Jordan Spieth explains how Tiger Woods 'cemented' his love for golf
One of the greatest moments ever at the Masters came in 2005, not surprisingly, courtesy of Tiger Woods. His chip-in at the 16th hole while carrying a one-shot lead will go down as an all-time great shot — not just at Augusta, but in golf history.
It was the chip that saw the Nike swoosh logo hang on the lip of the cup for nearly two full seconds before dropping in dramatic fashion. It was also the shot that gave way to the next great PGA Tour player: Jordan Spieth.
Spieth was just 11 years old at the time, so the moment had a lasting effect on him. He shared the story of watching Woods' historic chip on TV ahead of the Masters on Tuesday, where he's looking to win his second consecutive green jacket.
"I was just starting to really pick golf as my No. 1 sport and fall in love with it. That cemented it for me," Spieth said, via USA Today. "It made me want to literally walk outside and for hours on end practice chipping. It made me want to go and hit those chip-spinners because I always loved hitting those, and I was just starting to develop those at that age."
Seeing Woods send the crowd into a frenzy with an all-time great chip led Spieth to practice more and attempt more difficult shots.
"Not off the back of the collar of the rough, on dicing greens, under pressure, but seeing that shot sent me outside to practice and practice," Spieth said.
Despite battling a Tiger-less field this week, Spieth has his work cut out for him at Augusta. Jason Day is playing as well as anyone, while Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson are always threats to rise up the leaderboard. It should be a memorable Masters week, to say the least.
