Jordan Spieth – Bob Geismar

The PGA Tour State of the Game.

The PGATour state of the game is, one word, solid. The tour has a plethora of new players either coming into their own or on the verge of doing so. It has the mix of veteran talent consistently winning and also knowing that they are being pushed by the young guns each and every week.

The new stars emerging with the likes of Jordan Spieth, Billy Horschel, Patrick Reed, and Derek Ernst, just to name a few. Each of those 4 young men won on tour last year and I see no reason why they should not play significant roles in 2014.

The seasoned vets like Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Phil and Tiger will try to keep their places amongst the top of the game, and I see no reason why each of those men will fade any time soon.

Then there is the group of players who have talent off the charts and will make life tough on all of the above players lead by Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson, Brandt Snedeker and Dustin Johnson.

Then there is the great unknown, who will come out of the locker rooms across the tour landscape and become household names. Isn’t that what makes thePGATour so compelling each and every week? I think so, I hope you do, as well. Oh, yes, the PGA Tour is very solid as 2014 looks as bright as is could possibly be.

Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards 2013

Today, the Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards were given out and frankly, there weren’t any surprises. Five-time tour champion in 2013, Tiger Woods, came away with his 11^th P.O.Y. award. Tiger won the Arnold Palmer money title, The Vardon Trophy, for the lowest adjusted scoring average and the five titles was the most by any player on tour. He did not win a major but no one who won a major won more than 3 titles (Phil Mickelson) so the Tiger dominance of this award continues. The Jack Nicklaus award for the Player of the Year goes to the great Tiger Woods.

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The rookie of the year award went to Jordan Spieth who started the year with no status at all and finished the year with a victory and a President’s Cup team member, which, of course, will be contested next week. Spieth became the youngest man to win a title in over 82 years—at age 19 just before turning 20. There were other rookies of distinction, Russell Henley, Derek Ernst, and David Lingmerth of note but what Spieth did was nothing short of breathtaking. He went from 810^th in the world in January to now 21^st in the world golf rankings. This is a meteoric rise of epic proportions and I for one can’t wait to see him perform next week in the President’s Cup.

19 year old Jordan Spieth youngest PGA Tour winner since the 1930s

Did you see this coming? Come on, no one could have fully predicted this. Jordan Spieth is the youngest PGA Tour winner since Ralph Guldahl won on tour in 1931. He turns 20 in less than 2 weeks and becomes only the 4th ever teenager to win a PGA Tour event.

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Spieth, the Dallas, Texas, native playing on a temporary PGA Tour card, outlasted 9 time PGA Tour winner, 2007 Masters Champion 37-year-old Zach Johnson and 34-year-old Canadian David Hearn to win on the fifth playoff hole at TPC Deer Run in Silvis, Illinois,—thus earning fully exempt status on the Tour for the next two years and a quick trip across the sea to this week’s Open Championship. Spieth admitted in an interview following his victory that he actually had no long sleeve shirts for the trip as Scotland. This time of the year can be cold—I guess he can find the local pro shop for sturdy clothing to accommodate.

What a journey for this young man—we remember him playing as a 16-year-old in the HP Byron Nelson Classic 3 years ago and bolting after the Saturday round to attend his high school prom. Could he be the next coming of Tiger? That’s what my wife asked me, and I said probably not, that’s just too much to expect of anyone, but I can hardly wait to see what is next on his agenda. I do not expect miracles this week but with Oak Hill (site of this year’s PGA) on the horizon, and a potential slot on the President’s Cup squad, who knows.

No question the talent is there, putting it all together is always another factor that completes the golfer—he joins a group of first time winners on tour that makes a golf enthusiast salivate with expectation as the deep player pool on the PGA Tour just got deeper!

Jordan Spieth a PGA Tour champion.