“It was everything at the time” – Jordan Spieth recalls his big jump from the Korn Ferry Tour to the PGA Tour in 2013 

Jordan Spieth is currently at the Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead course in Palm Harbor, Florida for the 2023 Valspar Championship. The golfer will be teeing up alongside Akshay Bhatia, who will be competing in his Tour Special Temporary Membership received for finishing runner-up at the Puerto Rico Open. This is special as Spieth himself played on a special membership on the Tour 10 years ago.

Back in 2013, Spieth earned a Tour Special Temporary Membership via a T7 finish at the Valspar Championship. Having spent enough time on the Korn Ferry Tour, a young Spieth took a big opportunity and made the best of it. The golfer took advantage of a spot at The Panama Championship, finishing T7 on a sponsor exemption, and played the Astara Golf Championship in Bogota. He finished T4 to earn a spot in the next event and went on.

Recalling his big break from the Korn Ferry Tour to the PGA Tour in 2013, Spieth said that “it was everything at the time.” The golfer, who became a star prodigy on the American circuit, said that he made the right calls along the journey.

Speaking about his magical run 10 years later, Jordan Spieth said, as quoted by the PGA Tour:

“It was everything at the time. I didn’t have any status anywhere, and I had made a decision not to go secure Korn Ferry Tour status this week prior and go to Puerto Rico … I wasn’t expecting to play this (Valspar) tournament at all, and I got up and down out of the front bunker on 18, made a 6- or 7-footer that I … knew was important.”

He added:

“That was huge. That opened up all the opportunities for the rest of the year that was a springboard for getting all the way to the TOUR Championship and then the Presidents Cup, and just really, really great memories that I wouldn’t have had if it weren’t for the finish to this event. It’s a special tournament that -- I don’t forget about that.”

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Jordan Spieth's big break came in 2015

Jordan Spieth became a star after finishing T2 at the PGA Tour Championship at the age of 20. He climbed up to No. 7 in the FedExCup, grabbing people’s attention. He engraved his name on the circuit by winning back-to-back major titles at the 2015 Masters and U.S. Open. Spieth became World No. 1 that August, making him a prodigy compared to the likes of legendary Tiger Woods.

Further speaking about his journey, Jordan Spieth said:

“It’s little things. It’s always just in the margins. It’s such a hard sport. When you feel like you’re mastering it, there’s nothing cooler. But that’s what’s fun about this sport as well … you can get knocked down, you can feel the lowest of the lows and the highest of the highs, and if you’re willing to want to play that game, that risky game in it, then that reward is massive.

"That’s the goal, is to try to get to that level. There are a lot of steps to get there.”

It’s safe to say that the 2013 Valspar Championship was a big turning point in Jordan Spieth’s career. The golfer comes into the tournament as a favorite this week. It’ll be interesting to see if Akshay Bhatia will be able to follow Spieth’s path at the event.