“I was a left-handed pitcher” – When Jordan Spieth opened up on almost becoming a baseballer
Jordan Spieth is one of the most successful professional golfers today. Since turning pro in 2012, he has secured 13 PGA Tour titles, including three Major championships. However, there was a time when he was on the verge of choosing baseball over golf.
A few years ago, Spieth appeared on The Dan Patrick Show and spoke about his childhood and how he could have chosen a team sport over golf professionally. However, he added that he was not as skilled as his father in baseball.
He said:
"I wasn't that good, but my dad played in college, and I was, I was a left-handed pitcher. As a left-handed pitcher, you don't have to throw it, you know, 95, as long as you got some, some weird stuff, some Jamie Moyer-type stuff."
He added:
"That's my dad; he pitched against him in high school, actually, so he always used to kind of relate us to. And yeah, but I was probably 12 or 13, and I started to really like the individual aspect of golf and seeing the trials and the errors and how to learn from both of them. "
He added that it is easier to see the results from the efforts one puts into individual sports compared to team sports.
Christine, the three-time Major champion's mother, expressed the same sentiment in one of her interviews. She believed that her son could have easily become a baseball player if he had pursued team sports in high school as well.
She revealed that Spieth used to play basketball and baseball in his younger days, and many of his teammates went on to play D1 sports (baseball, football, and basketball) in college as well.
She was quoted as saying, via Golfweek:
"I have no doubt that he would have played D1 baseball if he had continued to play in high school. He is a 'team' player first and foremost. That is why he loves the team events (Walker Cup, Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup). I think playing team sports helped him develop leadership skills, too."
Apart from his father, Spieth's brother Steven has also played basketball at Brown University.
Jordan Spieth to replace Rory McIlroy on the PGA Tour Policy Board
Jordan Spieth has replaced Rory McIlroy on the PGA Tour Policy Board after the latter submitted his resignation last week. On Monday, November 20, the PGA Tour announced that the 30-year-old golfer would complete McIlroy's tenure, which was set to run till the end of 2024. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a memo, as per PGA Tour:
"Jordan has extensive experience with the Tour's governance process."
Besides Spieth, the other members of the PGA Tour Policy Board include Patrick Cantlay, Charley Hoffman, Peter Malnati, Webb Simpson, and Tiger Woods as the remaining five player directors. Adam Scott, currently the chairman of the Player Advisory Council, will replace Hoffman in January, with his term expiring at the end of 2023.
Additionally, Chairman Edward Herlihy, Jimmy Dunne, Mark Flaherty, Joe Gorder, Mary Meeker, and PGA of America Director John Lindert constitute the six independent directors on the policy board.