Jordan Spieth Wins British Open Thanks in Part to Eagle-Eye Caddie Michael Greller

Jordan Spieth won the 146th British Open Championship on Sunday after a remarkable run on the final five holes. Perhaps the most interesting thing about his win, however, is that it might not have happened if not for his caddie Michael Greller’s spot-on calculations. Spieth hit his tee shot about 100 yards to the right of the fairway at number 13, a difficult par-4 hole. He decided to declare an unplayable lie and take a drop farther back on the practice range—which was not considered to be out of bounds—after a 20-minute delay.

The long, blind recovery shot he faced would be a challenge for any pro golfer. But there was another issue as well: Spieth’s calculation of how far he was from the green turned out to be way off. Spieth thought he was 270 yards to the front of the green and wanted to hit a 3-wood.

That’s when Spieth’s caddie Michael Greller stepped in and said he was 230 yards to the front. While Spieth explained later that he usually goes with his own calculations in these kinds of situations, Greller’s confidence persuaded him to think twice and hit with his 3-iron. Greller ended up being correct—Spieth hit just to the right of the green. If Spieth had hit the ball 30 to 40 yards farther, he may have faced double-bogey or worse.

Check out the full 30-minutes unfold from the 13th hole.

Though number 13 ended up being a bogey five for Spieth, after that the momentum shifted in Spieth’s favor. Happy to share the glory of his win with Greller, Spieth handed over the trophy to his valued caddie, saying, “Hey, Mike, here you go.”

It’s great moments like these that remind us why we love golf—and following its champions—so much each year. One can only speculate where Spieth would have ended up if he had not shot with the correct yardage in mind. Given that most of us will not have someone as skilled as Michael Greller telling us our yardage, accessories like yardage markers become critical to playing a great round. For yardage markers and all your golf course accessories visit Standard Golf, the world’s leading manufacturer of golf course accessories, with products sold by over 250 distributors on six continents. To learn more, visit www.standardgolf.com.