Geno Auriemma compares Jordan Spieth's Travelers shot to famous UConn buzzer-beater

Geno Auriemma has been part of the Connecticut sports scene since 1985, playing a role in some of the state's great moments.

So where does he think Jordan Spieth's chip shot in the Travelers Championship playoff ranks? Auriemma was at TPC River Highlands, watching at the 18th hole.

WATCH: Spieth's miracle shot

Speaking at his charity golf tournament Monday at the Hartford Golf Club, Auriemma said it was one of the great sports moments he has seen.

"I mean, other than Tate George's shot?" Auriemma said. "That comes pretty close when you think about how dramatic it was and it's a playoff. And it's Jordan Spieth. I know people went crazy. I'm standing right there and I watched it.

"But you've almost gotten to a point now with him, at such a young age, you're almost going, yeah, I can see him doing that."

Auriemma played in the Celebrity Pro-Am last week and he has a close relationship with the tournament. This year, he worked with the tournament to help promote his charity event and he'll likely do more in the coming years.

"I'm thrilled for Andy [Bessette] and Nathan [Grube] and all the people at Travelers," Auriemma said. "You couldn't have written a better script than that. He's a great kid and he's a great champion. To have him represent the list of winners in Connecticut, it's a pretty impressive list that he's joining. So it was pretty cool to see it in person."

On Monday, people at the Hartford Golf Club -- both those playing and those just there for the charity event -- were talking about Spieth's shot.

"A lot of people love golf around here," Auriemma said. "You could see it [Sunday]. I mean, all the people talk about the crowd there. People love golf in Connecticut. ... There's a lot of excitement about [the shot]. We're all a part of it. We all live here and we're all a part of it."

Because of scheduling conflicts, Auriemma missed the tournament for a number of years. He picked a good year to return as a fan and he was struck by how the crowd reacted.

"I was amazed at the people sitting there watching, cheering whenever a guy did something really, really good," Auriemma said. "It's not like they had a favorite. They just wanted to see people make great plays and hit great shots. It felt good to be on that side of it."

This article is written by Paul Doyle from The Hartford Courant and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.