Jordan Spieth’s Open victory has given him an early shot at greatness | Ewan Murray | Sport

Jordan Spieth’s Open victory has given him an early shot at greatness | Ewan Murray | Sport

Golf has its mojo back. It should hardly be disrespectful to those who had claimed the seven majors before the Open Championship that Jordan Spieth’s success has a broader appeal. Every sport benefits, after all, from blue-chip players winning blueâ€'chip events.

Such a theory will be borne out in a matter of weeks as Spieth attempts to become the youngest player in history to claim all four major titles. Among those entitled to savour spineâ€'tingling events at Royal Birkdale on Sunday was the PGA of America; its US PGA Championship has suddenly been ramped up a notch.

Spieth was not of a mind to play down his achievement. “All the majors I’ve won have been totally different experiences,” said the man who turns 24 on Thursday. “But this one, two years on from the others and after plenty of chances in between to win, is extremely satisfying.

“This one, we had to work even harder for, mentally and physically. I will never forget this. This is special.”

Spieth is far from a reluctant champion. He is, however, reticent to place himself among the greats of his sport. Perhaps he is unwilling to tempt fate, should his wait for the final piece of the jigsaw become an elongated one or maybe he is just conscious of relative youthfulness. Spieth has joined Jack Nicklaus in winning three majors before the age of 24 and, should he prevail at Quail Hollow next month, a Tiger Woods record will have been broken.

“This is amazing,” the Texan said. “I feel blessed to be able to play the game I love, but I don’t think that comparisons are … I don’t compare myself. I don’t think that they’re appropriate or necessary. So to be in that company, no doubt is absolutely incredible. I certainly appreciate it. And we work really hard to have that, with that being the goal. Therefore, I enjoy moments like you [the media] saying that.

“But I’m very careful as to what that means going forward because what those guys have done has transcended the sport. And in no way, shape or form do I think I’m anywhere near that, whatsoever. So it’s a good start, but there is a long way to go.”

No sooner had Spieth spoken, though, than Nicklaus himself offered analysis which worked in favour of the man now restored to No2 in the world. “Much was said about the fact Jordan and I were able to win three legs of the Grand Slam before the age of 24,” Nicklaus said. “But if you look, he’s won 11 tournaments and I had won eight before 24. If you look at his victory total, his win at the Open and the way he won, Jordan has shown an amazing display of maturity for someone so young. He has been doing that for a quite a while.”

Nicklaus also lauded Spieth’s Sunday approach to Birkdale’s 13th, where amid a chaotic scene which stretched for almost 20 minutes he took a penalty drop on the practice ground. Spieth made a bogey on that hole but it was to kick-start his Open renaissance.

“Jordan semi had the wheels coming off,” Nicklaus said. “And while it did take him a long time between the tee shot and the next shot, Jordan figured out what to do. I don’t know if I would have figured out to go over to the driving range for that shot. That was an unbelievable decision.”

Legends from other sporting disciplines unwittingly played a part in Spieth’s Birkdale triumph. He spent time in the company of Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps at a resort in Cabo San Lucas; a scene Spieth was reminded of by his caddie, Michael Greller, during the fourth round spell in which the the Open seemed to be slipping away.

“He said: ‘Do you remember that group you were with in Cabo last week? You belong in that group,’” Spieth said. “This was on the 7th tee. We walked off that tee box and he made me come back. He said: ‘You’re the calibre of those athletes. But I need you to believe that right now because you’re in a great position in this tournament. This is a new tournament. We’re starting over here.’

“I definitely thought about what he was saying while I was over some of those key three- or four-footers that I made.”

Greller, like Spieth, publicly made reference to the painful tumble at the Masters last April. “He’s hurt a lot since that,” the caddie said. “I’m sure somewhere in there some doubts had crept in. 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. To see what he did just shows his character and his grit.”

Spieth’s promise to “enjoy this more than I enjoyed anything I’ve accomplished in the past” was endorsed by the appearance of video footage where he drinks from the Claret Jug. Soon he will refocus for the final major of the year, for which a fresh narrative is firmly in place.

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