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After playing four straight weekends of Web.com and PGA tournaments, former UT golf standout, Jordan Spieth, earned himself $500,000 and unlimited tour exemptions for the rest of the season.
Spieth, who was the low amatuer at the 2012 U.S. Open, can now plan out the rest of his season with unlimited sponsorship exemptions and can possibly grab his PGA Tour card in the process. His last four weekends have been hectic, to say the least.
With trips throughout Latin America, Speith finished 7th in Panama, 4th in Colombia, 2nd in Puerto Rico, and 7th in the Tampa Bay Championship. Up until Tampa Bay, Spieth had used six of his seven total exemptions for the season.
He needed a finish of 14th or better to be in the Top 150 PGA earners and earn unlimited sponsorship exemptions for 2013. His 7th place finished helped him clear that hurdle by nearly $50,000. Spieth had a number of spectacular shots over this four week period, including his first hole in one during the third round of the Puerto Rico Championship.
No shot was more important than his birdie on 17 during the fourth round of the Tampa Bay Championship, which followed two bogeys and secured his spot among the top ten finishers in the tournament. (Note: The Sunday Burnt Orange looks good.)
The 19-year-old Dallas native was the Big 12 player of the year, freshman of the year and a team leader during the 2012 season, one that ended in a Longhorn National Championship.
As the golf season gets into full swing (pun) we should expect to see a lot more of this former Longhorn. Spieth is trying to convince the world that he is the future of professional golf, and he is doing one hell of a job. -Hook'em.