CADDIE GRELLER PRAISES MIRACLE ESCAPE ON 13TH AS ‘GREATEST EVER BOGEY’
THE MAN who called the yardage knew that he’d done his job. And he had absolute confidence that, given the right numbers, Jordan Spieth would do what he always does — and perform a golfing miracle. Caddie Michael Greller, who now believes that his player is effectively cruising towards a career Grand Slam, has hailed Spieth’s act of escapology on the 13th at Birkdale as the greatest bogey the game has ever seen. The lengthy delay while Spieth declared his ball unplayable and weighed up his options, before conjuring up an escape route involving a shot not covered by any stroke saver book, added an epic quality to the bold play, and ensured it will be talked about for as long as the game is played. Greller, who had already done his sports psychology bit by calming Spieth following a nightmare start to his closing round, confessed that venturing beyond the confines of the course had left him scratching his head. ‘That was the most bizarre thing I’ve ever experienced as a caddie,’ admitted the former maths teacher. ‘I certainly didn’t have any numbers from the right side of the range. He thought it was a 270-yard shot. I was just looking at all that gorse and thought it was a little shorter. ‘We ended up playing a 245-yard shot. Short was fine. He said he caught that 3-iron a little bit heavy. It was a great line. ‘From there he did what he has always done, he just grinds. And found a way to get up and down. ‘The 13th was the turning point. I think they told me it took 21 minutes. We’ve been in situations enough where I know, and he knew, to just slow it down, we’re not in any rush. ‘Find a way to get this back in play, and find a way to grind out a bogey. If he makes a double, you’re still only two back with five holes to go. There was no need to panic. ‘He hit a really good shot. The up and down was just ridiculous. That’s what Jordan has always done.
‘It was the greatest ever bogey. By a mile. I hope I never see one like that again.’ What happened on the 13th certainly turned the tide for a player who would go on to simply flatten compatriot Matt Kuchar, completing a hat-trick of major titles — and making up for losing out at the death in the 2015 Open at St Andrews. Spieth now marches on Quail Hollow next month carrying a world of expectation on his young shoulders. The prospect of completing a career Grand Slam with victory in the USPGA Championship, and doing so just after his impending 24th birthday, is guaranteed to generate excitement throughout the sport. Yet Greller insists there is no rush to gather the full set of major titles. ‘I think there’s no pressure,’ said Greller, the only man who has ever carried the bag for Spieth during his pro career. ‘He’s absolutely free-rolling it. He’s going to play in 30 more PGAs rest of his life. He’s just won a major. That’s what we talked about in ’15 when we won the Masters, there’s absolutely no pressure on him. ‘He’s won a major, that’s what you want. ‘If you get two (which he did, winning the US Open that summer), there’s even less pressure on you at St. Andrews because there’s nothing to lose. ‘So what if you don’t win The Open? You just won the last two. ‘I expect him to be free-rolling it. I’m fortunate to ride shot-gun with him.’