“Help each other or give each other s***” – Episode 1 of Netflix’s Full Swing sheds light on bond between Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth
The highly anticipated Netflix docu-series on golf, "Full Swing" went live on February 15. The eight-episode series explored some of the other aspects of the PGA Tour professionals' lives.
The first episode is titled "Frenemies", and rightly so for close friends Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, who are often seen taking on each other at the golf course every other week. The episode also features Thomas' father Mike Thomas, Rickie Fowler, and Sean Foley.
It also focuses on Thomas and Spieth who are almost the same age (born three months apart). The duo have known each other since their teen years, and are often seen hanging out together. They were rivals during their amateur days, playing together in the Junior Ryder Cup. Thomas’ Alabama Crimson Tide was beaten by Spieth’s Texas Longhorns in the 2012 NCAA Championships.
The initial part of the Full Swing episode narrates the early years of Thomas Spieth's rivalry-cum friendship. Spieth saw success earlier than Thomas. By the time he won the 2017 Open Championship, he already had 11 wins on the Tour then, including three majors, and a FedEx Cup title, and had competed in two Presidents Cups and two Ryder Cup teams.
Thomas at the time was far behind with just four PGA Tour victories and is yet to win majors. This changed in 2017 when Thomas won the PGA Championship and FedEx Cup. Since then, he has always been on the US National team for the Presidents Cup. The shift has been so dramatic that Thomas (15) leads Spieth (13) by two more PGA Tour wins now.
Both acknowledge that they want to better each other in every event, but they are also each other's support.
In the episode, the producer asks Thomas about the current status of his relationship with Spieth.
“Yeah, he’s the best man at my wedding, so I hope he’d say the same,” Thomas replies.
Other scenes include some Spring Break footage, where Thomas is seen wearing a Baker’s Bay hat. Rickie Fowler appeared on the episode giving his opinion on the dynamics between the two friends.
“They’re the first to either help each other or give each other s***,” Fowler sums up Spieth-Thomas relationship.
The Full Swing episode 1 also explores the relationship between Justin Thomas and his father. Thomas Sr., who is also Justin's coach, said that his father was strict with him during his time growing up. He didn't want to treat his son like that. Mike himself was a PGA pro and his father Paul was also a club professional.
“I just kinda made a promise to myself that I would just never treat my children that way.”
Netflix Docu-Series "Full Swing" details
Netflix's golf docu-series 'Full Swing' went live on February 15. Netflix's Chad Mumm and Box To Box Films' Warren Smith are the brains behind the series. Notably, Smith's company has created Netflix’s popular “Drive to Survive”, a series on F1 racing.
Here are some golfers who will feature in the series:
- Tommy Fleetwood
- Rickie Fowler
- Sergio Garcia
- Harry Higgs
- Max Homa
- Mito Pereira
- Viktor Hovland
- Dustin Johnson
- Brooks Koepka
- Rory McIlroy
- Collin Morikawa
- Kevin Na
- Abraham Ancer
- Daniel Berger
- Cameron Champ
- Joel Dahmen
- Tony Finau
- Matthew Fitzpatrick
- Ian Poulter
- Xander Schauffele
- Jordan Spieth
- Justin Thomas
- Bubba Watson