Jordan Speith takes golfing world by storm after US Open win

MOVE over Tiger Woods, move over Rory McIlroy, there’s a new phenom in town and he goes by the inconspicuous name of Jordan Spieth.

The 21-year-old from Dallas, Texas has stormed the golf world by winning not only the 2015 US Masters, but also the US Open at Chambers Bay last week.

Spieth opened the US Open betting as an 11/1 chance and his odds for the upcoming Open Championship have been cut to 6/1 at Bovada.com.

The largely underwhelming Spieth just goes about his business in an unassuming matter, unlike fellow American golfers Billy Horschel and Keegan Bradley who persist on ‘revving’ up the crowd.

Spieth is an anti-Tiger. He doesn’t thrive on the crowds, instead he plots and plans his rounds, shot-by-shot, and it has earned him two majors already this season.

The chances of Spieth winning the first three majors of the year appeared very slim at the beginning of the year, but he now has a chance of a lifetime at St. Andrews this July.

Golf returns to the old course on July 16 where Rory McIlroy will be out to defend his title. The Northern Irishman is the current 4/1 favourite and he showed glimpses of his best form in Round 4 at Chambers Bay last Sunday.

Another golfer that made a late run in the U.S. Open was Louis Oosthuizen and he is subsequently the last golfer to win the Open Championship held at St. Andrews (2010).

The South African rattled home in the U.S. Open to finish third and his odds have been trimmed into 25/1 – on the same line as Jason Day, Martin Kaymer, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia.

All eyes will be on the record breaking Jordan Spieth – looking to capture his third straight major title.

The marketing appeal of Jordan Spieth

If you have watched any golf this season you have probably noticed Jordan Spieth wearing clothes from Under Armour, and he’s paid handsomely to do so.

Under Armour originally signed Spieth to an endorsement deal in 2013, but just a few months before he won the Masters, Under Armour gave him a brand new 10-year contract.

Considered a big gamble at the time – Spieth had won only one PGA tournament – Under Armour took the risk and it has paid off like no one would believe.

The deal at the time didn’t rival that of Nike’s $250 million deal with Rory McIlroy, but it was Spieth who has proven to be the best purchase.

Golf Digest reported that although we don’t know the full details of Spieth’s deal, most golf contracts are incentive-based and include bonuses on major wins.

“The deal, which industry insiders say has ‘Tiger-like numbers’, includes an eight-figure guarantee annually, bonus benchmarks, stock options and, in the future, a signature line of clothing,” Golf Digest said.

Spieth has now become a household name and these figures below show his increased popularity.

• 35% of Under Armour customers knew who Spieth was before the U.S. Open, up from just 19% before the Masters.
• In “overall/likability” Spieth rose from No. 1500 to No. 129 out of 3600 celebrities.
• In terms of customers aspiring to be like certain celebrities, Spieth is No. 1 among athletes and rose from No. 333 to No. 4 overall, trailing only Bill Gates, Tom Hanks and Kate Middleton.
• In endorsement value, Spieth is No. 5 overall and No.2 in sports, trailing only the great basketball player Michael Jordan.

  All those figures were taken prior to Spieth winning last week’s US Open. The future looks bright.

2015 Open Championship betting market

Full market available at Bovada.com

Rory McIlroy – 4/1
Jordan Spieth – 6/1
Dustin Johnson – 12/1
Justin Rose – 16/1
Adam Scott – 20/1
Rickie Fowler – 20/1
Henrik Stenson – 22/1
Jason Day – 25/1
Louis Oosthuizen – 25/1
Martin Kaymer – 25/1
Phil Mickelson – 25/1
Sergio Garcia – 25/1

Popular golfers in the market:

Bubba Watson – 33/1
Patrick Reed – 40/1
Tiger Woods – 40/1
Jimmy Walker – 50/1
Hunter Mahan – 80/1
Jason Dufner – 80/1
Keegan Bradley – 80/1
Ernie Eels – 100/1
Tom Watson – 300/1