If Jordan Spieth is to win the CJ Cup Byron Nelson for the first time in his career this week, he won’t have to go through two fellow Dallas natives, Will Zalatoris and Scottie Scheffler, to do so.
Zalatoris withdrew on Tuesday after a minor flare-up with his surgically repaired back. Scheffler, meanwhile, took a break following the RBC Heritage two weeks ago as he and his wife, Meredith, were expecting their first child in late April.
Spieth is coming off his best Nelson showing, a runner-up last year at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas. He has only missed one cut in 11 prior starts in one of his hometown tournaments, which he first played as a high-schooler in 2010 – and finished T-16.
A 16-year-old Spieth at the time would’ve already known a younger kid out of Royal Oaks Country Club who wore pants, wanting to be like the pros. That kid was Scheffler.
“I have known Scottie since he was really, really young,” Spieth said. “Not that I wasn’t, but he was really, really young.”
Now that Scheffler is a two-time Masters champion and currently a convincing world No. 1, Spieth can’t help but be happy for his friend and competitor.
“I think he’s a better person than he is a player,” Spieth said, “and having known somebody and seen them come up and obviously went to the University of Texas … it’s well deserved.”
Spieth, who hasn’t won a major since he captured his third at the 2017 Open Championship, then continued on about Scheffler, now more as competitor than friend.
“On the flip side, like it’s kind of the first time I’ve ever looked at somebody younger than me and I’ve driven inspiration,” Spieth said. “Like I am inspired by what he is doing. It makes me want to go out and get better, and that’s always been someone that’s older than me. Kind of the first time I felt that way about somebody younger. Especially because I play a decent amount of rounds with him here in town. I’m constantly seeing it and trying to beat him at home, and when he’s playing better than I am, it sucks. I don’t enjoy it when I’m side by side because there were however many years of our life it wasn’t that way.
“It’s flipped and I feel like I’ve got plenty of runway to be able to get it back. But it’s inspiring at the same time to try and make that happen. I have nothing in my way of being able to make that happen but my own self. I’ve got enough. I believe in my ceiling, and I believe my ceiling is as high as anybody’s. I have to get each part of my game up towards its ceiling. I have a couple areas that are about at it right now and a couple areas that need to get there.
“If they do, then I feel like we could go on runs together.”
Spieth then gave a wide smile.
This whole Scottie segment of Spieth’s presser today is great. pic.twitter.com/hfuaPK7tkS
— Sam Harrop (@sam_golf) May 1, 2024
