Young Greatness: Why It's Too Early to Declare It the “Spieth Era”

Jordan Spieth’s performance at the Masters was one for the ages, but proclaiming it the “Spieth Era” might be jumping the gun a bit. 

The Washington Post’s Marissa Payne poked fun at Sports Illustrated's assertion of the “Spieth Era," just four years removed from calling it the “McIlroy Era." 

And she’s absolutely right. 

In the Sports Illustrated article, Scooby Axson writes, “The Spieth era in golf has now begun, and it doesn't look like it will be slowing down anytime soon.”

Publications like Sports Illustrated have declared it the “McIlroy Era," and then changed it to the “Spieth Era” four years later because they want to recreate Tiger Woods' dominance.

Golf is at its ratings peak when Woods is in contention, so the media wants to reinvent a superstar to wear the crown for the next generation. 

Don't get me wrong; Jordan Spieth is an incredibly talented 21-year-old. He definitely deserves praise for being the youngest golfer to win the Masters since Woods in 1997.

However, people shouldn't be jumping to conclusions when golf's talent pool is so strong.

Dating back to 1970, only 35 golfers have been able to win more than one major championship in their career. Golfers rarely win multiple majors, so this shouldn’t be considered the “Spieth Era” quite yet, but instead, it should be known as the “Young Guns Era."

Spieth’s season has been incredible thus far, compiling two victories and seven top-10s in 11 starts. He’s already earned $5,087,996 and it's only April. Rising to No. 2 in the Official World Golf Rankings at the age of 21 is a huge accomplishment, but these last four months could be just a hot streak.

A long prosperous career may be in the future for Spieth, but in order for this to happen, he needs to look at the career of a fellow Dallas native.

Justin Leonard’s golf career started very similar to Spieth’s. Leonard won an individual NCAA championship at the University of Texas, whereas Spieth won a team title with the Longhorns. 

After turning professional in 1994, Leonard won two PGA Tour tournaments followed by his first major championship three years later. Similarly, Spieth turned professional in 2012 and also won his first major three years following.

After Leonard's win at the 1997 Open Championship, The Baltimore Sun's Don Markus published an article that quoted Bob Riefke—who caddied for Leonard for most of his career—saying, “When he sets his mind to do something, nobody can stop him…He’s one of the most determined players on the tour.”

The praise given to Leonard greatly resembles the kind words that have been given to Spieth lately.

After his first major victory, Leonard finished second at the 1997 PGA Championship and then finished T-8 at the 1998 Masters. Placing T-2 at the 1999 Open Championship would then be his closest chance at a major championship, as he hasn’t been able to win since.

Leonard's won nine PGA Tour tournaments and has since had a long professional career, but unfortunately there have been no major championships to speak of.

Unluckily for Leonard, he had to face Tiger Woods during his prime at every major championship, and competing against such an alpha dog is no easy task.

In comparison, Spieth could face the same test with world No. 1 Rory McIlroy during his prime. McIlroy’s won the last two major championships in 2014 and a 68-66 weekend finish to place fourth at the Masters showed that he's still the best player on the planet. 

Also, not to be overshadowed by Spieth's youth, McIlroy is still only 25 years old. 

McIlroy’s stretch of golf last season where he had three wins and three top-eight finishes in seven tournaments is far superior to Spieth’s current run. Therefore, nobody should jump to conclusions on where the future of golf is headed and should just enjoy the ride.

Whether Spieth goes onto break Jack Nicklaus’ major championship record or he doesn’t win again, he’s still achieved greatness.

Instead of declaring it the “Spieth Era," look at the past and compare the present. If he wins the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay in a similar way to McIlroy in 2011, the discussions may start to change. 

However, let’s see if the kid can get two majors before he’s given the key to the city.