Michaux: Trip back to Augusta National emotional for Jordan Spieth

Jordan Spieth has plenty of time to grow accustomed to his new station in life as multiple major champion and the No. 1 golfer in the world, but sometimes it takes returning the place where it all changed to truly sink in.

Last week, Spieth drove down Magnolia Lane with his father – his first trip back to Augusta National since winning the Masters Tournament wire-to-wire last April. It wasn’t like anything he’d experienced before.

“When I got in and the staff there saying welcome back, welcome to the club, you’re a member now, let me show you your new locker room,’” Spieth said, “that’s when it’s like, ‘Wow, this is really, really cool.’”

The coolest moment, however, was when he walked into the Champions Locker room for the first time. There’s a display case inside with the green jacket and photos from his triumph and his name listed on the board with all the others.

But it was his locker that gave him pause. The room isn’t large enough for every champion to have his own locker, so the new champions always share with someone else. Jordan Spieth found out who his locker mate was when he saw his nameplate underneath four-time champion Arnold Palmer.

“To walk down to that last locker and see who his locker mate was, that really hit him,” said Shawn Spieth, his father. “The look on his face I’ll never forget, which in turn choked me up.”

Spieth appreciates being paired with arguably the most popular champion to ever win the Masters.

“To share a locker with Mr. Palmer, that’s historic and something I’ll be able to tell my kids of kids of kids passed down,” Spieth said. “I knew I’d be with somebody. It doesn’t matter who you’re with in there, it’s special. It just seems to be with ‘The King,’ a pretty special moment.”

After a historic season in his own right by chasing the Grand Slam, winning five times including two majors and the Tour Championship, amassing the most money ever accumulated in one year and climbing to No. 1 in the world, Spieth has his sights set on accomplishing something even Palmer never managed to do.

Only Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods have ever won consecutive Masters, and Spieth is determined to add his name to that list.

“That’s certainly something that motivates me,” Spieth said of another
opportunity to make history at his fingertips. “When asked, I was pretty constant in my response to that throughout the year and at the Open Championship and the PGA. When you have a chance to chase history, that’s what we’re doing it for. It’s rare to get a chance to chase history at anything you can do. But when you get a chance to do it you may as well work as hard as you can for it. That’s how your legacy is left. When I come back to my favorite tournament as a defending champion, sure there’s a lot that goes with that but I certainly hope I’m healthy and coming in as confident as I was this past year and that will be on my mind to try and be that next history maker.”

Spieth has paid attention to the details. There have been 17 players to win multiple Masters. Six of those 17 had only a one-year gap before winning again – including Palmer all four times. The others were Horton Smith (1934, ’36), Ben Hogan (1951, ’53), Sam Snead (1952, ’54), Phil Mickelson (2004, ’06) and Bubba Watson (2012, ’14). Even Nicklaus has a one-year gap between his first in 1963 and his second in ’65 before becoming the first to repeat in 1966.

The only champion to back up his first win another immediately was Faldo in 1989-90.

Spieth’s new locker mate is the best incentive.

“Arnold Palmer won four of them in ’58, ’60, ’62 and ’64 – all two years apart,” Spieth said. “It’s almost like that in-between year is much harder than when you settle in as Masters champ. You had that jacket and then you had it taken away. You’re not walking around with it everywhere anymore. You have that fire back in it.

“I think the realization of that might help me. The fact that I recognize that and can come in almost like I’ve never won this thing. I can certainly use the positives from the last couple of years, but as far as 2016 goes think about these other guys who didn’t (repeat).”

The pressure and responsibility on the reigning champion is often cited as the biggest hurdle to repeating at Augusta. Spieth will play host to the Champions Dinner on Tuesday night, and he will have smoked meats likely from his favorite Austin, Texas, barbecue restaurant shipped in.

“The food selection will be easier for me than trying to choose the wine,” Spieth said. “For a 22-year-old, I enjoy (wine) and enjoy trying it. I’ll get some advice on what’s right to pair with Texas barbecue.”

But Spieth doesn’t think any unique distractions the reigning Masters has is any reason not to be competitive in the tournament.

“That’s a low-maintenance host problem,” he said. “All I do is pick the meals and stuff and thank the people there. There’s more to do than there was last year, but I don’t think it’s enough to take away the time. I couldn’t possibly use that as an excuse. I can promise you that.”

Considering Spieth’s average finish in two career Masters starts is 1.5, his chances are better than most.