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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

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  Debate

Debate

Does Jordan Spieth's sportsmanship set a new standard for how champions should handle defeat?

Jordan Spieth has had one of the most decorated careers in the current era of the PGA Tour. The former world No. 1 has won a total of 13 PGA Tour events ever since he joined the Tour in 2013. He has also won a total of 3 majors while participating in 281 events.

And his achievements in golf are not the only thing he is known for. Spieth’s character and sportsmanship have often been a hot topic in the professional golf world. An aggressive player on the course, Spieth’s gentlemanly behavior beyond the strokeplay is something that is always acknowledged by many. Another player spoke about Jordan Spieth’s personality in an interview recently. Let’s see what he had to say.

The calm and composed Jordan Spieth

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Jordan Spieth became a topic of discussion during a podcast featuring the guest Danny Willett and hosts Nico Colsaerts and George Harper Jr. In the interview, Willett was asked if it was awkward to receive the green jacket from Jordan Spieth minutes after defeating him in the 2016 Masters Tournament. Willett simply said, “Luckily, it’s Jordan.” Elaborating on Spieth’s achievements during that period, he added, “Jordan, at the time, was on an unreal roll. Jordan’s a class act.

Willett understood how cruel it is for the runner-up to put on the green jacket on the winner after coming close to winning it himself. He said, “It is harsh because it’s literally 10, 12 minutes after we finished.” Willett was still in shock after clinching the Masters Tournament but he acknowledged how Spieth was all business even after getting beaten for the major.

Another fact that should also be considered is that if Spieth had won the Masters that year, it would have been his third consecutive major. He would have been in the record books with the likes of Tiger Woods who had previously achieved that feat. Willet continued, “He literally came off. He’s then got to get suited and booted and back down to Butler,” as he continued to emphasize how harsh the scenario was.

But this was not the only moment Willett recollected from his experience in the Masters Tournament. He shared a glimpse at how he felt when he had to give the jacket away. Let’s see what he said.

Danny Willett returning the jacket

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Does Jordan Spieth's sportsmanship set a new standard for how champions should handle defeat?

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Danny Willett went on to add how different it was for him the very next year in the 2017 Masters Tournament. He said, “Fast forward to the year after when I had missed the cup and I was sat there having a glass of wine on the balcony when Sergio (Garcia) was winning. So I had loads of time to actually sit there and enjoy it.” For the unversed, Willett got cut to the third round of the 2017 Masters Tournament.

 

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The fellas then joked about how Willett had two days to enjoy himself watching Sergio Garcia win and everything. Willett continued to speak about his memory of handing over the green jacket to Sergio Garcia as he said, “I was able to see Sergio’s family and Angela and everyone around like it was amazing.”

Elaborating on how he felt during the moment, Willett said, “I mean, I probably did cry just because you see how much it means to not only Serge but the family and everyone and then wanting to put the jacket on on a friend.” Willett said that it wouldn’t have mattered who won it in 2017 as he would have been just as glad to hand over the green jacket. He said, “It was either Rosie (Justin Rose) or Sergio, either would have been unreal… You know, would have been amazing to be able to do it too.

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Coming back to Jordan Spieth, Willett reiterated how the former is a class act, but he still thought it was ‘harsh‘. Do you agree with what Willett had to say about the scenario? Share your opinions in the comment section.

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