Bubba Watson won the Masters on Sunday. He cried, which seemed rather unnecessary, considering he won and cried just two years ago. He kissed his baby, which reminded me about how it seems like every Masters winner has a baby to kiss.
Watson is now a living legend for having won two Masters in three years, and for the next 20 years, it’ll be very interesting to see how many Watson can win.
However, Watson is 36 years old. Jordan Spieth, the runner-up, is 20. Spieth was the real story at Augusta.
Even for Spieth to make the cut on the last day is a huge accomplishment. The Masters is the most famous golf tournament in the world, and naturally, with that comes quite a bit of pressure on the participants.
Over the years, Augusta National has broken many golfers’ hearts who couldn’t handle the final day of the tournament. At the same time, the course makes legends year in year out. Spieth may not have won and he might not be a legend (yet), but his performance on Sunday was absolutely legendary.
While Spieth did fade, he certainly held his own going against one of the best golfers in the world. His chip-in on the fourth hole was incredible, and (this might be blasphemy) called to mind Tiger Woods’ famous chip-in on the sixteenth hole on Sunday back in 2005. He was right there for the entire front-line and played fairly well on the back nine.
Watching Spieth on Sunday made me think about what I’ve done in my 20 years. Considering I peaked when I was 12, it was a fairly pathetic list. Got a perfect score in a math contest in sixth grade. I also made the greatest save in CYC soccer history that same year to lead the MQP Eagles to a city/county championship.
After that the list more or less ends. Spieth’s performance also made me want to find out more about him, especially since he should be a sophomore in college. He’s got a very smart girlfriend, who also happens to be very attractive. He’s made around $10 million in just two years on tour and also spent one year at Texas, where I’m sure he had a blast.
There’s a case to be made that Spieth is the second most famous 20-year-old athlete in the country, behind, of course, Johnny Manziel. The only complaint I have was that he was wearing more Under Armour products than a seventh grade baseball player.
I speak for golf fans everywhere when I say I’m beyond excited to see what this kid does over the course of his career. Coming in second at the Majors at the ripe age of 20 is a hell of a way to announce your arrival to the golf world.
I hope he serves as motivation to college sophomores everywhere to get off the couch, drop out of school and become a professional golfer.