Step apart Mufasa, there is a new ‘Lion King’ on the town after Jordan Spieth turned the brand new ruler of Quail Hole Membership.
In doing so, the 29-year-old turned simply the sixth participant in Presidents Cup historical past to win 5 factors at a single occasion, and the primary American since Jim Furyk in 2011.
As Spieth partnered with Justin Thomas for the opening 4 rounds of group matches, the duo swept Worldwide pairs that featured Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama and Adam Scott to assist open up a four-point lead heading into Sunday’s singles match-ups.
No American partnership had received 4 in a row on the event since Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker in 2009, a feat sweetened by the childhood friendship of Thomas and Spieth.
And when your teammate’s solely grievance is that you just left him nearly nothing to putt, you have most likely had fairly good spherical.
“I performed two matches, and I hit 10 putts. I feel that is fairly absurd,” Thomas instructed reporters Saturday.
“I legitimately suppose I picked my coin up greater than I hit putts, so yeah, my associate’s fairly good.”
After a royal show of placing, it was solely becoming then that Spieth marked his arrival on the first tee Sunday with a Lion King tribute.
Choosing up his son Sammy from spouse Annie, Spieth lofted the ear-muff sporting toddler above his head in a near-perfect rendition of the opening scenes of the 1994 Disney traditional to the roaring delight of the Presidents Cup crowd.
“That was tremendous cool,” Spieth mentioned. “He is lastly sufficiently old to simply be wanting round and taking all of it in and being concerned with every part.
“He loves the ear muffs, fortunately, as a result of it has been loud out right here.”
‘I need to get that monkey off my again’
Regardless of his new standing because the ‘Lion King,’ Spieth teed off in opposition to Australia’s Cameron Davis with a self-proclaimed monkey on his again: extremely, Spieth had by no means received a singles match on the Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup.
Having misplaced three successive Presidents Cup singles bouts from 2013 by means of 2017, Spieth was not picked for the 2019 occasion which noticed Woods encourage a dramatic American fightback. Three years on, the absence nonetheless stings.
“It sucked,” Spieth mentioned forward of this 12 months’s Cup. “I bear in mind it was a extremely powerful spot.
“I hated each second of it as a result of I understand how enjoyable they’re and I understand how helpful these weeks are, these matches, for individually how you are going to play the following 12 months.”
4 straight birdies after the flip noticed Spieth finish his drought in decisive vogue in opposition to Davis, as his 4 & 3 win secured the American group’s first singles level of the day.
“I used to be extra nervous than I most likely ought to have been right now simply because I need to get that monkey off my again,” he mentioned.
“It feels actually good. Once you exit early as I’ve achieved just about each group occasion on a Sunday, they’re searching for crimson on the board, and it feels good to lastly present that.”
Hours later, Xander Schauffele rolled residence to seal the group’s 17.5 – 12.5 victory, sparking jubilant celebrations on the 18th gap.
Champagne was poured into the Cup earlier than, for the second time that day, Spieth lifted a crowd favourite aloft.
“Once you get to do it [compete] collectively, representing your nation with among the greatest gamers on the planet … you simply cannot put a worth on it,” Spieth mentioned.
“There’s actually nothing that is extra pleasant.”
