How Jordan Spieth’s sister inspired him to build a charity legacy

In September 2013, Jordan Spieth was powering towards one of the greatest rookie seasons golf has ever seen.

Having become the first teenager to win on the PGA Tour in 82 years, the Dallas-born youngster was picked for the Presidents Cup team. By the end of the season, the newly crowned PGA Tour Rookie of the Year was already ranked 22nd in the world.

For most, managing the mayhem of such a breakneck rise would be enough to deal with. But at just 19 years old, Spieth was putting the wheels in motion for a long-term charitable endeavor.

Within a year, the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation was born, built to raise awareness and funds for four key “pillars”: junior golf, military veterans, pediatric cancer, and children with special needs.

“Once I had a platform that I knew could not only help raise funds but also awareness, it made sense,” Spieth recalled.

“What I’m most proud of, it’s not really necessarily the dollars, it’s more the amount of different programs we’ve been able to impact.”

All four branches held a personal connection for Spieth. As a prodigious talent nurtured in the competitive but fun-first atmosphere of Brookhaven Country Club, in Texas, he wanted to ensure other youngsters could have similar opportunities. Spieth had been moved by the Tour’s support for military veterans, and after seeing childhood friends battle cancer, the disease had hit close to home.

But no pillar lay closer to home than kids with special needs. It was ultimately because of his younger sister Ellie, who has autism, that Spieth launched his charitable mission, supporting programs and initiatives for children with special needs.

Volunteering at her classroom while in high school, Spieth witnessed first-hand the lengths staff went to aid pupils.