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Like many golfers playing professionally today, Jordan Spieth was once a fan of Phil Mickelson. Mickelson has been a top golfer for the last two decades since turning pro in 1992.
In an interview, Spieth admitted that he once wanted an autograph from the star golfer who blew him off.
Spieth was asked about an autograph he really wanted when he was young and whether he was successful in obtaining it. He smiled and answered:
"There was a time that I was out at the Byron Nelson with my dad and Phil Mickelson, Davis Love were on the putting green. I was yelling at him as I now get annoyed when I'm practicing when I'm getting yelled at and they were talking and they said, 'One second.'"
He continued:
"When they finished, Phil was pulled off in a different direction and Davis came and signed for me and I thought for the longest time that Phil just blew me off and Davis was like the nicest guy and Phil- I didn't care for as much for a while."
However, looking back, he empathized with Mickelson as he understood the demands placed on a professional golfer:
"It's funny looking back now because of the times you're pulled, and he could've been late for media. He could've been having a sponsor obligation. He could've been going over to sign for a kid's area where there was a hundred of them."
Spieth has obviously come a long way since then and is now ranked 14th in the world. He won the Masters in 2015, the U.S. Open in the same year, and the Open Championship in 2017.
He and Mickelson have since become de facto rivals. Mickelson became the face of LIV Golf, the upstart golf league challenging the PGA Tour. Spieth, on the other hand, has stayed with the PGA Tour, which creates an inadvertent rivalry.
Jordan Spieth, however, admitted that he thinks LIV has been a catalyst for changes on the PGA Tour, which may not be a bad thing, per Golf Week:
"Well, I think certainly it’s impossible to not think that that was a catalyst for continuing to want to make sure that our, the players that we have on the PGA Tour now stay on the PGA Tour. Would this have gone that direction this soon? Maybe not, but to say that it wouldn’t have happened in general, I’m not sure."
Spieth has not been as harsh on the LIV Golf league or its members as others associated with the PGA Tour have been.
When is the next official appearance for Jordan Spieth?
Jordan Spieth finished 2022 as the 14th ranked golfer and his next appearance will be in 2023.
January 5 will see golfers compete in the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, which is the next event on the PGA Tour schedule.
