AUGUSTA, Ga. — Wednesday at Augusta Nationwide is a day for household, particularly for these enjoying within the discipline. Masters contributors can invite their wives, girlfriends, and youngsters to hitch them on the Par 3 Contest, with lots of them hitting photographs themselves.
It’s a day in contrast to every other in golf, a day that celebrates what makes this recreation so nice: togetherness amongst younger and outdated alike, amongst these whose love for each other extends far past a cosmic realm. Sporadic photographs from non-players might go far and wide, however the one fixed on this particular Wednesday is the grins worn by everybody on the property, from patron to participant and everybody in between.
No surprise Jack Nicklaus, who gained six Inexperienced Jackets, the final of which got here together with his son caddying for him in 1986, famously mentioned that his favourite Masters second got here through the 2018 Par 3 Contest. His grandson, G.T., aced the par-3 ninth gap, which led the Golden Bear to say, “That is the best day I’ve ever had at Augusta Nationwide.”
For Jordan Spieth, whose first Masters title got here 10 years in the past, the Par 3 Contest represents a “Full Circle” second for him.
“I used to play it with myself, Justin (Rose), and Rickie (Fowler), and we have been doing hole-in-one bets,” Spieth mentioned on Wednesday morning after getting some last-minute follow in.
“Now I’ve simply received to guarantee that Sammy doesn’t hit any person. It’s very, very completely different — very full circle. I used to see the youngsters on the market, (and used to suppose), ‘Man, that appears too far-off.’ Now I’ve two strolling round with a 3rd on the best way.”
Spieth and his spouse Annie welcomed their son Sammy in November 2021. Sophie then got here in September 2023, proper earlier than Spieth teed it up on the Ryder Cup. As Spieth referenced, their third youngster is due in July, per Golf week. However that didn’t cease a six-month pregnant Annie Spieth from accompanying her husband to Augusta Nationwide with their two kids.
“It’s form of loopy,” Spieth mentioned.
“It’s a big day. This place is in contrast to every other. We don’t do that anyplace else. (Sammy is) going to like it. My daughter now, she’s spunky. She’ll be strolling round some. We’ll see how she does. She’s solely a yr and a half, however I’m excited to have each of them on the market.”
Spieth 10 years later
Does it seem to be he gained The Masters 10 years in the past?
“In some methods sure; in some methods no,” Spieth mentioned.
“Yeah, it was a unique place in life for me than I’m at now. However on the identical time, it form of all blends collectively right here too, so it could possibly really feel prefer it’s yesterday on the identical time. It’s good reminiscences, however I really feel like I can seize one other probability this week. I used to be enjoying the sixteenth yesterday, and I used to be pondering of 2018, after I went on a run on Sunday. I used to be hitting a putt, and I’m like, man, you simply take with no consideration being in rivalry on Sunday right here. I used to be doing it rather a lot early on. It’s similar to there’s no cooler place to do it, no higher feeling. So the objective is to get your self on the again 9 and have an opportunity.”
The yr earlier than he gained, in 2014, Spieth entered the ultimate spherical in a tie for the lead with Bubba Watson. He truly held a two-shot lead over Watson after making a birdie on the seventh gap, however back-to-back bogies — whereas Watson made two straight birdies — flipped the script and handed the Southpaw a two-shot lead on the flip. Spieth didn’t make a par-breaker for the remainder of the day, posting an even-par 72 to lose by three.
Everyone knows what occurred in 2016, when Spieth held a one-shot lead over Smylie Kaufmann going into Sunday. He then regarded destined to win back-to-back Inexperienced Jackets after a entrance 9 32, which featured 5 birdies and just one bogey on the difficult par-4 fifth. However he got here fully undone at Amen Nook, dropping photographs at 10 and 11. He then plunged a pair of photographs into Rae’s Creek in entrance of the twelfth inexperienced. He made a quadruple bogey seven there, which all however handed the title to Danny Willett. Spieth, the defending champion, needed to stand there in Butler Cabin and helplessly watch the Englishman take what he thought can be his.
Two years later, in 2018, Spieth made an unimaginable run up the leaderboard on Sunday, which fired up the golf world. Spieth was 9-under for the day on the 18th tee, and 14-under general, however a wayward tee shot clipped an overhanging department and his ball settled over 300 yards away from the inexperienced. He finally made 5, carded an 8-under 64, and misplaced to Patrick Reed by two.
He has posted a pair of top-5s at Augusta Nationwide since then, in 2021 and 2023, however throughout that point, his perspective on life has fully modified.
“I simply have completely different priorities now, proper? I’ve received a rising household, and I really like being a really hands-on dad. So attempting to work smarter and never work more durable. It’s exhausting to say not working more durable. I’ve most likely labored as exhausting as ever within the final eight months,” Spieth added.
“However on the identical time, doing it in a extremely sensible approach. Making an attempt to not waste any photographs through the day and keep dedicated to the method.”
A lingering wrist damage, wherein he suffered forward of the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in 2023, additionally set him again a bit. However the rehab and all the bother related to that solely added to his already full plate of being an expert golfer and a father. He lastly had surgical procedure on his wrist final August and returned to the PGA Tour in early February at Pebble Seaside.
“It’s nonetheless a major work in progress proper now. That simply goes to a few of the consistencies. But it surely’s actually only a swing right here, a swing there from a few runner-ups or a win already in just a few completely different occasions. Fortunately round right here, I do know what to keep away from when bother comes. Hopefully that works in my favor,” Spieth mentioned.
“It’s shut, nevertheless it’s not fairly there but. That doesn’t imply that you simply don’t discover it by this week. I imply, after I began again up (after surgical procedure), it was a 10-year outlook, not an April of ‘25 outlook. It’s a little bit an excessive amount of to ask to really feel I’m the perfect I’ve ever been coming off surgical procedure. So I attempt to hit the golf green on No. 1 tomorrow, after which I attempt to hit the center of the inexperienced, and I am going from there.”
Jordan Spieth has realized to take issues shot by shot on the golf course and day-to-day at dwelling, all whereas prioritizing his household first.
Perhaps that perspective will assist him this week. Perhaps not. However regardless of the case could also be, the Par 3 Contest, extra so than something, exhibits the person Spieth has turn out to be — a household man, far-off from the younger grownup he was in 2015. And but, everyone knows he nonetheless has that good play within him, that type that nearly gained him three consecutive Masters from 2014 to 2016.
That mentioned, the one factor Spieth continues to do in any case these years is that he by no means fails to entertain. No matter this week’s end result, he’ll proceed doing that at Augusta this week. Speak about a full circle certainly.
