Jordan Spieth praises wife for being 'rock' on road back to winning ways

Jordan Spieth heaped praise on his wife Annie after landing his first win since claiming the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale

Jordan Spieth poses with the trophy after his win in the Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio Oaks Course. Picture: Steve Dykes/Getty Images.

“My wife has been just a rock to me,” admitted the 27-year-old as he savoured a two-shot victory over fellow American Charley Hoffman in the Valero Texas Open in his home state.

It was Spieth’s first success since the pair were married and he added: “She got me emotional there on 18 seeing her emotional running up.

“I can pinpoint a number of different moments where I've been in a bad place and then I can picture some moments where I've been just talking so positively to her coming home and having her just help progress that forward.

“She's just given me a lot of space. I've said, look, I'm going to have to put some long hours in, even longer than when you've known me before.

“This is what I want right now. We don't have a family yet and I really want to get back to playing consistent golf and just being me and playing with freedom.

“She's just been that person that said whatever you need to do, I'm here to support you, let me know how I can help, let me know when too much is too much, let me know when it's not enough. She's been really unbelievable.”

Spieth landed three major titles in quick succession, adding to Master and US Open wins in 2015 as he produced a blistering finish in The Open in Southport two years later.

Little did he know then that he would have to wait 1.351 days to taste success again, though he had been knocking on the door on the PGA Tour over the past few weeks.

In returning to the winner’s circle at TPC San Antonio, he claimed a 12th title on the US circuit, joining Phil Mickleson, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Justin Tjomas as the only players to have reached that total before turning 28.

“It kind of bounces off and on right now when it hits me that I'm back in the winner's circle,” he said. “It's been a road that's had a lot of tough days.

“I've had people in my corner that have always believed in me even when I've kind of believed less in myself. I just feel a lot of gratitude to those who have helped me kind of get back here.”

Spieth, who now returns to Augusta National, where he has a great record, with a real spring in his step, believes the best is yet to come.

“I've got quite a bit to piece together in my game, so it's actually pretty easy for me to put my head down and actually focus on getting to work for this next week,” he added of the season’s first men’s major startig on Thursday.

“I've got some things that regressed a little bit in my swing over the weekend this week versus how good it kind of felt maybe Thursday, Friday.

“When I look visually at kind of my action right now, there's some good pieces to it. But the consistency and the tightness of the swing has still quite a ways to go. That excites me, that really excites me at this stage where I'm at.”

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