Family, friends bolster Spieth's success at Masters

Those closest to Jordan Spieth returned the loyalty he shows to family and friends, intently eyeing every shot from tee to fairway to green on Saturday at the Masters Tournament.

Spieth’s parents, Shawn and Chris Spieth, were standing at the gallery ropes. So was his high school sweetheart, Annie Verret, and a contingency of high school buddies.

They were there for Spieth, the way he has stood by his siblings and friends as his golf career soared.

“We’re all just here to support him and keep it in perspective,” Verret said.
Spieth’s parents smiled and high-fived when their son birdied No. 9. After following his round, they were there when he walked off the 18th green to sign his scorecard.

The one person missing from Spieth’s team was sister Ellie, 14, who has special needs. Ellie, who has attended some tournaments but stayed in Dallas last week with family friends and schoolteachers, has defined her brother’s loyal and grounded nature, her father said.

“He knows where she is all the time,” he said. “It puts everything in perspective. He was always grounded, but that has a lot to do with it.”

The family has excelled in sports. Spieth’s dad played baseball at Lehigh University, and his mom played basketball at Moravian College. Brother Steven is on the basketball team at Brown University.

Spieth, 21, lives about 10 minutes from his parents’ home in Dallas, where he attended Jesuit College Preparatory School.

“He comes home to see us or to get his laundry done. That and little things moms do like ‘make sure you get sunscreen on,’ ” Shawn Spieth said.

Spieth also played basketball and baseball but stepped up his golf game in high school, said high school friend Blaine Simmons, of Austin.

“In high school, he really turned it on, started really getting focused. Before that, he played golf just because he loved the game,” Simmons said.

Spieth has always supported his younger siblings, Simmons said. Now, he makes efforts to see his friends as often as he can with his travel schedule.

Spieth’s success at the Masters has been fun for family and friends.

He enters today’s final round leading Justin Rose by 4 shots.

“Watching him succeed is the best thing ever. Obviously, you want the best for him,” Simmons said. “It’s different now because when he started he would basically have his friends and family following him. You would have about 10 to 15 followers, and now you have crowds of people trying to see every single thing.”

Verret, who attended Ursuline Academy of Dallas, the sister school of Spieth’s all-boys high school, said Spieth’s performance in Augusta stands out among his many golf highlights.

“This is hard to beat,” she said.