Opinion & Analysis

Spieth is making a name for himself on Tour

Published

13 years ago

May 27, 2013

Jordan Spieth is making golf purists worldwide stand up and take notice. For a young aspiring champion, this isn’t an easy thing to do.

The 19-year-old Texan has had a lot to live up to ever since finishing in a tie for 16th as a 17-year-old at the 2010 Byron Nelson Championship. This was during a highly decorated amateur career where he became only the second player – along with Tiger Woods — to win multiple U.S. Amateur titles.

He began the year with no official status on the PGA or Web.com tours and just seven unrestricted exemptions to cement his place on the PGA Tour. However, his performances to date have earned him more than $900,000, which have not only has gained him special Tour membership for the rest of the year but have almost guaranteed his full Tour playing privileges for next season.

Spieth has taken full advantage of his opportunities and recorded an impressive four top-10 finishes to date. One of his best was a T7 at last weekend’s Crowne Plaza Invitational in his home state of Texas. His rounds of 65- 67-71-67 were only bettered by seasoned professionals Boo Weekley, Matt Kuchar, Zach Johnson, Scott Stallings, John Rollins, Matt Every and Josh Teater.

His performance statistics this season are solid for a player with limited experience. He’s ranked 19th in total driving, 27th in par-4 birdie or better and 12th in scrambling from inside 30 yards.

When interviewed back in March after finishing T7 at the Tampa Bay Championship, Spieth gave an insight into his thinking and what the future could hold.

“I feel great,” he said. “I feel in control and I know what it’s like to be in contention in a tour event and I was more comfortable this week. I just want to get back and get a win now.”

These are words of a winner, a determined young man who believes in his golf game and isn’t afraid to take on the world’s best players and succeed. With his playing status seemingly secure, we may see even better golf from Spieth as the season progresses.

Opinion & Analysis

AVL: My U.S. Amateur local qualifying experience

Published

6 days ago

Jun 5, 2026

Andrew Von Lossow

This past Monday, I played in the U.S. Amateur local qualifier at Rock Creek Country Club in Portland, Oregon. A full tee sheet from 7:30 a.m. to 1:55 p.m., the top 11 scores would make it to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying.

I teed off at 10:48 a.m.. With the 7:30 am tee time, you can get a feel for the leaders’ pace, and they were off and running on the challenging setup at Rock Creek.

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Getting to the highlight of the round on the par five 17th, a drive up the left side and 212 yards left to the front hole location. I took out a 5-iron with plans of middle of the green. The ball ended up 8 feet left of the hole, pin high. A slight downhill putt dropped in for an eagle 3 on the 17th. With the cut line looking to be anywhere from -2 to even par. This was the boost I had been waiting for all day.

With making par from the trees on 18, it was time to wait for a potential playoff with a posted score of one under par 71.

Three hours later, it was playoff time. 8 players for 6 spots. I made par on the playoff hole, which was good enough to advance to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying in July. USGA qualifiers sure deliver on all of the emotions in golf!

Club Junkie

Building my 2026 gamer WITB: Ranking the contenders and new putter projects – Club Junkie Podcast

Published

1 week ago

Jun 4, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

The annual What’s In The Bag build is underway, and on this episode of Club Junkie, Brian breaks down the clubs currently leading the race for a spot in his 2026 gamer setup. From drivers and fairway woods to irons, wedges, and shafts, he ranks the equipment that’s performing best and explains what’s separating the front runners from the rest of the field.

Brian also heads into the workshop to discuss several putter projects currently on the bench. From head options and shaft choices to build ideas and testing plans, he shares what he’s working on and which putters could become serious contenders for the bag this season.

If you’re a gear junkie who loves equipment testing, club building, and the never-ending pursuit of the perfect setup, this episode is for you.

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Club Junkie

Tour Edge Exotics mini driver review + TaylorMade Spider ZT Max first look – Club Junkie

Published

2 weeks ago

May 28, 2026

Brian Knudson

On this episode of Club Junkie, I put the new Tour Edge Exotics Mini Driver to the test and break down the performance, forgiveness, distance, and where it fits compared to a traditional driver or strong fairway wood. If you have been curious about adding a mini driver to the bag, this one is worth a look.

I also dive into the new TaylorMade Spider ZT Max putter that was recently spotted and discuss the growing zero torque putter trend. Plus, there is a closer look at the new Project X Titan Yellow shaft showing up on the PGA Tour and what makes it different from other profiles currently out there.