Jordan Spieth was a runaway freight train from the beginning of the week until the very end. Spieth became the first golfer to lead every round of a Masters since Gary Player in 1976.
That might be an understatement of his performance, too.
Spieth is an old soul in a young body. His hairline is more indicative of his game than anything else and that showed down the stretch on Sunday.
Spieth shut things down like major winners are supposed to do and made history in the process. Here’s everything you need to know about the 21-year-old’s first major win.
1. Every nine holes he played was under par
All eight of them. In order:
32
32
33
33
35
35
35
35
Nobody has ever shot all four rounds in the 60s at the Masters. I’m willing to bet Spieth became the first to ever shoot all eight nines under par.
2. He got a standing ovation on the driving range on Friday
This was after shooting 64 in the first round. Fellow professionals really applauded him as he walked to hit balls for Round 2.
3. His performance still wasn’t as good as Tiger’s in 1997
The 18-under 270 tells me Spieth matched Big Cat’s 1997 coronation. The raw statistics tell me something completely different.
@KylePorterCBS Tiger shot 270 vs. ~296 average in 1997. Spieth shot 270 vs. ~289 average this year.
— Jake Nichols (@jalnichols) April 13, 2015
4. He watched forgetting Sarah Marshall on Saturday night
On the eve of the biggest round of his life, Spieth turned to Jason Segel and friends. On Sunday, he called it “one of the greatest movies in the world.”
5. His fellow competitors really do think the world of him
Justin Rose: “”He’s going to fly the flag for golf for quite a while.”
Phil Mickelson: “It’s hard not to like and pull for the guy.”
Rory McIlroy: “He’s been playing great for a 21-year-old, he’s way more mature than I was at 21 and a hell of a golfer and a great person as well.”
6. This photo of him on the range was incredible
This was right before he teed off on Sunday. The entire field was chasing and he was blasting 3-woods on the Augusta National driving range. Sunday alone at the top of the Masters leaderboard is incredibly lonely. He made it look easy.
One man left. pic.twitter.com/Kxrj2EmEmZ
— Adam Sarson (@Adam_Sarson) April 12, 2015
7. We thought it was over at No. 13, he thought it was over at No. 16
Spieth hit a grown-man shot into the 13th green to set up a two-putt birdie. I thought that was the end. Spieth says he knew it on No. 16.
“The key moment, I think, came down to 16. It was that late. … I would call that the biggest putt I ever had in my life.”
8. He’s the second-youngest Masters winner ever
Here are the 21-year-olds who have won green jackets:
Tiger Woods
Jordan Spieth
The end.
9. His 28 birdies were a Masters record
The man playing ahead of Spieth on Sunday (Phil Mickelson) held the old record for birdies in a single Masters with 25 back in 2011. That got buried by hole No. 64 this week.
10. This win certainly isn’t a fluke
Spieth might not have been a household name coming into this week, but he’s been a beast for over a year now. He currently has never played a Masters round over par (71, 70, 70, 72, 64, 66, 70 and 70) and now has two wins and two top twos in his last four events.
11. He’s now No. 2 in the world
Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth. That’s your 1-2 punch in the new world golf rankings. Seems good, right? It’s probably better than you think.
This is officially the 1st time in OWGR history that the world’s no. 1 & no. 2 player are both age 25 or younger.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) April 13, 2015
12. He played the par 5s at 12 under
There are 16 par-5 opportunities every Masters. Here’s how Spieth played them.
Birdie: 13
Par: 2
Bogey: 1
He birdied Nos. 13 and 15 in seven of eight opportunities. He birdied Nos. 2 and 8 three times each. He lit the par 5s on fire.
13. He’s not satisfied with just one Masters win
“The ultimate goal, that I’ve mentioned each week, is to become the number one player in the world,” said Spieth. “I’m not quite there yet.”
“I want two green jackets like Bubba.”
14. He’s the first person to touch 19 under at Augusta
Spieth flirted with finishing at 269 for the tournament. It’s a number nobody has ever posted at this tournament. Still, he became the first to ever have a red “19” next to his name at Augusta.
Not even Tiger Woods in 1997 did that.
15. He might love the Masters as much as Phil Mickelson
“To hear the echoes come through this place makes it magical,” said Spieth. “This was arguably the greatest day of my life … something I can’t fathom right now.
“This is as great as it gets in our sport. This is a dream come true for me…to shoot some low rounds and to see some putts go in out here and to hear the roars, it was remarkable.
“When you’re a Masters champion, it’s a different legacy.”
16. He predicted this at age 14
Yep.
17. He has a special-needs sister who will get good news
The story of Ellie Spieth is well-documented and tremendous. Spieth will finally have some good news to deliver to her.
“She’ll ask if he won, and he’ll get to say, ‘Yes,’ ” father Shawn Spieth said. “It doesn’t happen that often in this game. She was tired of the seconds.”
18. He looks good in green
Watch @JordanSpieth complete his record week by putting on the Green Jacket. #themasters https://t.co/hKj8aj0fLr
— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 13, 2015
For more golf news, rumors and analysis, follow @KylePorterCBS and @RKalland on Twitter and link up with CBS Sports Golf on Facebook and Google+.
Here are 18 things you need to know about Jordan Spieth's Masters win - CBSSports.com
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