d made a very explicit public commitment to that goal. There was no doubt in anybody’s mind that Jordan Spieth didn’t tee it up at St. Andrews to have fun and see what happens.  He went to Scotland win The Open.

What does a guy do with that kind of miss-hit?

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The kid from Dallas held an impromptu sportsmanship clinic right there at the edge of the 18th green at the Home of Golf. He showed us what the game’s about, why we want our children and our grandchildren to play the game of a lifetime that holds the potential to better equip all of us for living our lives on life’s terms.

The first thing Jordan Spieth did was congratulate Zach Johnson, the guy who’d just outplayed him and blocked his inexorable march to sports immortality.

Then Jordan Spieth picked himself up, dusted himself off, and reset his goals.  He taught us that failure and defeat are two entirely different states of being.

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    • There’s an historical resonance to Spieth’s interpretation of that moment when his quest for the Grand Slam came to an end at the 2015 Open Championship with bogey-par:

    "“That leaves kind of a bad taste in my mouth, not because of the third in a row, but strictly because you don`t get many opportunities to contend in a major, in an Open championship at St. Andrews in your life.”"

    That opportunity gone, Spieth’s looking forward rather than backward.  He’s put into action one of the first lessons every junior golfer gleans about course and life management from the wisdom of Ben Hogan, that the most important shot we make is the next shot.

    I`m re-establishing goals . . .  Jordan Spieth

    The number one spot in the

    OWGR

    is up for grabs right now and Jordan Spieth’s going to tee it up Thursday at the Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio with that ranking in his sights.

    He has 72 holes to play, one shot at a time, before he can close it out, and I’m going to enjoy watching him make a bid for the top because I know Jordan Spieth play every one of those holes with grace and intensity and the bloodlust of a world-class athlete.

    This week isn’t about Jordan Spieth vs Rory Mcilroy or Tiger Woods or Jason Day or Dustin Johnson. This week is about Jordan Spieth vs Old Man Par, and that’s the way golf was meant to be played.

    Next: Bridgestone Invitational Power Rankings

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