Jairam Hathwar had no problem spelling "feldenkrais," "gesellschaft," and "scherenschnitte." "Bethpage" and "Barclays" should be a piece of cake.
Aside from owning a world-class vernacular, Hathwar is a huge golf fan. In a visit to the morning show "Live with Kelly," the Scripp's National Spelling Bee co-champ revealed Jordan Spieth is his hero.
"He's only (22) years old and he's taking on these veterans and showing that it doesn't matter how old you are, you can still win … put in the effort and do well."
Imagine Hathwar's surprise, then, when the TV show played a taped message from Spieth, inviting Hathwar, a New York native, to this year's Barclays event at Bethpage Black:
"If you can putt as well as you can spell, I'm sure we'll see you out on tour here pretty soon," Spieth said.
Wait, so winning the Spelling Bee earns a hang-out with Jordan Spieth? If that's the case, expect record submissions for next year's contest.
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