When the name Jordan Spieth is mentioned, most people know who he is and what he is known for…golf! We, in the NPNA, are privileged to call him “one of our own”.
Jordan and his mother and father moved into the NPNA area when he was one year old. At age two, we watched in amazement as he kept hitting plastic golf balls across the street into our yard with great accuracy. He loved all sports, playing soccer, basketball and baseball, but at around nine years of age he began concentrating on golf. He asked his parents if he could dig a hole in their front yard, cut the grass around the hole extremely short and make his own putting green. All other sports dropped by the wayside as golf became his focus.
When Jordan was ten, he started entering the North Texas Junior PGA Tournaments. He used these tournaments as stepping stones towards playing in the next level. By the time he was in the ninth grade, he was playing on the national level and on the Junior Ryder Cup Team in Scotland. By the time he finished high school, he was ranked the # 1 Amateur in the world and played on the Walker Cup Team in Scotland with the goal of one day becoming a professional.
Jordan spent his elementary schooling at St. Monica, his high school years at Jesuit and then attended the University of Texas. It was at UT where he played on the winning team for the NCAA National Championship – after a 40 year “drought”. Shortly after this win, at the end of 2012 and age 19, he turned professional. Many of you have followed his career, watching him win the John Deere Classic, being named the 2013 PGA Rookie of the Year, the Texas Sports Personality of the Year and coming in second at the Masters. He is now ranked # 7 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).
He comes from a very close-knit family. Younger brother, Stephen, just finished his Freshman year at Brown University and plays basketball. His sister, Ellie, just turned thirteen, loves being a teenager and is Jordan’s inspiration. If he wins or loses, she is always there with a big hug. Jordan’s love of his family is evident in that whenever he is in town, he always drops by home for the hugs and a good home-cooked meal!
Jordan is a compassionate, caring, dedicated and appreciative young man, always thanking those who have helped him. He has established the Jordan Spieth Charitable Trust which concentrates in three different areas: Junior Golf, Special Needs Youth Programs and Wounded Warriors. If you would like to read more about these programs, go to www.jordanspiethgolf.com.
Jordan’s goal for the 2014 Season: “I’m just looking ahead. I never really did look back”. We all will “look ahead” with great interest and pride, watching this fine young man pursue his goals.
Submitted by Patty Wolfe
Section 11 Crime Leader and Neighbor
May 5, 2014