Jordan Spieth's PGA Tour rival's fate after he 'ruined his life'
Jordan Spieth may well have secured victory at the 2015 John Deere Classic via a dramatic playoff, but his fellow players did not let him forget it for all the wrong reasons.
Spieth
- now looking to follow in the footsteps of
Rory McIlroy
in winning the career Grand Slam
after his Masters victory this month
- emerged triumphant at TPC Deere Run during his incredible
PGA Tour
run back in 2015. Bagging his fifth title in just two years, he also secured the John Deere Classic title for the second time.
Having claimed victory through a playoff in 2013, Spieth once again faced an intense showdown two years on, this time against veteran Tom Gillis.
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His second John Deere victory involved him edging out Gillis, a contender 15 years his senior and hungry for his first PGA Tour victory. While Gillis saw his dream crumble when he sent his ball into the drink on the second playoff hole, Spieth's talent and form led him to success.
Following victory, Spieth only continued to go in one direction, winning the Tour Championship shortly after, and padding his impressive career with seven more titles, including his third major at The Open. Sadly, the same upward trend didn't hold for Gillis, who missed out on a pivotal two-year exemption due to the defeat.
Spieth, albeit in jest, found himself the butt of a playful joke among his peers for denying Gillis the title of Tour's oldest victor. "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," shared Justin Thomas during his chat with 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.'".
Jordan Spieth beat Gillis in 2015
(Image: 2025 Ben Jared/PGA TOUR)
Even though he failed to reach the soaring heights of Spieth, Gillis carved out a respectable playing career for himself, snagging ten professional wins. His most recent triumph was at the Nationwide Tour, clinching the Nationwide Tour Players Cup back in 2009.
After his playoff defeat by Spieth, Gillis nabbed a spot at the 144th Open at St Andrews and then played five more PGA Tour events in 2015. Failing to lock down a full Tour card, Gillis bounced between the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour the next year, before stepping into senior golf upon hitting the big five-oh in 2018.
His shining moment as a pro was that narrow miss to the three-time major champ in Illinois, along with a close second-place finish beside Tiger Woods at the 2012 Honda Classic, both times falling short to McIlroy.
Despite not managing to outdo Spieth a decade ago, Gillis was fully cognizant of his accomplishment as the runner-up. "Being in a playoff with Jordan Spieth, who is probably playing better than anybody in the world right now," he said at the time, according to the Detroit Free Press.
"I think that was really exciting. I take the confidence away from the tournament itself, how well I played for the four days there. Getting back into contention and hanging in there, playing well during it."
After losing his PGA Tour status, he dabbled in minor tours in the following years before getting his shot in senior golf.
His career finally drew to a close last year at the age of 55, participating in his final tournament at the Champions Tour's Ally Challenge last August, on the very course where he played his first PGA Tour event 21 years earlier at Warwick Hills.
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