Why Jordan Spieth Is The Right Man To Replace Rory McIlroy

In his weekly View From The Fairway - Sports Journalist and Golf Writer Derek Clements looks at one of the latest talking points in the world of golf.

I HOPE that  they are ready...Jordan Spieth has been named on the PGA Tour's policy board to replace Rory McIlroy as a player director.

If you follow the PGA Tour then you will know that Spieth likes to talk. He likes to talk a lot. There is the running commentary when his golf ball is in the air, there is the constant banter with his long-suffering caddie Michael Greller and there are his post-round TV interviews.

Jon Rahm said he would not be interested in replacing McIlroy because of the length of time the meetings took. It is safe to say that with Spieth on the board they are going to get even longer.

But I have to say that I believe the welfare of the players is in safe hands because Spieth cares passionately about his sport and the people who play it.

He is a deep thinker who cares deeply about the game and about his fellow players.

Spieth is not a man who will use five words when twice that number will do. He also knows what it like to hit the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, and in that respect he has a decided advantage over McIlroy, who is a serial winner.

Here are just a few of the gems that his fellow players can look forward to hearing:

"I have a lesser amount of certainty of that than I've had in a while. It doesn't bother me right now. I don't feel anxious, like I have to do anything. I feel pretty patient with what's coming because I know I'm working on the right things. Took me a while to figure out what that was.”

"I almost took ignorance as bliss in a lot of parts of my game. I did things well, but I didn't know why. I just did them. Then they got off, and so I had to figure out why I did them well and how to train it back.”

"Again, like for me, it just comes down to how I feel over the ball. Like for me, it's all the physical side of the ball. If I feel comfortable, if I am hitting the shots I want to, I still have the confidence that I know that that's capable of winning out here.

"So the problem is just getting to that point and keeping it there. When it's not at that point, you stand over each shot worrying about the misses or where you can't be when you're off versus what is my plan to birdie this hole. How do I make sure I don't bogey this hole? Just crazy how it can switch like that.”

"The move I'm trying to do with my swing, it's most difficult and impossible to do on course. Just the timing of it is just not consistent yet. I had three or four different golf swings throughout the week on the golf course. That's unusual. I don't think I've ever played with more than one kind of swing feel. I'm trying to just develop a way to make this downswing feel work. Once it clicks, I'll be right back where I need to be. Until then, it's a little inconsistent in the long clubs.”

"I went through like a couple different swings today. Yeah, I mean, it was kind of a test I guess. It's very unusual. I don't feel like I've been in this situation before. It's OK. I felt like I was patient out there and still am right now. Like I said, could take a while, but I got pretty far off and I'm trying to backtrack significantly. But I need to get some tournament rounds to do it, even though it's humbling at the same time.”

All of the above was when Jordan’s game had fallen off a cliff and he had no idea where the ball was going, especially with a driver in his hands. It is testament to the man’s character that he refused to give up, kept working hard and just about got his game back to where it had been when he won The Open at Royal Birkdale.

"I put a really bad stroke on a par putt on 6 today. I had been thinking about my stroke on every putt I had hit from yesterday until that hole, and I just told myself, 'Just point, aim, and shoot and stop thinking.' Because I've been working on my stroke so much that I'm thinking about doing the path of the stroke. You know, if you think about the stroke you've got no touch or feel. From there on, 'Just point, aim, shoot,' and I just started making everything. Wish I had figured that out like the third hole in the tournament, not 30-something holes in.”

You can never accuse him of not giving value for money when asked a question!

So there you have it, the thoughts and philosophy of one Jordan Spieth. By coincidence, like McIlroy he needs just one more major to complete the career Grand Slam. Unlike McIlroy, when asked a question, Spieth is more likely to just open his mouth and see what comes out.

It is going to be a highly entertaining ride. I guarantee it.