What happened to PGA Tour star after Jordan Spieth ‘ruined his life’

Jordan Spieth is one of the PGA Tour’s biggest names, but his rival in a playoff at the 2015 John Deere Classic saw his playing career go in a different direction

It appears Jordan Spieth has never been able to live down the ending of the 2015 John Deere Classic, despite coming away with victory in a playoff.

Spieth – who is the next man chasing the career Grand Slam after Rory McIlroy’s Masters victory this month – won at TPC Deere Run at the height of his dominance on the PGA Tour back in 2015, winning his fifth title in the space of two years and clinching the John Deere Classic crown for a second time.

His second win saw him overcome Tom Gillis, a player 15 years Spieth’s senior, who had never won on the PGA Tour. The form and talent of Spieth eventually saw him prevail, after Gillis saw his chances come to an end when hitting his ball into water on the second playoff hole.

For Spieth, the only way was up in the aftermath, winning the Tour Championship a month later, before adding another seven titles to his resume, including a third major at The Open. The same, however, can not be said for Gillis, who was denied a much-needed two-year exemption following his loss.

Among players on Tour, Spieth was jokingly blamed for Gillis missing out on becoming the Tour’s oldest winner, with Jason Dufner at the center of the laughs. “There’s a funny story a handful of years ago. Jordan Spieth was in a playoff with Tom Gillis, who doesn’t play professionally anymore,” Justin Thomas told Pardon My Take.

“And Jordan beat Tom in a playoff, and for the whole year, Jason Duffner was grilling Jordan. He’s, like, ‘Man, you just ruined Tom Gillis’s career. He would have had a two-year exemption. He would have been Mali Kapulua. He would have taken his family there. They would have been swimming with the Dolphins at the Tournament Champions, but you had to beat him in a playoff and ruin his life.’”

Whilst he may not have hit the dizzy heights of Spieth, Gillis did enjoy a successful playing career of his own, winning ten times as a pro. His last came on the Nationwide Tour, winning the Nationwide Tour Players Cup back in 2009.

Following his playoff loss to Spieth, Gillis earned a spot in the 144th Open at St Andrews, and then played five more PGA Tour events in 2015. Having failed to secure a full Tour card, Gillis spent time playing across both the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour in the year that followed, before moving up to senior golf when turning 50 in 2018.

His best career finish came when losing out to the three-time major champion in Illinois, having also finished as a runner-up alongside Tiger Woods at the 2012 Honda Classic behind recently-crowned Masters champion and career Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy.

While he failed to get the better of Spieth 10 years ago, Gillis was well aware of his achievement as a runner-up. being in a playoff with Jordan Spieth, who is probably playing better than anybody in the world right now,” he said at he time per the Detroit Free Press.