Jordan Spieth says his best-ever shot was at the 2017 Open Championship.
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Though he’s only 29 years old, Jordan Spieth already has a highlight reel full of incredible shots he’s hit over the course of his nearly decade-long PGA Tour career.
With 13 PGA Tour wins, including three major championships and a FedEx Cup, Spieth has been one of the game’s most entertaining players. You might think it would be hard for him to name the best shot of his career, but on this week’s episode of Subpar, which was filmed in front of a live audience at the inaugural The Larry, Spieth didn’t have to think for long before giving an answer to hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz.
“I hit a 6-iron at the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on the 14th hole. I had lost the lead, and I hit a 6-iron, almost made it, lipped it out. And it kinda got me goin’,” Spieth said. “But it was the prettiest 6-iron I’d ever hit. It didn’t leave — just a straight ball at the stick and almost went in. And it kinda helped re-arrange that Open Championship for me and close it out.”
Fans will likely easily recall that moment from the 2017 Open Championship, when Spieth was in the throes of a memorable battle with Matt Kuchar.
Spieth had started the final round with a three-shot lead, which quickly evaporated when he bogeyed three of his first four holes. Spieth and Kuchar traded the lead throughout the remainder of the round.
On the par-3 14th hole, which Spieth referenced above, Spieth trailed Kuchar by one shot. He made an easy birdie after the near hole-out to tie Kuchar once more. On the next hole, Spieth drained a 48-foot putt for eagle to take the lead, then followed that with two more birdies, giving him a two-shot advantage on the final hole, which Spieth parred to ultimately prevail over Kuchar by three shots.
That win marked Spieth’s third major victory. A win at the PGA Championship would make him the first player to win a career grand slam since Tiger Woods.
The 2023 PGA Championship will be played at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y. on May 15-21. You can listen to Spieth’s full Subpar interview, which he taped alongside Rickie Fowler, below.
As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Issue, which debuted in February 2018. Her original interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.