Ex-Longhorn Jordan Spieth Wins at 2013 John Deere Classic
Well, it took 5 playoff holes, but Jordan Spieth (who we featured in 2012) is the 2013 John Deere Classic Champion.
Spieth, 19, became the first teenager to win on the PGA Tour since 1931. He was nails down the stretch shooting eight birdies and two bogeys in his last round of the weekend.
The John Deere Classic is his first career win.
Spieth holed a 26-inch putt on the 18th green, the fifth playoff hole, for a win and new status. The former Texas star came to the Deere as a special temporary member. He heads to the British Open as a full-fledged PGA Tour member with a two-year exemption. He's also eligible for the season-ending playoffs. And he collected a first-prize check of $828,000.
"I was just so lucky," said Spieth, who came in with five top-10 finishes this season. "That's what it was."
Johnson, an Iowa native who had been 3-0 in playoffs including one over Troy Matteson at last year's Deere, was denied a 10th career victory.
"You've got to tip your cap to Jordan," Johnson said.
Spieth started the final round six shots back, and promptly bogeyed the first hole. But he birdied five of the last six. The last one was that bunker shot. He hit it thin, but it took one bounce, hit the pin and dropped into the hole.
"Extremely fortunate," Spieth said.
Source: USA Today
