Fort Worth, TX ….. Defending champion and double Major winning Jordan Spieth offered some simple advice to one of the youngest competitors in this week’s Dean & Deluca Invitational.
Thai sensation Jazz Janewattananond celebrated his 21st birthday last November and since then he was won on both the Asian Tour and more recently the MENA Tour.
And now Jazz is making his PGA Tour debut at the Colonial Club thanks to an invitation from the title sponsors
Only 2o-year old Australian Curtis Luck, and also competing in Fort Worth for a first time, is younger than Jazz.
Spieth, who lives in nearby Dallas, is looking to win for a second occasion this new season after capturing a ninth PGA Tour title in February at the AT & T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California.
Jazz meets the star of Caddyshack, Bill Murray ahead of his contesting this weeks Dean & Delucia Invitational.
The Lone Star State golfer made his Colonial debut in 2o13 and has contested the event each year with results of T7th, T14th, T2nd and then victory a year ago.
Success meant Spieth’s name now appears, along with legendary fellow Texan Ben Hogan who won the event five times, on the “Wall of Champions” adjacent to the first tee.
However, before teeing-up in Wednesday’s Pro-Am with actor and comedian Bill Murray as one of his amateur partners, Spieth offered advice to Jazz.
“I would say to Jazz to look back historically as we have seen quite a few guys come in here as their first start,” said the current World No. 7.
“I remember Franklin (Corpening) a couple years shooting next to nothing in the first couple rounds but he just had fun with it obviously.
**(Corpening shot scores of 68, 7, 72 & 62 to finish T14th on debut also in 2o13 … Editor).
“That’s what people told me, but it’s a lot easier said than done in your first couple starts. But have a good time. Kind of embrace everything the week entails. Embrace the locker room, the practice rounds, whatever it may be. The facilities. It’s not normal.
“We’re very blessed on the PGA Tour to have the best in that situation.
“So, to have just a great time, but then also recognize that you can go out here and compete. It’s been done. It’s been done on this golf course, too.
“You hit the ball in the fairway out here, that is such an advantage, especially when it’s going to get windy. You don’t need to shoot very low scores to climb up the leader board the first two days of this week is what it looks like”.
After meeting Billy Horschel, and winner of last week’s AT & T Byron Nelson on Tuesday, Jazz proudly got his picture taken on Wednesday with Murray.
