When you build the greatest modern dynasty in professional sports, other athletes take notice.
That's apparently the case for golfer Jordan Spieth as he gets set to compete in the 2021 Masters Tournament, which tees off Thursday at Augusta National.
Spieth ended a nearly four-year drought without a PGA Tour victory Sunday by winning the Valero Texas Open. Enduring such a rough patch requires some mental fortitude, and the 27-year-old admitted an observation of the New England Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick helped him stay the course.
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"I think Bill Belichick, it's one of his very key things: 'Eliminate the noise,'" Spieth told reporters Monday when asked about dealing with critics and avoiding social media, via WEEI's Ryan Hannable.
"I remember seeing that at Gillette Stadium before I think The Ryder Cup in 2016, and it's always stuck with me."
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Spieth is a Dallas native and a Cowboys fan, but he also has a connection to the Patriots through ex-quarterback Tom Brady, who like Spieth is sponsored by Under Armour.
That 2016 visit to Foxboro clearly inspired Spieth, who won his second major championship the following summer at the British Open.
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While football and golf are vastly different sports, the concept of eliminating outside noise is useful in both. Belichick has had plenty of success with that tactic, staying tight-lipped in press conferences and constructing a virtual wall around Gillette Stadium to reduce distractions.
Don't expect Spieth to start grunting to reporters anytime soon, but if he looks locked in at the Masters this week, that's thanks in part to a lesson he took from the legendary Patriots coach.