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20

SPORTSTuesday 15 March 2016

Fame is making Spieth’s fish bowl seem even smaller

BY DOUG FERGUSON ing to look for answers,
knowing you need to go
AP GOLF WRITER work on it, and then you’ve
got all the people asking
PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) -- for something. And if you
don’t do it, they give you
This was always going to a bad rap. On the other
side, how great is it to have
be a challenging year for fans? How great is it to be
able to influence people
Jordan Spieth, and not just in a positive way? Why
wouldn’t you want to flip
on the golf course. that switch?
“I’m trying to do a bet-
Spieth knew it would be ter job this year of putting
a smile on my face and
tough to repeat the results showing who I think I real-
ly am,” he said. “I have a
of a year in which he won light sense of humor. A lot
of times on the golf course,
the Masters and U.S. Open, I’m intense. I’m trying to flip
the switch more while re-
chased a Grand Slam and maining as competitive as
possible.”
won the FedEx Cup to The moment Spieth regret-
ted from Innisbrook was
cash in on the most lucra- having enough spare time
to look at social media.
tive season ($22 million) in Two-time Bay Hill winner
Matt Every said so aptly
golf. And he knew there last year, “There’s nothing
social about social me-
would be scrutiny over ev- dia.” Spieth was reminded
of that when someone
ery round, even before the posted to his Instagram
account that his wedge
majors began. game was garbage. Far
more innocent was a
That’s not unusual. Rory tweet from the PGA Tour
account that quoted one
McIlroy faced it two years comment from Spieth that
was out of context, though
ago. Tiger Woods dealt Jordan Spieth waits to hit his tee shot on the first hole during the third round of the Valspar Cham- it was no less irritating.
with it his entire career. pionship golf tournament Saturday, March 12, 2016, in Palm Harbor, Fla. His mistake was responding
What makes Spieth’s fish to both of them.
bowl feel even smaller is Associated Press “I should never respond to
the attention from the pub- any of that.
lic. at the Valspar Champion- morning, fans had a tough name. But it was a smart Just let it go and by the
His appeal was undeniable ship. Whether it was Fri- time getting a clear view of move. time the next tournament
day afternoon or Saturday Spieth because the crowd It’s been like that all year, rolls around, no one even
was so big. That has never from Kapalua to Pebble remembers it anyway,”
Spieth said. “There’s going
NFL referees support NHL happened at Innisbrook in Beach, from Los Angeles to to be plenty of people that
its 16 years on the PGA Tour Florida. don’t like the way I play
the game or handle things.
officials on Wideman suspension schedule. That’s what happens to the I’ve got to be confident in
what I’m doing and know
Under Armour, his clothing No. 1 player in the world, that many more do appre-
ciate it.”
The Associated Press sponsor, sold various shirts especially a player so Spieth isn’t as consumed
The NFL Referees Association says it agrees with its NHL in the clubhouse, some young (22). And it doesn’t with social media as other
counterpart in objecting to the reduction of Dennis Wide- with a silhouette of Spieth, hurt to be an American. players from his genera-
man’s suspension for knocking down a linesman. others with only his last Is he filling the void of tion. Still, he spoke at the
NFLRA executive director Jim Quirk said Monday that any name in block letters. They Woods? Not even close. start of the year about try-
time an athlete makes unnecessary physical contact with were easy to see in the gal- Spieth, McIlroy and Rickie ing to “quiet the noise” of
an official, “there needs to be swift and certain punish- lery because there were a Fowler combined couldn’t the comments posted to
ment.” An independent arbitrator reduced Wideman’s lot of them. set off the frenzy that fol- his account. Those will al-
suspension from 20 games to 10 after ruling that the Cal- As the defending cham- lowed Woods through the ways be there no matter
gary Flames defenseman did not intend to injure lines- pion, his image was on a inaugural phase of Tiger- how he plays.q
man Don Henderson in Jan. 27 game. large sign that hung from mania in 1997 and still does
Quirk says arbitrator James Oldham’s decision to reduce the back of the grand- even as injuries have kept
the suspension “sends a horrible message about sports- stands on the opening him from playing.
manship and the behavior of athletes” and calls it a sad tee. Late in the afternoon Whether the public atten-
day when an athlete is given leniency for violating the on Saturday, a woman tion has a bearing on Spi-

code of conduct.q climbed to the top of the eth’s golf, only he would

bleachers and reached know. But it’s on his mind.

Belgian quits cyclo-cross in down over the sign so that That much was clear after
her arms cradled the im- he played an 18-hole prac-

motorized bike scandal age of Spieth’s face as a tice round at Pebble Beach

friend took her picture. last month with a group of

BRUSSELS (AP) — The Belgian cyclist at the heart of the Most interesting was a 75- fans following him for four
sport’s first mechanical doping scandal says she will not yard walk after the pro-am hours. Spieth was asked
defend herself at a disciplinary hearing this week and is through a corridor of fans that day if he felt he had a
quitting the sport. packed two-deep behind target on his back because
Femke Van Den Driessche, 19, was accused of using a the ropes, screaming and of his two majors and No.
concealed motor in her bike during the Under-23 cyclo- reaching for autographs. 1 ranking. He spoke more
cross world championships in January in Belgium. Spieth had his caddie, Mi- about the fans than the
She says in a statement released Monday that the costs chael Greller, walk in front players trying to beat him.
of defending herself before the sport’s governing body, of him and collect items for “Things have changed,” he
the UCI, would be too expensive. him to sign, avoiding the said. “I still find myself strug-
The rider says she has “decided to quit cyclo-cross” and obvious collectors in it for gling with what’s the right
that “acquittal would be impossible.” the money. It was strange thing to do. Oftentimes I
The motorized bike was found in her competition area at to hear the fans yelling out, come off the course and I
the championships. She claimed the bike belonged to a “Michael, Michael, over hit it poorly that day. And
friend.q here,” instead of Spieth’s it’s a frustrating feeling try-