Tiger Woods never finished in the top 10 of a PGA tour event as a teenager. But former Texas Longhorn Jordan Spieth has accomplished that feat six times – all before the age of 20.
Yesterday, Spieth became the first teenager in 82 years to win a PGA tour event by claiming the John Deere Classic.
Last December, after helping steer the Horns to a NCAA Division I championship, Spieth decided to go pro. His decision appears to be paying off, as he earned a cool $828,000 with his victory.
Nineteen-year-old Spieth was able to force a four-hole playoff by making a dramatic chip-in birdie from a bunker on the 18th hole. During the three-person playoff, Spieth outlasted 37-year-old Zach Johnson and 34-year-old David Hearn.
The victory moved Spieth into 11th place in Fed Ex Cup points, and granted him entrance to the 2013 PGA Championship and the 2014 Masters.
“I didn’t think it would happen this early,” Spieth told the Associated Press. “I had a plan. I guess the plan got exceeded.”
Check out a video of his game-tying birdie below: