The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Hall of Honor
- Induction:
- 2023
A consensus first-team All-American and finalist for the Ben Hogan Award as the National Player of the Year during his one full season of collegiate golf in Austin, Jordan Spieth helped lead the Longhorns to the 2012 NCAA Championship. A native Texan from Dallas, Spieth came to The University of Texas after establishing himself as one of the top junior golfers in the history of the sport. He joined Tiger Woods as the only player at that time in history to win multiple U.S. Junior Amateur titles, as Spieth claimed the crowns in 2009 and 2011. A three-time American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) first-team All-American in 2008, 2009 and 2010, he was a three-time Texas UIL Class 5A high school state champion (2009, 2010 and 2011) at Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas. He attained the No. 1 spot in the AJGA rankings in 2011. Spieth also compiled a 2-0-1 individual record while competing for Team USA at the 2011 Walker Cup. At the age of 16, he tied for 16th place in his PGA TOUR debut at the 2010 HP Byron Nelson Championship. During his freshman season at Texas in 2011-12, Spieth posted a team-best 70.92 stroke average while claiming both Big 12 Player and Freshman of the Year accolades. One of three finalists for the Ben Hogan Award, he earned three individual medalist titles at the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational in the fall and the Amer Ari Invitational and Morris Williams Intercollegiate in the spring. Spieth paced the Longhorns to a total of eight team titles during the 2011-12 season. At the 2012 NCAA Championship, Spieth and the Longhorns advanced to the Match Play portion and earned wins over Washington (5-0) in the quarterfinals and Oregon (3-2) in the semifinals. In the championship match against Alabama, Spieth recorded a 3 & 2 win in his match against All-American and current PGA star Justin Thomas to help the Longhorns post a thrilling 3-2 victory and secure the third NCAA title in program history and first since back-to-back wins in 1971-72. He reached No. 1 in the World Amateur Ranking in June 2012 and tied for 21st place and was the low amateur at the 2012 U.S. Open Championship. Spieth elected to turn professional after the fall semester of his sophomore year in 2012. Following his time on the Forty Acres, it didn’t take long for Spieth to turn heads at the professional level. He played his way onto the PGA TOUR and won his first professional title at the 2013 John Deere Classic, becoming the youngest PGA TOUR winner in 82 years. Spieth concluded the year ranked No. 7 in the FedEx Cup and earned a Captain’s Selection to the U.S. President’s Cup team, becoming the youngest to ever play in that prestigious event. He was unanimously named the 2013 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year. In his second year on the PGA TOUR as a 20-year-old, he registered eight top-10 finishes including a runner-up effort in his debut at the Masters Tournament and earned a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. His year in 2015 was arguably one of the most historic golf seasons ever played, featuring five wins and 15 top-10 performances. Spieth claimed his first major victory at the Masters Tournament while tying the 72-hole scoring record (18-under par) and became the second-youngest player to earn a green jacket behind Woods. He followed with a victory at the U.S. Open Championship at Chambers Bay, becoming the youngest golfer to ever hold the first two legs of golf’s majors at just 21-years-old. Spieth went on to finish tied for fourth at The Open Championship and second at the PGA Championship. He concluded the year with a win at the TOUR Championship and became the FedEx Cup champion, finishing the season at No. 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings and was unanimously named the 2015 PGA TOUR Player of the Year. Spieth added his third career major victory with a win at The Open Championship in 2017. In his first decade of professional golf, he has posted 13 career PGA TOUR victories and two international wins in addition to 18 runner-up finishes while claiming nearly $60 million in official money earnings. In addition to his success on the course, the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation offers a platform for Jordan to lend time, help grow awareness and offer financial support for four philanthropic areas: individuals with special needs, junior golf, military families and veterans, and pediatric cancer. He and his wife, Annie, reside with their son, Sammy, in Dallas.
