The Green Jacket on deserving shoulders

I watched as the Masters' Green Jacket was placed onto Jordan Spieth's shoulders by last year's winner, Bubba Watson, two of my favorite golfers and athletes.

The 21-year old Texan set an amazing number of records on his way to his -18 victory in Georgia Sunday. At one time, he was 19 under par. Nobody has ever had a score that low at Augusta.

But the thing I like bet about both Bubba and Justin, is that they seem like really nice, likable guys.  The kind of young men you'd like to go hit a round of golf balls with and have a brooskie or two.

I think more people in sports should be like them. Or like retiring fellow Longhorn, Ben Crenshaw, who played in his last Masters this past weekend. They represent good, honest folk who work hard at thier craft and when they win, they are humbled by the moment.

That is a far cry from most sports celebraties we see these days, especailly the ones on team sports.  (I can think of some rather obnoxious loud-mouths from the Seahawks that could learn a lesson or two from these golfers.)

A golfer's victory is usually self made.  There are no blocking lineman. There isn't a receiver who saves a QB's butt with a game winning catch over his shoulder. There is no shortstop jumping high into the night's sky to save a no-hitter for his pitcher. No. Golfers, especially a kid who leads wire-to-wire with the heavy hitters, like another favorite of mine Phil Nickelson, breathing down his back, does it all on his own. He has to address and execute each shot, all by himself. No one sets a pick for him. No one holds on the offensive line.  Speith had to do it all by himself.  And when he did, he was humbled by his accomplishment.

Even in tennis, which is considered the other individual game, there is someone on the other side of the net who has a huge say in the way in which the outcome of a match goes. But in golf, the man, his bag of clubs and a ball are it.

And right now Jordan Spieth is it, too.  The man.  The top dog.

My favorite line from the TV broadcasters' verbal carnation of Spieth as the next God-send to the links, was from a CBS TV voice who said, "Had 21-year old Spieth not droped out of The University of Texas in his junior year, he would be graduating next month. As it is, he has earned his masters..."

Way to go Jordan.  Way to go Bubba.  And we'll miss you Gentle Ben.

Golf is back and has a good guy leading the way.