“When you're the worst of the ones” - Jordan Spieth on his experience of being the ‘worst’ on the pickleball court

Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler, who was just supplanted as the world's number one ranked golfer, recently took to the pickleball court to play the growing sport. They competed against Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki and tennis player John Isner.

Spieth, who hasn't played the sport that much, didn't perform all that well and felt the pressure of being watched in a sport he wasn't all that versed in. The feeling was not one he'd like to have again, according to Golf Channel:

“I'll tell you, it was a really weird feeling going in front of a big crowd knowing you were the worst on the court and I didn't like that at all. I'm fine in front of a crowd if I know that I've practiced and I'm good at what I'm going to do. But I wouldn't say like I'm bad, but when you're the worst of the ones that are going to be on there and there's like 500 people there, you're like this kind of stinks, I don't really enjoy this.”

He was able to have a laugh at his own expense, though:

“So I asked Michael (Greller), is that what it's like when you're hitting shots at like 17 at Sawgrass or 16 at Phoenix, I'm like, is this kind of how it feels? He's like yeah. He's like, that's why I'll either hit it really close or I'll miss the green.”

According to him, Scheffler plays the up-and-coming sport quite a lot, which didn't help Spieth feel any better about his lack of experience:

“I think I'll probably play quite a bit more, but probably not as often as Scottie. I think he's like an every other day kind of guy and I think I had played less than 10 times.”

Spieth did admit that he would be playing more, though that may just be so that he isn't overmatched the next time he's on the court. He wants to play more, albeit he doesn't foresee becoming a full fledged pickleballer like his teammate was.

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How Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler got into pickleball

It's not often that an entirely new sport springs up. While pickleball has been around for a few decades, it is only now springing into national prominence. It has exploded onto the scene in the last few years.

Major League Pickleball - Columbus

A professional league has been created and is expanding with celebrities and other athletes like LeBron James getting involved.

For Scheffler, he easily gets into new things. When pickleball began rising, it was only natural that the golfer got involved. His wife has confirmed that he easily gets obsessed with new activities. It was recently pool volleyball, which has now transitioned to pickleball.

Spieth eventually followed along and is planning on playing more now that he's gotten a taste of it. The duo were able to win some during their tournament, which may push the golfer to play even more since he knows how much fun winning the sport can be.