x
Skip to main content
Golf Logo
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
‘Oh my God’: Michael Greller’s caddie genius just blew Jordan Spieth’s mind
SHARE
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Golf Logo
  • News
    • Latest
      • News
      • Features
      • Shows
      • PGA Tour Schedule
    • Series
      • Tour Confidential
      • Monday Finish
      • Hot Mic
      • Rogers Report
    • Shows
      • The Scoop
      • Subpar
      • Seen & Heard
  • Instruction
    • Game Improvement
      • Driving
      • Approach Shots
      • Bunker Shots
      • Short Game
      • Putting
      • Rules
      • Fitness
    • Series
      • Top 100 Teachers
      • Rules Guy
      • The Etiquetteist
      • Emergency 9
    • Shows
      • Warming Up
      • Play Smart
      • Short Game Chef
      • Pros Teaching Joes
  • Gear
    • Clubs
      • Drivers
      • Irons
      • Hybrids
      • Fairway Woods
      • Wedges
      • Putters
    • Other Gear
      • Balls
      • Shoes
      • Apparel
      • Golf Accessories
    • Series
      • ClubTest
      • Winner’s Bag
    • Shows
      • Fully Equipped
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • Travel
      • Course Finder
      • Courses
      • Resorts
    • Lifestyle
      • Accessories
      • Celebrities
      • Food
      • Style
      • Betting Advice
    • Shows
      • Super Secrets
      • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Shop
      • Clubs
      • Shafts
      • Training Aids
      • Balls
      • Bags
      • Technology
      • Apparel
      • Accessories
      • Our Picks
      • Shop All
    • Collections
      • The GOLF Collection
      • The Birdie Juice Collection
      • The Fully Equipped Collection
      • Shop All
  • Newsletters
    • Sign Up for GOLF’s Newsletters
      • Hot Mic
      • Monday Finish
      • Play Smart
      • Our Picks
      • Top Stories
      • Sign Up for All
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Features
    • Shows
    • PGA Tour Schedule
  • Instruction
    • All Instruction
    • Driving
    • Approach Shots
    • Bunker Shots
    • Short Game
    • Putting
    • Rules
    • Fitness
  • Gear
    • All Gear
    • Drivers
    • Irons
    • Hybrids
    • Fairway Woods
    • Wedges
    • Putters
    • Balls
    • Shoes
    • Apparel
    • Golf Accessories
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • All Travel
    • All Lifestyle
    • Course Finder
    • Courses
    • Resorts
    • Accessories
    • Celebrities
    • Food
    • Style
    • Betting Advice
  • Series
    • Tour Confidential
    • Monday Finish
    • Hot Mic
    • Rogers Report
    • Rules Guy
    • The Etiquetteist
    • Emergency 9
    • ClubTest
    • Winner’s Bag
  • Shows
    • The Scoop
    • Subpar
    • Seen & Heard
    • Warming Up
    • Play Smart
    • Short Game Chef
    • Pros Teaching Joes
    • Fully Equipped
    • Super Secrets
    • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Clubs
    • Shafts
    • Training Aids
    • Balls
    • Bags
    • Technology
    • Apparel
    • Accessories
    • The GOLF Collection
    • The Birdie Juice Collection
    • The Fully Equipped Collection
  • Newsletters
    • Hot Mic
    • Monday Finish
    • Play Smart
    • Top Stories
    • Our Picks
    • Sign Up for All
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
InsideGolf

Great for yourself...or your Dad

InsideGOLF
News

‘Oh my God’: Michael Greller’s caddie genius just blew Jordan Spieth’s mind

By: Dylan Dethier
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Follow on Instagram
July 8, 2022
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Jordan Spieth played an eventful wedge shot at the Genesis Scottish Open.

Jordan Spieth played an eventful wedge shot at the Genesis Scottish Open.

DP World Tour

Jordan Spieth was one under par for the round, three under par for the tournament as he stepped to the sixth tee at the Renaissance Club on Friday. Windy conditions had set up a challenging test for a second consecutive day at the Genesis Scottish Open, which meant Spieth was right in the thick of contention.

But that didn’t mean he was comfortable.

The telecast picked up Spieth second-guessing his club selection as he stood on the tee of the short par-3, which was playing just 111 yards with a hurting wind. What followed gave us a little window into Spieth, into his relationship with super-caddie Michael Greller, into Scottish golf and into golf, period.

“Is this even getting within 10 yards of the green?” Spieth asked Greller, stepping off his ball to reconsider. “You think it does?”

“Yeah, I still like that,” Greller said, unconcerned.

That’s the dynamic with these two — Spieth’s on-course persona is frenetic. He plays like he’s overflowing with nervous energy, like his mind is moving a million miles a minute and the only way he can cope is by vocalizing some of what he’s feeling.

Greller stays steady. He keeps perspective, and he reins in Spieth’s wildest instincts, and he keeps the train on the tracks. Sometimes that means bringing Spieth up when he’s down, encouraging confidence and commitment in the face of doubt. Other times that means bringing Spieth down when he’s up, talking him out of some hare-brained scheme to punch-slice something through a tiny window in the trees.

Spieth overrules Greller and pulls off these sorts of shots occasionally, of course. There was the “I just don’t see it, Jordan,” moment before Spieth made some magic at the Charles Schwab Challenge. And there was the punch shot he hit from the edge of the cliff at Pebble Beach, which he attempted at substantial risk to his own life but actually pulled off. None of this means Greller was wrong to object, though. Greller is never wrong.

Back to Scotland, then. The sixth hole was a particularly delightful test because it’s such a short shot with so much potential variation. Xander Schauffele, who shot 65 on Friday, described it this way:

“A hundred ten yards and you’re trying to figure out how to hit a 140-yard shot but not too low or too high because then it will end up in the wrong place.”

Enter Greller.

“I mean, if it ends up, y’know, 100, that’s good,” Greller said, a gentle encouragement that his player had the right club.”

“Okay,” Spieth replied. That’s an important part of the relationship, too — perhaps the most important. Spieth trusts Greller. He loves Greller. They’re fast friends and have been an incredible partnership. So when things are going well, they’ll each push back against the other until they settle on the correct answer.

Spieth hit the towering wedge shot, glanced at it for just a moment, and turned to Greller, dismayed.

“I mean, it’s just not even remotely close to going 90 yards,” he said. Just as he finished saying so, the ball landed exactly pin high, five or six feet from the hole.

“Oh my God, it did,” Spieth said, stunned. He turned back to Greller. “Didn’t it look like it was going 40 yards short?”

michael greller is never wrong pic.twitter.com/WN8CUlzzqA

— Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) July 8, 2022

Greller didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. I’m guessing the ball didn’t look to Greller like it was going 40 yards short, because Greller had no doubt that Spieth was holding the correct club. Because Greller is always right. His job requires that he’s right an awful lot. It requires great patience when his player lacks his own. And it requires trust — because Spieth knows deep down that Greller is right, even if he doesn’t know it in the moment.

We could all use a little more Michael Greller in our lives. We could use some of Spieth’s talent too, of course.

Latest In News

3 hours ago

PGA Tour to name NFL's Brian Rolapp new CEO

3 hours ago

Uh oh: A fiery, fierce, ticked off Brooks Koepka is back at the U.S. Open

3 hours ago

What was the biggest surprise on Day 1 of the U.S. Open?

3 hours ago

The 6 most relatable moments at the U.S. Open on Thursday | Rogers Report

Dylan Dethier

Dylan Dethier

Golf.com Editor

Dylan Dethier is a senior writer for GOLF Magazine/GOLF.com. The Williamstown, Mass. native joined GOLF in 2017 after two years scuffling on the mini-tours. Dethier is a graduate of Williams College, where he majored in English, and he’s the author of 18 in America, which details the year he spent as an 18-year-old living from his car and playing a round of golf in every state.

  • Author Twitter Account
  • Author Instagram Account

Related Articles

News
Robert MacIntyre

After win, pro promised party. His new pics show beer, a difficult walk — and a plant?

By: Nick Piastowski
News
robert macintyre lifts hands in celebration after winning 2024 Genesis Scottish Open

Inside Robert MacIntyre's electric win | Seen & Heard at the Genesis Scottish Open

By: Zephyr Melton
News
Bob MacIntyre was overcome with emotion at the Genesis Scottish Open.

Bob's lucky drop, Tiger's arrival, Hovland talks afterlife | Monday Finish

By: Dylan Dethier
News
robert macintyre celebrates after winning putt at genesis scottish open

The electrifying moments after Robert MacIntyre's career-defining putt

By: James Colgan
Rules
robert macintyre hits a shot from the deep fescue at the scottish open

How a ‘lucky’ rules break propelled Robert MacIntyre to an epic Scottish Open victory

By: Zephyr Melton
Gear
robert macintyre spider putter

Winner's bag: Robert MacIntyre's clubs at the 2024 Genesis Scottish Open

By: Jonathan Wall
News
Rory McIlroy

2024 Genesis Scottish Open purse: Payout info, winner’s share

By: GOLF Editors
News
Bob MacIntyre waves hat at Genesis Scottish Open in white shirt

He was golf's homesick pro. Now he's on the brink of a homecoming victory

By: James Colgan
News
Genesis Scottish Open pin flag pictured on 18th green

2024 Genesis Scottish Open Sunday TV coverage: How to watch Round 4

By: James Colgan
Sign up for GOLF's Newsletters
Get the latest news, the hottest instruction tips, new product releases, golf media insider reports and more delivered directly to your inbox. Choose your favorites now.
Sign Up
Categories
  • News
  • Instruction
  • Gear
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
Services
  • Masthead
  • GOLF Media Kit
  • GOLF Magazine Customer Service
  • TERMS OF SERVICE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • Opt-out of Ads/Sharing
  • Your Privacy Choices
Social
  • facebook
  • x
  • instagram
  • youtube
Membership
InsideGOLF Logo
More than $140 Value for JUST $39.99

INCLUDES 12 SRIXON Z-STAR XV GOLF BALLS, 1 YR OF GOLF MAGAZINE, $20 FAIRWAY JOCKEY CREDIT - AND MUCH MORE!

LEARN MORE

© 2025 EB Golf Media LLC. An 8AM Golf Affiliated Brand. All Rights Reserved. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Pricing may vary.

Go to mobile version