Jordan Spieth pocketed a cool £1million ($1.4m) prize, thanks in part to some sage advice from his wife, Annie Verret. The former two-time Masters victor clinched his 13th and most recent PGA Tour event win at the RBC Heritage in 2022, narrowly defeating Patrick Cantlay in a nail-biting playoff.
Spieth’s path to victory was almost derailed when frustration boiled over after he missed a seemingly simple 18-inch putt for par on the final hole of the third round. “I was about as upset after the round yesterday as I’ve ever been in a golf tournament,” Spieth confessed to journalists following his close call with Cantlay.
Yet, it was Verret’s simple seven-word rallying message that realigned Spieth’s focus and ultimately steered him towards triumph in South Carolina. The 31-year-old acknowledged the rarity and significance of her input, given she typically refrains from commenting on his golfing.
“Annie told me last night, ‘You need to take 5 seconds now’ – and she never comments on my golf – ‘you need to take 5 seconds, if you miss a putt, before you hit your tap-in,” he said at the time. “So, I thought about it today. There were a couple times I was just going to rake it, and I was like, no, I’ve got to take 5 seconds.”
The victory was made all the sweeter when Spieth was greeted by Verret and their then-five-month-old son Sammy on the green. While he did lament the missed putt throughout the event, the presence of his family provided a welcome respite from the pressures of the game, reports the Irish Star.
“That turned a lot around for me (Saturday) night was just hanging out with him and this morning,” he admitted. “Even this morning, I was kicking myself [for that missed putt]. I thought about it all night. Just like, just how am I going to get that back?
“It just takes your mind off of things and puts it where it should be, which is in the moment of hanging out. I really, really enjoyed that. Had a great time spending the mornings with him, and we got our dog here, too. It was a blast.”
The depth of the couple’s bond comes into perspective considering their long history, dating back to their high school days. Following their engagement in 2017, which occurred the same year as Spieth’s Open Championship win, they married the next year. The couple have since welcomed two children and excitedly shared news of a third on the way earlier this year.
While Spieth developed his golfing prowess at the University of Texas, Verrett pursued a business degree at Texas Tech University’s Rawls College of Business. The pair’s family time even spilled onto the golf course, as seen when they played with their daughter Sophie during a practice round at the Masters this past week, where Spieth finished in joint 14th.
Having had a challenging start to the season with only two top-10 finishes across eight events due to lingering wrist issues, Spieth now looks ahead to reigniting his past success at the RBC Heritage this week in the 2025 edition of the tournament.