Math-teacher-turned-caddie becomes Spieth’s ace in the hole
SOUTHPORT, England — A former sixth-grade math teacher, Michael Greller is strong in numbers.
Jordan Spieth leaned more on his caddie’s words at the British Open.
“This is as much mine as it is his,” Spieth said as he clutched the silver claret jug. And then he turned to look over at Greller and said, “You deserve all the credit in the world for this major championship.”
Greller still had to work out some new math at the most critical juncture of the final round at Royal Birkdale. Spieth was hitting his third shot from the driving range and couldn’t see any part of the par-4 13th hole. He thought he was about 270 yards away and was planning to hit 3-wood. Greller estimated the yardage closer than that and told him to hit 3-iron.
“I certainly didn’t have any numbers from the right side of the range,” Greller said. “Honestly, getting a good line was tough. He thought it was a 270-yard shot. I was just looking at all that gorse and thought it was a little shorter. Short was fine. From there, he did what he has always done.”
In a situation like that — has there ever been a situation like that with a major on the line? — Spieth said he normally would trust his instincts. Not this time. “On that one, he seemed very confident,” Spieth said. “He was very adamant about what club to hit, and it gave me the confidence to hit it, because sometimes when that happens, I’ll still go with what I think. But he was right on.”
How Greller, the former math teacher from the Seattle area, stumbled into a job for golf ’s hottest property remains an amazing tale.
It dates to more than a decade ago when Greller, who caddied in the summer for extra cash, noticed a player in the U.S. Amateur Public Links who was carrying his own bag. He offered to caddie for Matt Savage, free of charge, and they made it into match play before losing in the semifinals.
Savage’s golf instructor in Louisville, Ky., was Mike Thomas, the head pro at Harmony Landing and father of a teenager, Justin Thomas. So when the younger Thomas played the U.S. Amateur at Chambers Bay, Savage connected them.
A year later, Thomas recommended Greller to his best friend in golf for the U.S. Junior Amateur, Spieth.
Spieth turned pro before Thomas and asked Greller to work for him. With some trepidation, Greller left his job as a math teacher to work for a 19-year-old who didn’t have a tour card. That was four years, 11 PGA Tour victories and three major championships ago.