Tag: michelle wie

3 Jack Recap: Jordan Spieth Wins The Masters

Chris Racic

The 3 Jack Recap is a weekly review of the top stories from the world of golf.

It’s difficult to remember Jordan Spieth is only 21 years old.  He carries himself like he’s been on the Tour for a decade or two.  He says all the right things in interviews.  Most importantly, he sleeps on a four shot lead and closes in the final round of a major like a seasoned superstar.

Jordan Spieth wins the 2015 Masters

  • Spieth won by four strokes over Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson.
  • He became the first wire-to-wire Masters Champion since Raymond Floyd in 1976.
  • He ties Tiger Woods’ Masters record low 18 under par.
  • Spieth broke the 36 hole and 54 hole scoring records.
  • His 28 birdies is a new record also, breaking Mickelson’s mark of 25.
  • He holds a 69.1 scoring average at Augusta.  All eight of his rounds have been played at par or better.

Masters LogoIt was an all-time classic win for Jordan.  He is the second youngest Masters winner next to Tiger Woods.  And that will certainly not be the last time you hear Spieth’s name thrown in the same sentence with Woods.  Rose and Mickelson’s final scores of 14 under par would have won 70 of the previous 78 Masters.

Spieth Moves to #2 in the World Rankings

  • The win at The Masters moves Spieth from #4 to #2 in the OWGR.
  • His last four starts: 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 1st.
  • He takes over the money list lead and FedEx Cup points lead.

The young Texan has been on fire over the last 6 months.  This is his 2nd PGA Tour win and 4th worldwide win including The Australian Open and The Hero World Challenge.

TV Ratings Benefit from Star-Studded Leaderboard

  • In addition to a compelling, young star out front: Tiger Woods being relevant, Phil Mickelson contending, and Rory McIlroy charging late equaled a TV ratings win.
  • Both CBS (Rounds 3 & 4) and ESPN (Rounds 1 & 2) saw an increase in viewers from last year.

Speaking of Tiger Woods…

  • Tiger said a "bone popped out" when he caught a root Sunday, to which Bill Macatee expertly replied "Really?".
    Tiger said a bone “popped out” when he caught a root Sunday, to which Bill Macatee expertly replied “Really?”.

    What chipping yips?

  •  A pair of 73’s bookended two sub-70 rounds for Woods giving him a top 20 finish (17th).
  • The 17th place finish wasn’t enough to get Woods back inside the top 100 in the world.  He moved to #101.

Tiger made a surprisingly solid start at The Masters.  His short game looked sharp, at least by comparison to what we have been seeing.  I honestly thought it would be more of a gradual improvement process, but he looks like he has figured it out.

There is no word yet on when Tiger will be teeing it next.

Mickelson Finishes Runner Up at Augusta

  • Lefty recorded his first top 10 of the year with his tie for 2nd place.
  • This is only his 2nd top 10 finish in the last two seasons.  The other: his solo 2nd place at the 2014 PGA Championship.

Is this finally a return to form for Phil Mickelson following a winless 2014?  Or did Augusta pull something out of him this week that won’t be boarding his private jet with him?

How Happy is Under Armour Right Now?

  • The second largest sports apparel brand in the U.S. extended Spieth’s contract into 2027 earlier this year.
  • UA had 16 of its logos plastered all over the Masters Champ as he made his historic run.

There will be high-fives all around Under Armour headquarters when another client, Steph Curry wins the NBA MVP award.

Next Up: the PGA Tour heads to Hilton Head Island for the RBC Heritage, where Matt Kuchar will defend his title at Harbour Town Golf Links.

Michelle Wie is the defending champion as the LPGA goes to Hawaii for the Lotte Championship Presented by Hershey.

Have a good week!