At the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday, Tom Hoge won for the first time on the PGA Tour. It came against Jordan Spieth, who told an epic narrative about Hoge and craps four years ago.
Because Tom Hoge was entering the interview room, Jordan Spieth’s talk with him outside the Sony Open fitness center came to an end. Hoge, who had never won on the PGA Tour before, was in a tie for first place.
Spieth said, “Let me tell you about Tom Hoge.” “Once he’s in the mix, he’s not going to back down.”
And that was the end of it. Hoge was in or around the lead throughout the final round, until he made double bogey with a shot that he missed by a fraction on the wrong side of the hole. He was one shot away from a playoff berth.
Hoge was perplexed when he learned of Spieth’s prognosis a month later. He claims they don’t spend much time together. They’ve never collaborated before. They are located on opposite sides of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. “I only know Jordan because I taught him how to play craps,” Hoge explained.
Spieth was reminded of the conversation in Hawaii two weeks later in Mexico. If he had never played golf with Hoge, how would he know what to expect?
Spieth explained, “Because that’s how he plays craps.”
