NORTON, Mass. — Considering Jordan Spieth is from Dallas, it’s easy to guess his favorite football team. But when he’s not watching the Cowboys, the New England Patriots are his go-to team. And some guy named Tom Brady is a big reason why.
So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that when Spieth toured the Patriots’ locker room at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, he went straight to Brady’s locker.
“Yeah, I actually took a picture in front of his locker and sent it to him yesterday,” Spieth said Thursday at TPC Boston ahead of the 2016 Deutsche Bank Championship. “He made a comment like, ‘Where’s the security?’
“It was cool. Didn’t touch anything there. He’s got it pretty well made up. He knows the position of everything and he’s had some pretty good vibes throughout his career, so I didn’t want to mess with anything there.”
This was far from a one-time text message exchange with Brady, though. Last year’s FedEx Cup champion and TB12 stay in touch, and Spieth’s golf lessons with Brady and their mutual endorsements with Under Armour probably are big reasons why.
“He wishes me well,” Spieth said. “He’s somebody who, if it’s a really off week, he’ll be a guy that reaches out to try and help you rebound. He’s been through it all. If it’s a really good week, he’ll reach out and say, ‘Keep it up.’ It’s really cool to have a guy like him that I’m such a huge fan of that seems to be in my corner.”
If you’re wondering how Spieth got near Brady’s locker in the first place, we can assure you he didn’t break in. Instead, he and the other seven automatic qualifiers for the U.S. Ryder Cup squad walked around Gillette Stadium as part of a special event put on by vice captain Tom Lehman. They also ate near one of the end zones and hit golf balls off a platform toward a pin set up near the middle of the field.
That sounds like a pretty special night, especially for someone who roots for the Patriots.
“I root for the Pats in the AFC. If you can have two teams — the Cowboys are my team, (Brady)Â knows that (and) he calls me out on it — but if we’re not playing the Pats, I root for them. I have since I was probably 7, 8 years old. I’m not saying that because I’m here. It’s true.”
And after the first round kicks off Friday, Spieth can get a taste of what it’s like to win in front of New England sports fans — just like his friend has been doing since 2001.
Thumbnail photo via Eric Sucar/USA TODAY Sports Images
