Former Longhorn Golfer Jordan Spieth Makes the Presidents Cup

By Brittany Lamas in Special, Sports on September 4, 2013 at 3:28 pm | No Comments

Just nine months ago, former University of Texas golfer Jordan Spieth took a risk and left college during his sophomore year to join the PGA Tour, despite not having earned his PGA Tour card. Today, it all paid off and Spieth made history as U.S. Team Captain Fred Couples added him to the 12-man roster for the 2013 Presidents Cup.

Spieth, 20, is the youngest American ever selected for the cup. He has competed in just 21 PGA Tour events, and has finished in the top 25 in 11. Spieth gained notoriety when he won the John Deere Classic in June, and was the youngest player to secure a tour event win in 82 years, at age 19. Last weekend, he tied for fourth at the Deutsche Bank Championship and shot a career-low 62 in his final round.

He will be the youngest American to play for the U.S. team and will join Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Brandt Snedecker, Matt Kuchar, Jason Dufner, Keegan Bradley, Steve Strickler, Bill Haas, Hunter Mahan, and Zach Johnson all who qualified based on points, and Webb Simpson, another captain‘s pick.

The Presidents Cup is a biennial match-up of the top 12 players from the U.S. and the top 12 from non-European countries around the world, called the Internationals. In the 10 years of the tournament, the U.S. leads the Internationals with a 7-1-1 record, according to the Presidents Cup website.

At UT, Spieth was a part of the 2012 National Championship team that beat out Alabama 3-2 in the title match. As a freshman, he earned the Big 12 Player of the Year award and beat out Bama’s Justin Thomas 3-2 in the championship to secure one of the team’s match wins. Spieth announced last December that he would forego his remaining years of eligibility at Texas to join the PGA Tour.

Jordan Spieth. Photo courtesy UT Athletics.

Tags: golf, jordan spieth, Presidents Cup, sports