I’M LUCKY TO RIDE SHOTGUN WITH JORDAN
Caddy’s role bags of fun says Greller
MICHAEL GRELLER looks every bit the western baddie fleeing town with the booty tucked under his arm.
Riding shotgun with Texan superstar Jordan Spieth was never going to be a dull journey for the bagman with the distinctive black beard.
But Spieth heaped credit on the part played by Greller, 37, in the breathtaking climax to his Open victory at Royal Birkdale on Sunday.
The former maths teacher earns more than most pros for guiding Grand Slamchasing Spieth to the top of the pile.
He is estimated to have pocketed more than £3m since quitting his school job and joining the 23-year-old in 2012.
Greller knows Spieth’s game better than anyone and helped mastermind the destruction of Matt Kuchar’s Open dreams with an astonishing run-in.
And he reckons he knew something special was about to happen the minute Spieth somehow escaped with a bogey from a potentially disastrous 13th hole.
Hurt
The caddy sensed blowing a five-shot lead on the final day in last year’s Masters was on Spieth’s mind, but he was soon reassured.
Greller said: “He’s hurt a lot since that ’16 Masters and I’m sure somewhere in there some doubts had crept in.
“But he just said, ‘You know what? I know how to do this’. It was just cool to see him with his back against the wall and to see what he did just shows his character and his grit.
“Once he made that putt on 13, there was just a different energy in him those last five holes. The eagle at 15 – he has been making putts like those his whole life.”
When Spieth dropped that 40-footer, his face changed and he theatrically ordered his man, ‘Go get that!’ pointing to the hole.
Greller added: “I’m fortunate to ride shotgun with him. That putt was nothing to do with me. I just stayed out of his way.
“Those longer ones, that’s just all his instincts. He has got the best instincts in the world at that kind of range.”
It was another range – the driving range – where Spieth contrived to rescue a bogey that will be talked about for years. The lad from Dallas ended up taking 29 minutes to complete the 13th hole after an excursion behind some trucks.
Greller said: “The turning point was 13. The up and down was just ridiculous. That’s what Jordan has always done.
“That was the greatest bogey ever by a mile. I hope I never see one like that again!
“Certainly in hindsight it was a very special way to go about it. I know he would much prefer to play boring golf. He knows how to win with big leads. He can grind it out. He can do it both ways.”
It’s now three down and one to go but Greller plays down the expectation on his man trying to complete a Grand Slam of majors.
Only the USPGA is missing from his collection and that’s just around the corner at Quail Hollow, North Carolina, next month.
Greller said: “There’s no pressure. He’s going to play in 30 more PGAs for the rest of his life. He’s just won a major. There’s absolutely no pressure on him.
“I expect him to be free-rolling it. He’s played there before. I think it’s a great course for him.”
That’s music to the ears of Spieth, who said: “Yes, Michael had as much influence on that win as any. He brings a nice voice to me when I need it.”