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Jordan Spieth: Under Armour VP Calls Defending Masters Champ ‘Mature Beyond His Years’

By Jonathan Franks
Published on: 17:40 PST, Apr 9, 2016

Jordan Spieth is making waves within the world of golf and within the Under Armour market.

Three years after first coming on board with Under Armour, the 22-year-old professional golfer has not disappointed his fans, critics or even the people responsible for securing his Under Armour deal in the first place.

According to Yahoo Finance, Ryan Kuehl – the Under Armour Vice President for Sports Marketing and Sponsorships – acknowledged Jordan Spieth’s potential and overall value long before many of his current fans noticed those factors. The report states that Kuehl opened up about the beginning stages of the company’s business relationship with Jordan Spieth.

The report states that Kuehl was the one that helped Under Armour to land Jordan Spieth along with several other first-class athletes that have joined the company’s roster. How does Kuehl manage to reel in top talent for Under Armour? Perhaps the fact that he is a former professional athlete himself goes a long way in his discussions with potential clients.

Ryan Kuehl played 13 seasons in the NFL as a long snapper as well as a defensive lineman. He also helped the New York Giants to win a Super Bowl championship in 2007.

When Kuehl first got Jordan Spieth to sign with Under Armour as a 19-year-old amateur making the transition to professional sports, his record spoke volumes all by itself. However, it was apparently what he did with his life away from the golf course that got the attention of Ryan Kuehl and Under Armour.

“It was more about the way he handled things, he was mature beyond his years. Clearly the talent was there, his record proved that. But it was his mentality, how he looked at people, how he looked them in the eye, how he treated people, even as an amateur.”

In addition to playing well on the golf course, there is a completely different side to consider when it comes to representing a brand through an endorsement deal or as a spokesperson. The fact that Jordan Spieth was apparently able to handle and carry himself efficiently showed Kuehl and Under Armour that he could potentially become the face of Under Armour’s golf line without a doubt.

“As an individual athlete in a [non-team] sport, you have to be comfortable being the man. You have to be comfortable with everyone going after you and not everybody is comfortable with that. Based on his record and then you look at the way he handled things, how [other golfers] were still rooting for him, even at the top of the mountain as a junior, clearly there’s a personality there. There is something that attracts people to him.”

Even at the young age of 19, Kuehl claimed that Jordan Spieth fit in perfectly – stating that “he looked like he belonged.” Kuehl further stated that he was not even nervous when joking and talking with the other Tour players. He gave fans direct eye contact, assisted his caddies by picking up his own flag sticks and did “all of those little things that showed he was pretty self-aware.”

“It was a pretty powerful combination, where you’ve got talent, with a maturity with a strong sense of self-awareness and purpose.”

Long after he signed his deal with Under Armour, Jordan Spieth has shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon. He has already won the U.S. Open and the Masters, was known for a while as the #1 golfer in the world, and has built a solid fan base and following that is hard for many other professional athletes to duplicate.

As a defending champion at this year’s Masters, Jordan Spieth has reportedly waded through “raised expectations” according to ESPN. Regardless of his various mood changes as the tournament progresses, the fact that he is able to contend in the majors and continuously climb the leaderboard speaks volumes about his potential future in this industry.

[Image Credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images]

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