Masters Degree

A funny thing happened on the way to Rory McIlroy winning the final leg of his Grand Slam. Or, of Tiger Woods making his triumphant return to golf with an amazing win at The Masters for his 15th major. Or of Phil capturing the magic one last time to win his fourth green jacket. Or of Adam, Bubba, Rickie, Charl, Dustin, Keegan, Sergio, etc. capturing themselves a green jacket.

What happened is that someone else put together a tournament for the ages, shooting lights out golf and tying the all time scoring record for The Masters. This player won his first green jacket in smashing fashion, mainly as he smashed the competition from start to finish, becoming only the fifth player in history to ever go wire to wire and lead the tournament after each and ALL of its four rounds.

If you watched TV today, you know that the player who conquered Augusta National was Jordan Spieth. Based on how well he has been playing lately, this is not that much of a surprise. In Spieth’s last three starts prior to The Masters, he has a win and two second place finishes, and his win at Augusta has just pushed him up to the second spot in the world golf rankings. That Spieth the man won the tournament doesn’t surprise anybody that regularly follows golf. The normal, knowledgeable golf fan KNOWS Jordan Spieth is really good and before this tournament, stood ready to someday join the ranks as ONE of the best players in all of golf.

But, the profile of just who this person is that won this major of a tournament in such a dominating fashion would REALLY surprise the NON golf fan. Because Jordan Spieth, the Masters champion, is only 21 years old. Jordan Spieth just became eligible to drink booze. Jordan Spieth is just two plus years out of the University of Texas. He should be at school trying to hit up on the hotties from UT Austin, not on the fairways of the most exclusive country club in the nation. He should still be there in college, trying to earn his degree, so the corporations of the world can then say, “hey, we will do you a favor and hire you, son, because you are a college graduate with a degree.”

Jordan Spieth was a really good golfer in college and turned professional just before the start of the 2013 golf season. He has been on the fast track of being one of the really good golfers in American (and World) golf ever since he started. But he is only 21 years old, for goodness’ sake. 21 year old kids are too busy playing video games to become proficient at golf. They would rather be spending all of their time talking to their buddies, going, “hey, dude, what’s up?” This is a 21 year old kid that became a man right in front of a worldwide television audience.

But, Jordan Spieth played the final round of The Masters, that same tournament that has made men of all ages and skill levels fall apart like a poorly constructed pup tent, like a savvy veteran. He had the power and skills of youth, and the mind and heart of an experienced pro. He hits it long and straight. At 21, He’s probably the best putter in the world. Jordan Spieth skills-wise is the complete package.

To be honest, the American golf audience has been looking for “the next big thing in golf” for awhile now as they have seen the dominating figures of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson grow old(er) before their eyes. They have been wanting that next star to be as strong as and as successful as Tiger and Phil, but have only gotten sniffs of success from such various players has Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson or Rickie Fowler. But, none of them as seemed to have the moxie (sure, Bubba won two majors, but has remained an inconsistent, hot and cold golfer throughout his career) to hang with foreign world stars such as Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott and Justin Rose (all major winners of recent years and all considered by the world sporting public as the elite players in the game today).

But, it is Jordan Spieth that has had the American public thinking HE might be the real deal as the next best hope for the future of American golf. Even before this tournament, the fans had been cheering for Jordan at tournament venues as if HE were their favorite player, to the same degree as they might have cheered for Tiger and Phil.

Now he has broken through that barrier that holds most people back. He has won The Masters. He has won a major at age 21. There is a certain quality that people recognize has to be there before they anoint someone as being the next big thing in American golf. In other words, it’s got to be someone who wins tournaments (Spieth has already won three), makes the President’s Cup and Ryder Cup teams (he’s been there and done that well also) and then has the poise and clutch play to hold off the world’s best players down the stretch of the final holes of a major (the 2015 Masters).

Jordan Spieth has done all the right things to satisfy the American golf fan. When you win a major at age 21, you, not only have conquered the world, you have also just entered your prime. For him, it could be a long career of excellence for a golfer in his prime. It is hereby declared that Jordan Spieth IS the next big thing in American golf.

There will be Rory McIlroy vs. Jordan Spieth duels for the next whole bunch of years that will be exciting to watch. He is 21 years old, and he is now a big part of the future of golf. And to all of those people who are wondering why this college student would leave school early, when he should be a good boy and “pursuing his degree,” I say, he has already obtained his degree… a Masters Degree.