FROM MINORS TO MAJORS
Spieth and Thomas are pals for life
It’s 10 years now since Jordan spieth was introduced to Justin thomas after the pair were picked to represent the United states in the Evian Junior Masters in France.
An instant friendship was formed between the two 14-year-olds on the flight over and a bond established, with the parents getting on so well subsequently that they stayed at each other’s houses while their offspring played in junior tournaments.
What gives the story a remarkable flavour is that the two boys continued to progress at an astonishing rate, with both making it on to the toughest circuit in the world by the age of 21. What took it towards unprecedented territory was when both were winning tournaments at 22.
What we have witnessed over the past three weeks, however, is on another level as spieth’s victory at the Open was followed by thomas’s triumph in the 99th PGA Championship at Quail Hollow on sunday.
they became the first winners of back-to-back majors under the age of 25 since Bobby Jones and Gene sarazen won the Us Open and the PGA respectively (the order was different that year), way back in 1923.
It’s a friendship that has survived everything a selfish, individual sport can throw at it. they’ve never been interested in rivalries and now they’re celebrating each other’s successes, one major at a time.
We saw it at Birkdale, where thomas was beside the 18th green to embrace spieth following his victory. A week later, thomas put out a lovely droll tweet on spieth’s 24th birthday: ‘Jordan is hoping his birthday wish to finally hole a few more putts comes true.’
On sunday, it was thomas’s turn to hole some putts. Naturally, spieth delayed his flight back to Dallas to be there to see him win. the look on spieth’s face told you he couldn’t have been more pleased if he’d just pulled off the career Grand slam himself.
Over the years, the pair have enlarged to become a crew, including Rickie Fowler, Daniel Berger, Bud Cauley and smylie Kaufman.
Perhaps the only onlooker more delighted than spieth was thomas’s dad, Mike, a PGA club professional himself. When the PGA came to their hometown of Louisville, Kentucky in 2000, Mike took seven-year-old Justin to watch, and the latter can still remember the roar when tiger Woods holed a 15ft putt to beat the luckless Bob May at Valhalla.
‘that was the day I knew I was going to become a professional golfer,’ said thomas. Added Mike: ‘that was the day he started telling people he was going to win majors, although, to be fair, I used to do that at the same age, and I sucked.’
We’d seen what a special talent thomas possessed when he shot 59 to win in Hawaii in February, and when he shot 63 at the Us Open in June, the lowest round in relation to par in the tournament’s history.
spieth and thomas move on to the FedEx Cup play- offs next week as the two leading contenders to be named Player of the Year.
ten years on from that awkward first handshake, they’re showing the sporting world there is still room at the very top for the best of friends.