The 79th Masters Tournament, arguably the most renowned and respected golf tournament, was held this past week, and it was one for the record books.The tournament brought many surprises. We got to see an aging Tiger Woods return to action for the first time in, what many may consider forever. The best surprise of them all was the addition of a fresh face to the new era of golf. Move over Rory, meet Jordan Spieth.
Spieth, at the young age of 21, broke and or tied six Masters records this past week, a feat that even the great Tiger woods has failed to do.
Jordan was a former University of Texas student. He won the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) tour rookie of the year in 2013. This year, he earned his right to wear the illustrious green jacket. He did so by smashing the record books. He also earned his way to number two in the Official World Golf Rankings for Week 15 of 2015.
The 21-year-old broke five Masters’ records while tying with Tiger Woods’ own 72-hole record 18-under 270. This means he was 18 strokes under par. He got a score of 270 when the average for that course is 288. Spieth now holds the 18-hole (14-under 130) and 54-hole (16-under 200) Masters records.
He also is in the record books for, most Birdies in the tournament (28), lowest opening round by an eventual champion (64), and being the first golfer ever to be 19- under par at any point in the Masters Tournament.
Where did this kid come from? Apparently he’s been around. He was impressive enough for Under Armour to offer him a $33.6 million deal in January of 2013, a figure that makes his $1.8 million Masters winning prize look like nothing. That very same year he would go on to win the PGA Tour Rookie of the year.
With a talent like his, and at such a young age, there is no doubt that we will be hearing the name Jordan Spieth again in the near future.