Jordan Spieth shares his thoughts about PGA Tour new CEO

Jordan Spieth in The Travelers Championship.

good morning we are joined with 2017 Travelers Championship Jordan Speed jordan welcome back here you’re making your seventh start what’s it like to be back here in Connecticut well first and foremost I every time I come here I think about maybe the coolest moment I’ve had like moment in golf which was um in 2017 in that playoff so it’s always fun to kind of relive that when I come here and get out on the course and um yeah I have great memories here i’ve played it i’ve had some mixed results um uh but coming in right now I feel like it’s a pretty important event for me i feel like I’ve been um moving the right direction you know after kind of essentially missing an offseason trying to kind of get back into it every month’s felt a little bit better and structurally you know things are getting better i’m seeing more consistent ball striking results and um just need to pour in some putts and just got announced here a couple minutes ago at&t is renewed for multi-year deal um as an ambassador what’s it like to see that’s going to be a continued event here with AT&T Pebble Beach well I was going to play it every year anyway so it’s kind of nice that um they’re going to renew for you know one of these elevated events we saw the what’s we saw what’s possible on the tough end two years ago with obviously a crazy storm that knocks out the final round um and then we saw kind of this last year how amazing um this model can look on one of the greatest golf courses in the world with you know one of the greatest champions that we’ve had um and Rory uh winning there so all in all um I think it’s amazing you know having been on kind of single year partnerships uh with the tour the last couple years to make a commitment there I think is really big for us players for the PGA Tour and and hopefully AT&T um you know reaps the the benefits that they’re hoping for as well so um I know that in the last year it’s been a really positive shift around that tournament from their perspective and so it’s nice to that’s I I think it’s I think it’s awesome i mean I was a huge proponent of trying to get that event to be elevated a few years back just thinking how often can we get the best players in the world all together playing on the greatest golf courses in the world and that one obviously is uh between there and Riviera early in the season it doesn’t get any better perfect thanks Jordan with that open up the questions same as always raise your hand we’ll get a microphone over to you we’ll start here on the lefth hand side with Dan i had two questions first one with the setup being so difficult last week is it is it nice to get to a course like this where you know you’re going to be able to shoot something under par yeah definitely i mean I think I we can do a pretty good job of separating scores it’s more strokes gain scores in our minds now the way we operate you know when you look at stats so although you know overall it it kind of stinks to shoot 75 um no matter where you are when you’re not used to doing it um in general you think of it as as shooting a few under you know everything’s five to six shots higher at a US Open round than what we maybe the average score out here so I think the toughest part is the mentality of okay I can actually attack a little bit more or you know hey I got to I got to pour this putt in um you know you you want to pushing it from you get out of US Open you’re two under you’re kind of sitting there a little reserved like okay I I got three really hard holes coming up let’s hit three greens versus here it’s like okay we got to push this from two to five you know to seven you know whatever it may be to to keep up so it’s just more of um I don’t think it’s too challenging um of a shift relative to uh you know the other players it’s it’s more just kind of getting back into the swing of things of like all right actually I have a seven iron in my hand but I can you know I don’t have to be quite as careful I guess um having said that the rough’s up about as high as I’ve seen it here ever um and then it played obviously very long yesterday and today with these conditions which will change but um it’s not it’s no gimme golf course especially if we’re going to see windy conditions so it’s um yeah it’ll short answer to your question is yeah it’s kind of nice it would be hard to play something like that last week every single week but um at the same time you get a lot of riskreward on the back nine here which can yield three four five under rounds but you can also get in some big time trouble especially on the back nine and then the last two winners on tour uh late late bloomers ryan Fox is 38 uh he’s won two of his last four starts jj is having the best year of his career deep into his 30s is that sort of uh inspiring a little bit that you know it’s not we see all the success from the young guys but you can have success at this sport at any age yeah and I think you know maybe there’s been a there’s been a shift with I don’t want to say less of late bloomers or people in their 30s 40s winning but seems like there’s less than there was you know 10 to 30 years ago um and with the game shifting so much to athleticism and power and speed and um you know you’re you’re likely going to see it stay the way it is where the young young guys come out and they can make a splash but that’s the beauty about golf is you can I mean we what Phil was 52 when he won the PGA is that right 50 I think 51 50 um I mean you can win in our sport at the at the highest level you have 30 years where where it’s been done or it’s possible so um you know seeing JJ grind it out seeing his story of essentially saying if this is the end in the middle of last year then so be it and turn it around into into what he’s done this season and almost winning two of you know the four biggest events so far this season is uh is is certainly inspiring and then Foxy obviously um knocked on the door number of years and then to come through a couple times this year uh you know was was amazing i I just thought that final round I don’t watch a lot of golf and I that was incredibly entertaining um the Canadian Open or sorry I meant the US Open the Canadian finish was as well it was kind of a couple couple straight Sundays of kind of can’t take your eyes off it you don’t know what’s going to happen it was um it was cool we’ll pass the microphone up to Dom here in the front uh Jordan you mentioned your coolest moment and coming back and reliving it i’m just wondering how often do you run across the video of that do you go out of your way to see it at certain times to watch it or do you maybe just run across it randomly but how often do you kind of see that shot uh and the call and all of that less and less as time has passed um you know I felt like it was on every promo thing that would come on past the TV it’s on the golf channels on a promo with you know other winning moments from other guys for a number of years and now there’s been so many moments that it’s kind of But no I don’t I don’t search it out i don’t think I’ve ever searched it out since maybe that day seeing it but um uh you know when you come back here you know you walk down by the locker room there’s a big screen and it’ll show different moments from this tournament and so I see it there and um you know it I mean it was just it was just one of those I just don’t know how or if I would ever have something that’s kind of that epic in in the sport i mean it’s just just the way this I mean there was I don’t know 20,000 people around the whole amphitheater setting and everybody just going crazy well there it is right there so pops up here and there so it was um I just I I’d love to have another opportunity but you know stuff like that you just have to relish and recognize that they’re few and far between and we have Dave in the back jordan going back about 10 years what were some of the things that after you won your first major championship that maybe happened to you or that changed that maybe you didn’t anticipate no one had told you that hey after you win a major this is stuff that you might expect or that you might not have thought of that’s going to change the way either you operate your family stuff anything that you might tell or share with JJ that you things things are going to change for you now that you’ve won a major championship i think it’s I think it was maybe a lack of more than anything else um I think uh I mean I I just came back and I remember within a couple weeks later it was like I played the next week but you know say I came back I had you know kind of a a crazy run of heightened um attention you know for you know a few weeks as I went to the Texas events and stuff and then all of a sudden somebody else had you know won an event and it’s just golf i mean it was crazy because to you know to me I was like “Oh man what’s this?” You go to New York City and everyone’s kind of recognizing you and you’re going to go to dinner there and people stand up and clap like around the whole restaurant i’m just like “Oh boy this is I don’t I don’t I’m not I don’t love this.” Um um it’s very cool very everyone’s very nice but you know I just you just don’t you just don’t feel like you can kind of you just feel like your your peripheral vision is just always activated when you’re out and uh um but then I think the the biggest thing is it just you know after a few weeks it was just golf and somebody else won another event and it sticks with you in history and you accomplish your goals not to diminish it whatsoever it’s just that it wasn’t like um you know what I I guess maybe it’s so it was it was bigger to me than um and and I maybe everything just kind of went went back to you know the world going around again um quicker than you just kind of realized I guess and then after you win another one which for you obviously happened relatively quickly does it sort of reset and that starts again or does that after the first one it’s not yeah kind of and then obviously that year played out kind of like that um and you know for a few years but um you know you just I think the if I get the opportunity to to win another one again I think and maybe this helps maybe this is an answer you’re looking for but um I think relishing in kind of you know you win a couple in a row you’re like all right well maybe I can do this a bunch and you know obviously that’s the goal but not many people have done it a bunch and I think just recoging how special those are appreciating the work and the support and the team around you that that’s gotten you there and and just um enjoying um accomplishing those kind of goals maybe more than I took them for granted in a way just because you just kind of hope or seem that they can just keep happening want to go right side here Jason jordan you mentioned Sunday being mustsea TV at Oakmont i just wanted to get your thoughts on having a signature event the week after a major championship obviously you guys are putting so much into trying to win a major championship but the tour gets to sort of pick up on that momentum from a major as well what What are your thoughts on it uh well I think this one is um you know this is a unique one because it’s tougher if the US Open’s on the west coast you know then you’re going cross country right off a major and um but it’s an event that I played post US Open you know a couple times a few time few times before it was elevated anyways because it’s such a great event we have two elevated events right after majors and two of them we don’t and two of the majors We don’t I’m not sure i mean it um I’ve played a lot this year and I’ve been playing a lot the last few years and and I don’t mind it right now um so I may not be the best person to ask versus somebody who’s picking a tighter schedule and maybe would like it the week before where we don’t have one this year we did last year um the week before uh but you know not everybody in these events are in the majors and then not everybody makes a cut from the major and would like to kind of get a chance at a big event the next week so um I’ve haven’t had a hard time getting up for the events after um I adjusted my my uh schedule this week versus Hilton Head because Hilton Head on Monday I took off fully and felt like okay actually you know I need to kind of get ready and and I came out and did a couple hours on Monday just to kind of um I was striking it well so just keep the pattern going and then go work a little bit on on some stuff that I needed to work on uh so I I and I was very happy with coming out and and doing that um even though it was a Monday post rate major uh based on that where would you assess your game right now what are you happy with what do you think you need to work on a little bit um I’m pleased with most most everything um I’m just kind of I feel like I’m getting done with the round and my scoring is I’m just like lo you know a couple times during the week there’s just kind of two shots that I’m like man I just played two strokes better today and normally that just comes down to capitalizing on opportunity short game stuff taking advantage of easy holes making putts um you know last week I had uh you know I had a lot of momentum and then I made a a triple with just making a mistake on a couple putts um hitting them a little bit too hard where I wanted to make the par didn’t want to make the bogey and I just I held patient all week and and made the one US open mistake you can’t make which is to try to do something a little special and uh you know other weeks it’s man I felt like I hit a good T-OT and um you know it was a I missed it by five yards I need to miss it by three something like that where where there was a stroke or two difference it just it feels like I just need to stay the course and good things are coming um and I think the biggest thing for me right now is not um not trying it’s going to be harder and harder as we get to the end of the season to try to force results given I only have however many events left now i don’t have the runway that you had in February but um but you know so if if it all comes together by the end of the season great if not then it’s already been um about pretty much a better season you know on the better end of what I could have asked for coming off surgery and starting late into the season so um I’m looking forward to this week this is a big week the open’s a big week and then um look to the playoffs and there’s a chance I’d add an event somewhere i’m not sure it’ll just kind of depend on the standings because the idea is to make it to East Lake back to the left side with Kevin hey Jordan um in terms of your recovery between events Sunday night Monday phys either physical or mental is there any what would you say is the importance of that overall does it kind of change week to week or is it do you put more focus on it a week after the US Open that can be kind of grueling yeah I um had a few beers Sunday um I I went to I was waiting we were waiting on the shufflers to come over here and he was after the delay so I went to Buffalo Wild Wings with Michael and so we I didn’t exactly eat or drink the way I normally do there um and then so most of the time it’s very very good but sometimes post US Open I just kind of needed to um throw a few back and uh and then by yesterday I was good i’m still young enough that that doesn’t really uh bother me on them uh the next day so uh yeah I I think uh it’s not so different week to week it’s my my It’s changed a lot for me over the last few years especially traveling with my family and stuff like that and also having the accessibility we have now out here with our recovery trailer and you know physios being super accessible and stuff so u my recovery postevent into beginning the next week is is uh I’m getting on top of it quite a bit more than I used to which is great and I feel like I you know off of last week it was a pretty tough walk this is my 10th out of 12 weeks as well so my legs are a little bit you know we’re a little clumsy the last two days and I woke up this morning and feel you know ready and fresh and that’s kind of what you’re looking for is that if you can get there by Wednesday morning um or sooner after hitting a couple training sessions and kind of getting everything on the recovery side going then then we’re good to go but yeah I mean I eat very clean um and think a lot about how we’re recovering now and it’s going to have to continue as I get older and um kind of specifically to this week the fourth hole has been the toughest hole here over the last five years i was wondering if you could speak to the nature of that hole and how you kind of game plan and think about that hole and its challenge well it’s a really tough drive um it’s probably the narrowest area to hit driver um if you pull it off it’s just an eight or maybe even a nine iron down wind so it’s not too bad um but when you miss the fairway is where it becomes a challenge because both bunkers are difficult to get it on the green and then the mist for most people is going to be over the right bunker it’s thick it’s some of the thicker rough on the golf course and then they have a tree blocking you from being able to go at the green so it’s all in really the t-ball um from there you know you’re trying to hit the middle of the green most of the pins are over by the runoff on the right side and so even when you hit the middle of the green you kind of have to be defensive with your putt so all in all um it’s a hard par4 it’s not surprising that it’s playing the toughest i think um we’re going to see a couple different wins there this week but primarily downwind which which helps um and then that four or five stretch you know is is those two holes you’re kind of looking hey let’s just get it on center of the green with a birdie putt and if you can play them both even par you beat the field and um there’s there’s plenty of other chances out here and we’ll take final one with MK here in the back uh with the news yesterday of Brian stepping in as the new CEO just what are your thoughts on that and have you had the chance to speak with him yet yeah I I um I did yesterday and I thought his comments to our um you know to the players that were there were I really really liked him i think he seems like a steel um from the most successful sports organiza or sports organization in the world and someone who was you know in you know on the path to becoming potentially commissioner over there to to coming over and and taking the PGA tour forward um I really you know I think he resonated a lot with some of the players about challenging uh some of the networks to on on how they’re showing the product and then being open and willing to adapt and change while maintaining the integrity of the game so you know I think he he said all the right things from other players to other people that I that are sponsors to that I’ve that have reached out to me since have all been super excited about that hire and and that we’re very lucky to have them and when you did speak with him yesterday just what was that conversation like and I was just kind of an introduction and um not much more than that i I it was with a couple others and I was I was just kind of mentioning how I I was on the board and I’m not anymore and you know so on and so forth but um it was uh yeah he’s he’s encouraging everyone to reach out and he’s going to reach out to players and and he wants their perspective on things and as you know um we can get quite opinionated about certain things and so I’m sure he’ll take what um what he knows to be something that could help and not I mean it just seems like he’s got he can bring a wealth of experience in a lot of places but then he’s super open to learning more about golf and the PGA Tours business and the and the product itself um from those that know more about it until he gets caught up and it just seems like a very um in my I mean from it seems like a great approach that uh sponsors are going to really enjoy players are going to really enjoy the networks should really enjoy working with them and that combination hopefully makes the product better and better to the fan which is really what we’re trying to do and now final question from MK hey Jordan you mentioned earlier your stretch of playing golf you’ve done seven of the last eight events just how do you keep a a pace that allows you to have reasonable goals that you set to get the results that you want what do you mean by a pace i mean I think seven out of eight weeks you’re you’re like like when I’m scheduling it like what well um I I didn’t play a tournament for 6 months so um that helps that gets a fire under you and um makes you want to be out there uh and then from there you know I with Dallas and Fort Worth being important to me and where they were on the schedule um you know I was kind of you know stuck in in how often I was going to play this time of year so then it was you know where do I take days off how do I prepare how am I taking care of my body how am I eating how you know just just really taking a once I started you know went down to um San Antonio it was okay we’re about to start this this heavy heavy stretch that has a few majors and a bunch of elevated events mixed in and um I’ve got to be really diligent about what I do and I and most importantly for me it was you’re not every event’s going to go great um and if you can feel like you’re getting better you know each stretch a little bit better then um then that should be the goal because it’s still going to be long term coming back from this injury and I shouldn’t expect to shouldn’t expect to you know come out firing right away and I feel like I’ve you know I’ve started to knock on the door a little bit and that’s been make made this whole stretch worth it perfect that’s all the questions we have thank you Jordan for the time