KID STUFF AT MASTERS
Spieth, 21, sets 36-hole record & leads by 5; Tiger shoots 69:
AUGUSTA − There is much to like about the halfway leader at the Masters, Jordan Spieth, who is 21 years old, yet more mature somehow than the stately pine trees that line Augusta National.
It’s about time we got one of his kind. Far too many disagreeable brats and finaglers walk these manicured, fertilized fairways. The reigning Masters champion, Bubba Watson, comes immediately to mind. Even the good guys, such as Henrik Stenson of Sweden, may break a club in anger over a knee, as he did under the trees on Friday. Spieth talks to the ball like Mark Fidrych, forcibly but peaceably. He puts the unwavering gentleman back in the gentleman’s game, much needed.
He may not finish here what he started. There’s a lot of golf to play at Augusta, and Spieth is warning people that the last two rounds will feel like four. He may not hold off the likes of Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose over the next two days, but Spieth, the future of American golf, has carried himself here with confidence, not pretense. He refers to the older golfers as “Mr.,” as in fellow Texan and mentor Mr. Ben Crenshaw. He doesn’t hide from the media, considers each of their questions carefully.
You want wholesome? He still dates his high school sweetheart, Annie Verret, a sharp business graduate from Texas Tech. Then whenever Spieth speaks so fondly of his sister, Ellie, it is hard not to root for him even harder. Ellie was born prematurely, fought for her life, and has been diagnosed on the autism spectrum. Spieth will talk to you about her as long as you want. He will tell you that his sister is obsessed with tractors, that she loves trinkets and always wants to go on a shopping trip with him when he returns home from another tournament.
“She’s the funniest member of our family,” Spieth said Friday, after he finished a Masters record 14-under after his second round. “I really love when she’s able to be out there, love spending time with her. It’s humbling to see her and her friends and the struggles they go through each day that we take for granted. But at the same time, they are the happiest people in the world; and when I say they, I speak to special needs kids.”
Spieth just seems comfortable in any surrounding, with anyone. He is a fine representative in a long line of Texas golfers that have included Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Lee Trevino and Crenshaw — who said his farewell to the tournament on Friday, at the same time his successor was
establishing himself.
“I’ve got to pull for my Longhorn,” Crenshaw said. “I met him for the first time and he looks right at you and I thought I’d met Wyatt Earp. He looks at you like he’s going to gun you down.”
Spieth has been the dead-eye sheriff at this Masters, stepping up to putts like he owns them; as if the tricky, soft greens aren’t playing at all with his nervous system. He finished second last year at the ridiculous age of 20 and looks very much like a man who is ready to try on a green jacket at 21.
He had a good time Friday playing with Billy Horschel, a pal. “We were messing with each other today, good fun,” Spieth said. “I would have liked to see a couple of his putts lip in.”
More good wishes, from the good guy. Golf fans at Augusta sense they are watching somebody special. Spieth hits far, though not the farthest. His approaches have precluded the need for a short game. He hasn’t three-putted a single green over the first two rounds, where he’s broken the record for the lowest score, 130, over the first two rounds. While Spieth makes these remarkable shots, his gallery grows accordingly. His legion of fans is now equal in size to that of Phil’s or Tiger’s. On Friday, Spieth received standing ovations at the 15th, 16th and 18th holes.
That applause is unlikely to change him anytime soon, although Spieth does not enjoy speaking on the subject of his own modesty.
“Me speaking about humility is very difficult, because that wouldn’t be humility,” he said.