The Texan is now
The Texan is now within striking distance of making history, but his life was already pretty good as it was.
Five years ago, Jordan Spieth was a Texas kid with dreams of making it on the PGA Tour. Now he’s a three-time major champion with a big head start on joining one of golf’s most exclusive clubs.
Spieth made a brilliant charge on Sunday at the Open Championship, pouring in four straight par breakers on the back nine and zooming past Matt Kuchar and into the winner’s circle. The victory means that he’s a single PGA Championship title away from the career Grand Slam, a feat that would put him on a level with Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player.
Of course Spieth has had plenty to smile about for the past half-decade, even before he was within striking distance of making history. Take a closer look at the 23-year-old’s life of lag putts and luxury.
With his Open Championship victory, Spieth has 11 PGA Tour wins and three major titles. He’s the youngest player ever to reach both milestones.
At 23, he’s already earned more than $32 million in his PGA Tour career. That’s more than several of his top contemporaries, including Rickie Fowler and Henrik Stenson.
Spieth jump-started his career with a hole-out to force sudden death at the 2013 John Deere Classic. He went on to win the event.
At 19, he was the youngest PGA Tour winner in more than 80 years.
Spieth has been endorsed by Under Armour from the beginning of his pro career, signing with them when he was 19. He later agreed to a 10-year extension with them in 2015.
Read more: Under Armour hit the jackpot on its Jordan Spieth bet
He’s estimated to have banked $30 million in endorsements and appearance fees in 2016.
Source: Forbes
The Texan has become one of the top fan draws on the PGA Tour. His bobbleheads are always a popular giveaway at the AT&T Byron Nelson.
Read more: The popular Jordan Spieth bobblehead is back and it is causing a unique problem
Spieth is a huge Dallas sports fan, especially of the Cowboys and Mavericks. Tony Romo is a regular golf buddy, while Dirk Nowitzki is part of his dream foursome.
In 2015, Spieth bought a 10,000-square-foot mansion in the Big D from fellow PGA Tour pro Hunter Mahan.
Read more: Take a tour of Jordan Spieth’s new $7.1 million Dallas mansion
Spieth reached the game’s elite level with his win at the 2015 Masters. Two months later, he took the US Open.
He won over $12 million that season, shattering the previous record.
Read more: Jordan Spieth has made $10.4 million this year and is on pace to shatter the PGA Tour record
He was so good that season that his caddie, Michael Greller, made over $2 million — more than many established PGA Tour players.
Read more: Jordan Spieth’s caddie made about $2.1 million this season, more than 221 PGA Tour golfers
Spieth isn’t just known for his big wins. He authored one of the worst Masters collapses in history in 2016, hitting a pair of balls into the water on the 12th hole.
Read more: Jordan Spieth hit 2 straight shots into the water to lose the Masters
Subsequently, he was involved with one of the most awkward green jacket hand-offs ever.
He also fell one stroke short of a playoff at the 2015 British Open — but still enjoyed drinking some booze out of the Claret Jug
It was a similar story this year.
Read more: Jordan Spieth celebrated his win at The Open by drinking out of the Claret Jug
Spieth’s friends on the circuit include Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas and Smylie Kaufman. The four PGA Tour winners often vacation together.
Spieth and Kaufman had a funny moment earlier this year when they were dumped out of a kayak while in Hawaii. Luckily, they had stowed their cell phones in plastic bags.
Fowler, Thomas and Kaufman aren’t his only famous pals. Spieth was recently seen in Cabo with stars like Michael Phelps, Michael Jordan and Russell Wilson.
Spieth met his girlfriend, Annie Verret, when they were in high school. Verret graduated from Texas Tech in 2014 and works for The First Tee of Greater Dallas.
She’s become a fixture at Spieth’s events, including the 2015 Presidents Cup.
With three PGA Tour wins, this will rank as one of Spieth’s best seasons yet.
He’ll have a chance to complete the career Grand Slam at next month’s PGA Championship. Spieth is currently listed as an 8-1 favorite, along with Rory McIlroy.