Jordan Spieth began 2013 without status on any major tour and ranked around 800th in the Official World Golf Ranking. On Friday, he became PGA Tour Rookie of the Year -- the culmination of the best rookie season on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods' two-win Year 1 in 1996.
"It was a great year for rookies on the PGA Tour with a few winners," Spieth, now 20 years old, said Friday in a teleconference jointly announcing the PGA Tour's Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year awards, the latter which went to Tiger Woods for an 11th time. "I feel great to be voted by my peers in elite company there as the best rookie this year. Obviously, my credentials when said right next to Tiger's this year (5 wins) are maybe downplayed a little bit. But just a great feeling."
Spieth became the youngest winner in modern PGA Tour history when he took the John Deere Classic in a playoff over Zach Johnson and David Hearn in July. He also posted eight other top-10 finishes on the season, earning an impressive $3,879,820 to finish 10th on the PGA Tour money list. Spieth also finished seventh in the FedEx Cup, a best-ever finish by a rookie in the seven-year history of the competition.
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As of Monday, Jordan Spieth is ranked 21st in the Official World Golf Ranking. Next week, he will become the youngest American selected to play in the Presidents Cup, chosen by captain Fred Couples to complete the 12-man squad that will take on the International team at Muirfield Village G.C. in Dublin, Ohio.
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