Jordan Spieth: A Lookback at His 7 Career PGA TOUR Wins
By Ryan Andrade
2015 Valspar Championship
Spieth walks-off in Tampa for 2nd win after putting on an amazing short game show.
Winning at age 19 created heightened expectations for Jordan Spieth. He came close in a number of events later in 2013 and then into 2014. Most notably in the 2014 Master’s where he held the lead on Sunday, but lost to playing partner Bubba Watson.
We could see throughout the 2014 season that he had the game to win multiple events, but just lacked that inner confidence to know he could close events out on Sunday. He would go winless in his sophomore season, but things would all change for Spieth in the winter.
Spieth was able to get his 2015 season off to an early jolt even before the calendar would change. He first took home the Australian Open by shooting an incredible 63 on Sunday in tough conditions. Then, the very next week he went to Isleworth in Florida for the Hero World Challenge. He would win Tiger’s event by an incredible 10 shots. That will get the confidence up.
Spieth had 3 top 10 finishes in his first 5 starts in 2015, as he came into the Valspar Championship in Tampa. Spieth would put himself in great position for the final round as he would land in the final pair with Ryan Moore.
Much like Spieth’s first victory, the action was all on the back nine. Spieth made clutch par save after clutch par save. He was able to add two nice birdies as well, which got him to 10-under-par and tied for the lead with Patrick Reed and Sean O’Hair in the clubhouse. Spieth had his work cut out for him on 18 to make par and force a three man playoff.
This is where we really saw Spieth’s ability to somehow get the ball up and down from anywhere. He just has a special knack for grinding out scores, that we have seen from the likes of Tiger Woods. Spieth has no fear and has ice in his veins under pressure.
Jordan Spieth, Sean O’ Hair, and Patrick Reed would head to a playoff. After two playoff holes all three men were still alive as they made their way to the par-3 17th hole.
After Reed and O’ Hair played before Spieth and had par attempts upcoming, it left the stage set. Spieth had about a 25 foot putt for the win, and his first official PGA TOUR victory in about year and half.
That putt went in with some authority. The win was sweet, but also a relief off Spieth’s shoulders to show the world that can close out PGA TOUR events. He had so many amazing up and downs on this day that it made people look at Spieth in a different light. He was now a legit contender week in and week out. The world was on notice: Jordan Spieth had arrived.
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