AUGUSTA, GA. As Jordan Spieth warmed up on the Augusta National practice range on Tuesday, his longtime coach Cameron McCormick stood to his right, alongside his longtime caddie Michael Greller.
Spieth s victory on Sunday, at the Valero Texas Open, was his first in four years. That he finally won shouldn t be all that surprising. He s won three majors and finished in the top three of a major as recently as the 2019 PGA Championship.
What should be surprising is that after a four-year drought, the same coach and caddie were with him when he won.
“I think I ve learned a lot of patience. I probably spent a year of struggling where I was forcing things, and it just made it worse. But it was just kind of hard not to force it because I just wanted to be back to playing good golf so quickly. Sometimes, less is more.”
Souhan: Spieth sticks with what s worked for him
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Jordan Spieth returns to winner s circle, claims Valero Texas Open
Jordan Spieth shoots 6-under 66 to win Valero Texas Open
SAN ANTONIO When he won the Valero Texas Open with a little putt for par, Jordan Spieth waited for a particular emotion that never quite came. The end seemed familiar and right.
But then he saw his wife. Annie Verret ran to him with tears behind her sunglasses. She felt the weight of a struggle that had lasted 1,351 days, those 83 starts on the PGA TOUR since her husband had last won. Their embrace, when Spieth nearly lifted her off of her feet, put the catch in his throat that he thoroughly expected Sunday when he won the 12th tournament of his career.
Jordan Spieth s Second Act Has Begun
Jordan Spieth hitting driver. | Steve Dykes/Getty Images
Whenever a golfer as talented as Jordan Spieth struggles for as long as he did, prognosticators love to lambast their decision-making and question whether said golfer will or will not ever be the same player they once were. The same thing happened to Tiger Woods. He got hurt. He changed his swing four times. Each time he struggled during those transitions, the Brandel Chamblees and Nick Faldos of the world openly challenged his decision-making. Each time, Tiger eventually proved them wrong, authoring four different acts of his career, each memorable in their own way.
Jordan Spieth takes early lead at Valero Texas Open
Jordan Spieth curls in 21-foot birdie putt at Valero
Jordan Spieth carded a 5-under 67 in the first round of the Valero Texas Open on Thursday, good enough for the solo lead amongst the morning-wave finishers.
He held a one-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler and Tom Hoge.
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“I certainly would have signed up for 5 under starting out,” Spieth said. “Felt like I played some really nice golf on our front nine, the back nine. Then just kind of got a little loose off the tee on the front nine, our second nine, and was able to kind of make do.
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