AUSTRALIAN OPEN / Jordan Spieth’s love for Australia keeps him coming back

It’s becoming a common sight to see Jordan Spieth playing in the Australian Open each year, and we have his Australian golf coach to thanks for it.

Jordan Spieth is back for his fourth appearance in the Emirates Australian Open at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney this week. It’s remarkable given the recent history of American golfers unwilling to want to travel out of their home country to play golf, particularly at this time of year when the Thanksgiving holiday falls so close to our national golf tournament.

Obviously appearance fees play a big role in attracting Spieth back to Australian shores each year but as Jim Tucker at the Courier Mail reports in a top read over the weekend, Spieth does seem to have a genuine love for Australia that was all kick-started by his Australian golf coach Cameron McCormick.

“I’ve talked to Jordan so much about Australia and its amazing golf courses over the years that he could not help but be intrigued about coming here,” said the Dallas-based McCormick, who has been Spieth’s coach since he was 12.

“I hope I had something to do with him experiencing the Australian lifestyle and I feel proud of it.

“Now, it’s like he loves to come.

Tucker also reports on Spieth’s rip-pulling time in the surf at Bondi and his detour to play Melbourne’s sandbelt golf courses on his first trip to Australia.

“I’ve got to say the funniest afternoon on the 2015 trip was Jordan and (caddie) Michael (Greller) bodysurfing at Bondi and being shocked at the extent of the rip when slightly outside the flags,” McCormick said with a chuckle.

On that same visit, McCormick got to show off the Melbourne sandbelt gems he played in his youth when Spieth joined him for off-the-grid visits to play Kingston Heath, Royal Melbourne and Capital.

There was the Masters and US Open champion pulling his own trolley, enjoying a beer and chatting happily to local members in the grounded fashion that has made him such a favourite with galleries.

Read Jim Tucker’s full article – How Jordan Spieth’s love affair with the Australian Open was sparked by his Victorian swing coach

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