Young golfers believe Spieth's win will boost sport

Jordan Spieth had a young crowd of golfers watching every swing and perhaps dreaming one day they, too, might celebrate on the 18th green at Augusta National Golf Club.

Spieth, 21, became the second-youngest golfer to win the Masters Tournament. Tiger Woods was five months younger when he won the green jacket in 1997.

Junior golfers such as 16-year-old Tyler Jolly hope Spieth’s victory will encourage more youths to discover the game. Spieth’s early career success has been a hot topic at First Tee of Augusta, where Jolly, a student at the Academy of Richmond County, practices golf.

“He’s showing us that golf is a game that you should play. Golf is a game that will get you ready for life when you are trying to make better decisions,” Jolly said Sunday. “We all know that when you are on the golf course you have to make decisions right then and there.”

As Spieth walked up the 18th fairway with a four-stroke lead, children were hoisted on shoulders to try to get a glimpse of the final putt. A group of teenage girls giggled and fanned themselves, saying they wanted to see Spieth a final time before leaving the course.

Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson said Spieth’s influence on the game began last year when he finished second in the tournament. His victory will only motivate more children to pick up a golf club, he said.

“A young guy like that obviously grows the game and gets people involved,” Watson said.

Watson said Spieth exemplifies the goals of the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship, an effort to promote golf that brings junior golfers to Augusta National on the Sunday before the Masters.

“That’s going to get more people involved and more young kids wanting to come out here,” he said. “Then later on, they want to compete in the big tournament like Jordan’s doing.”

Thomas Christensen, 13, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said he will hit the links more often after Spieth’s win. He said it was encouraging to see a golfer just 8 years older win the Masters.

“It just makes me think that I can do it, too, about his age,” Christensen said. “It just makes me want to try harder and go to the golf course more.”

Isabelle Roy, 10, of Greenville, S.C., has played golf for about three years. She wants to emulate the skills Spieth displayed Sunday.

“He’s focused and self-motivated,” Isabelle said, adding: “I know that things are possible to achieve.”