Caddy Michael Greller (left) and Jordan Spieth at the 2015 Open Championship in St. Andrews.
Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
During his long career he carried the PGA Tour star bag Jordan Spiethcadi Michael Greller has enjoyed his share of incredible levels.
That’s not to say there haven’t been some downs.
Although he has accumulated three major titles among his 13 total PGA Tour victories in what will be a Hall of Fame career, Spieth has had a rollercoaster ride. For every big win, he has endured a handful of painful losses.
IN latest episode of The Scoop with GOLF’s Claire Rogers, Rogers asked Greller if there was one mistake that stood out in his time on Spieth’s bag. It didn’t take long for Greller to identify the one decision he wanted to “redo” — from the 2015 Open Championship in St. Andrews.
WATCH: Jordan Spieth’s longtime caddy Michael Greller joins The Scoop
Claire Rogers
“For me, that was the hardest loss,” Greller began. “A caddy once told me, the better you work a player, the more big wins you’ll have and the more tough losses you’ll have. You want to work for the greats and you’re going to have those heavy losses.”
Going into the 2015 Open in St. Andrews, Spieth had already won the Masters and the US Open earlier that year. On Sunday at the Old Course, he had a chance to win his third of the season but failed to bogey either of the final two holes to earn a spot in a playoff.
The moment that still stings Greller today, he said, came on the 18th when Spieth missed his approach, leaving himself with an ineligible birdie putt and ending his title hopes. Greller still thinks about his boss’ choice of club.
“If I had a redo,” Greller said, “he ended up hitting a wedge, he stayed and he was aggressive because he was trying to make birdie there on the 18th hole at St. Andrews. And he ended up coming up…short and it came down to the bottom, and he had to make a 40-footer to get into the playoff. But in hindsight, I wish he had hit it 20 yards behind him.”
Greller’s reaction at this moment spoke volumes about how burned he was to win.
“I actually cried after that because I was so upset,” he said. “And not just that decision… he was just on the verge of having a great chance to literally win the first three championships. Then he ended up being the sole runner-up at Whistling Straits that year at the PGA. He wasn’t too far away from winning all four championships, so maybe that’s what I’m thinking about.”
Watch Greller’s full appearance on The Scoop below or below GOLF.com YouTube page here.
