The Loop
Jordan Spieth's gamesmanship ploy: Hey, Phil Mickelson, look at this?
AKRON, Ohio -- Who knew Jordan Spieth had a bit of a mean streak in him?
That nice-guy facade slipped a bit Sunday after his final-round 66 in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. The reigning Masters and U.S. Open champion was on his way to Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis., to prepare for the year's final major, the PGA Championship, but not before revealing his plan for a dastardly bit of gamesmanship against Phil Mickelson.
David Cannon
(Getty Images)
Spieth, 22, and rookie Justin Thomas are scheduled to take on Mickelson and Rickie Fowler in a match Tuesday morning at Whistling Straits, and Spieth has a plan to get inside Mickelson's head.
"I'm going to try to get the U.S. Open trophy flown in so I can sit it on the front of each green for Phil so I'll have something for him to -- that's just dishing it back," Spieth, 22, said with a playful, wry grin, drawing laughs. "We'll see if we can get somebody to carry it around for the round. It's the first time I have something on him."
Mickelson, famous for lobbing psychological grenades at his opponents in Tuesday practice rounds contests, has won five major championships but is missing the U.S. Open to complete the career grand slam. The left-hander holds the U.S. Open record with six runner-up finishes.
Perhaps if Mickelson reads this, he can have his replica Claret Jug shipped to Wisconsin. Spieth fell a stroke short of a playoff and a chance for the third leg of the calendar grand slam last month in the British Open at the Old Course at St. Andrews. Mickelson won the 2013 Open at Muirfield, Scotland.