Players Champ'ship win might show us how big Jordan Spieth can be

 

The way Jordan Spieth has played the last couple of months, it's become trendy to stamp him the PGA Tour's Next Big Thing.

 

How he fares at The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra this week could tell us just how big that might be.

 

The 21-year-old Texan doesn't need to double down on his Masters win with another major this year to become something special. Neither of the biggest winners in golf history, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, won another major the same year they won their first Masters.

 

But if, say, Spieth can win The Players, it will make a statement that he's ready to challenge Rory McIlroy for the mantle of world No. 1. (And he's already No. 2.)

 

NBC Sports analyst Johnny Miller said this past week that he would give Spieth the edge over McIlroy right now.

 

"Rory on certain weeks might dust Jordan, but day in and day out, Jordan's probably a little better player than Rory is right now, (in terms of) consistency," Miller said. "He just has an unbelievable short game and putting."

 

Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee said the difference between Spieth becoming what Nicklaus was in 1962 and what Woods became in 1997 is driving distance: Where they were head-and-shoulders above the competition, Spieth is more or less ordinary.

 

"They were the longest of their era," Chamblee said. "When Tiger won the 1997 Masters, he was hitting it 20 yards past anybody that contended, and Jack was the same.

 

"Historically, it would be unlikely for (Spieth) to win another major (in 2015); I wouldn't give him the same odds Tiger had in '97 or Jack had in '62 (because) he lacks the benefit of dominating power."

 

Spieth enters the Players 64th on the Tour in driving distance (291.4 yards) and 112th in driving accuracy. But his great equalizer at Augusta was his short game and putting, which helped him ring up a record 28 birdies against eight bogeys and one double bogey.

 

He entered this weekend eighth in putting and first in scoring average (69.3).

 

"At his age, doing what he's doing, it's very special," Miller said. "He's not a guy that hits it nine miles, like Bubba (Watson). He does it in sort of a stiletto way, not with a sledge hammer, but sort of taking the course apart.

 

"Jordan has the ability to be that player that can close out tournaments."

 

Chamblee said Spieth's ability to connect with fans while remaining popular with his peers stirs memories of Arnold Palmer.

 

"His peers talk about how Arnold went to great lengths to make being in that arena with him as comfortable as possible," Chamblee said. "Fans talk about how he connected with them, shook their hand, looked them in the eye and took time to sign an autograph. And you could not find anyone (in the media) that had to interact with Arnold that didn't laud him for his access.

 

"When you look at how Jordan Spieth comports himself, you can see how he will resonate with people. If he continues in that vein – if 10 years from now he's won five more majors and he's just as graceful as he was after the Masters, well, you say how can anybody do that? But Arnold Palmer (did)."

 

Miller echoed what Greg Norman said recently in his final reference to the world's No. 1 and 2 players, McIlroy and Spieth.

 

"Golf's got two great guys, Rory and Jordan at the top, both really nice guys. Not the real driven player, the player who wants to ignore and just go about his business. Those two are just really nice, nice kids. They seem like they have great balance off the golf course with family and friends and other activities."

 

This article was written by Brian Biggane from The Palm Beach Post and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.