Throwback Thursday: Valspar title the catalyst for Spieth’s incredible run
The Background
Jordan Spieth first enjoyed success on the PGA Tour at the 2013 John Deere Classic, but the youngster began 2015 high on confidence following back-to-back victories at the Emirates Australian Open and Hero World Challenge in the latter stages of 2014.
It seemed another PGA Tour victory was just around the corner.
Spieth entered the Valspar Championship with a number of solid performances under his belt – notably top-10 finishes at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Northern Trust Open.
There were growing concerns from some, though, that he just couldn’t close out tournaments.
The Scene
Spieth continued his good form and put himself into contention on the Copperhead Course at the Innisbrook Resort.
The 21-year-old was trailing by three shots with six holes to play but made two birdies to catch the leader Ryan Moore.
He was then able to save par on his final three holes with incredible scrambles – something we now consider the norm for the Texan.
After draining a slippery downhill putt for par on the 18th, he entered a playoff against Patrick Reed and Sean O’Hair.
O’Hair had a putt to win on the second extra hole, but his lengthy birdie putt burned the right-side of the cup.
At the next, Spieth struck the fatal blow.
After a distinctly average approach into the par-3, he rammed the viciously right-to-left breaking birdie putt into the back of the hole from outside of 20 feet. A shell-shocked Reed and O’Hair had no response.
The Legacy
The Valspar Championship win would prove the catalyst for a sensational run of form for Spieth. A month later, he’d win his first major at The Masters.
His next win? The US Open – resulting in plenty of talk of Spieth going for the Grand Slam.
His fourth place finish at the Open Championship ended that dream, but second place at the PGA Championship meant he’d finish inside the top-4 in all four majors.
He also won the John Deere Classic for the second time and, to cap off an unprecedented year, Spieth won the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup.
He has now won 11 times on the PGA Tour, and last year claimed his third major at the Open at Royal Birkdale.
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Tom Irwin
Tom is a lifetime golfer, now over 30 years playing the game. 2023 marks 10 years in golf publishing and he is still holding down a + handicap at Alwoodley in Leeds. He has played over 600 golf courses, and has been a member of at least four including his first love Louth, in Lincolnshire. Tom likes unbranded clothing, natural fibres, and pencil bags. Seacroft in Lincolnshire is where it starts and ends.
