04.05.2021

Jordan Spieth Secures His Latest PGA Tour Win by Tapping His Mental Strength

Spieth won the 2021 Valero Texas Open in San Antonio thanks to a final round 66 on Sunday

“I’ve failed on the biggest stage and I’ve succeeded on the biggest stage—it’s all just part of being human,” Spieth told Under Armour founder Kevin Plank in a talk last year. “You learn from the failures and celebrate the successes... and if you’re not afraid to fail, that makes it a lot easier.

 

The former world number one in the Official World Golf Ranking and three-time major champion made a mark on the game early in his career. In 2015, at age 21, Spieth became the second youngest golfer to win the Masters Tournament, and the youngest golfer to win the U.S. Open since 1923. But after his third major victory at the 2017 Open Championship, Spieth struggled to secure another tournament win.

 

Championship golfers require mental strength as much as physical skill. Spieth has always drawn praise for his mental approach to the game, one that he has honed throughout his career.

 

“A hall of fame career is not a straight line, it’s like a successful stock where you have those peaks and valleys,” Spieth told Plank. “That’s how I like to think about it — to take a big picture perspective — when you have those valleys. And then it actually makes that next rise even better, more enjoyable, because you’ve seen both sides and more experienced from it. And then you can be more consistent going forward because of it."

 

Every great golf career has its peaks and valleys, and for Jordan Spieth, Sunday’s win at the 2021 Valero Texas Open in San Antonio marks a new, memorable summit.

 

Thanks to rounds of 67, 70, and 67, Spieth held on Sunday shooting a 6 under 66 to claim victory—his winless streak ends in his home state of Texas.

 

“From the very beginning of our partnership, we knew that Jordan Spieth was a golfer unlike any other,” said Sean Eggert, SVP of Global Sports Marketing at Under Armour. “His physical talents, paired with his ability to stay mentally focused and continually develop his game, helped him bring home the win. We couldn’t be prouder to call him a member of the Under Armour family.”

 

The win was the first in nearly four years, capping a challenging period in Spieth’s career. He acknowledges that his experiences—and the mindset he has embraced to manage them—have played a large role preparing him to achieve his recent victory.

 

Spieth’s patience, resiliency, and optimism demonstrates what athletes need to achieve their full potential. That’s why Under Armour supports holistic athlete development with the UA Performance Academy, a digital hub featuring exercises to help athletes improve their mental strength and overall athletic performance. It’s the kind of technology that Under Armour has applied to helping athletes perform better, a key to the partnership Spieth and Under Armour have shared for nearly a decade.

 

“I’ve always been a really big fan of the brand,” Spieth told Plank last year when discussing his choice to join the Under Armour family in 2013. “I felt like it aligned a lot with me at the time—it was young, it was hungry, it was fearless.

 

“Most of all, I was blown away with the technology. The coolest thing for me was to see how they were going to incorporate this crazy technology into golf.”

 

Since that initial meeting, Spieth and Under Armour have collaborated on a number of tech-inspired signature lines, most recently launching the Spieth 4 GTX, Under Armour’s most scientifically driven golf shoe to-date. The champion secured his latest win wearing the Spieth 5, set to be released in April. 

 

“I love what I do, I love the sport, and I love to work at it,” Spieth told Plank. “Obviously, I love the work when things are going really well, but even when it’s going poorly, I love going out and trying to figure out why. 

 

“You have to fall in love with the work to make improvements. That’s my drive."