Title: Northwestern grad Greller carrying bag for rookie sensation Spieth

Description: TACOMA, Wash. | He’s the kind of guy who could strike up a conversation with anybody. Call it a cool confidence, if you’d like. Perhaps gregarious. Or outgoing. Whatever the case, it has paid off for MOC-Floyd Valley High School and Northwestern College graduate Michael Greller. It started back in high school, when while working at Landsmeer Golf Club in Orange City, Iowa, he challenged head professional Mike Fiddelke to a match and beat him. Greller went on to enjoy success as a collegiate golfer, toiling as the No. 2 player for Northwestern College teams coached by Dave Mulder and Mark Bloemendaal. Through his ties in golf, the 35-year-old Greller eventually walked away from a 10-year teaching career to become a caddie. He’s now working full time for PGA Tour rookie sensation Jordan Spieth, who earlier this month at 19 became the youngest player to win an event in 82 years. Spieth’s victory in a five-hole playoff at the John Deere Classic not only earned him full status on the PGA Tour, but a chance to compete in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. He just returned from a 44th-place finish at the British Open and will play in the PGA Championship in a couple of weeks. How Greller came about becoming Spieth’s looper is a story worth retelling. A Michigan native, Greller moved to Orange City in 1992 when his father, John “Bear” Greller became vice president of development at Northwestern. Michael graduated from MOC-Floyd Valley in 1996 and Northwestern in 2000, earning a bachelor’s degree in business. He migrated to the west coast, settling in Oregon where he worked in sales for a year. “I hated it, so I went back to grad school for a masters degree in teaching (at George Fox University in Oregon),” Greller said. “I loved my profession all the way up until eight months ago.” Spieth turned professional in December and joined the PGA Tour with no exempt status. My, how that has changed. He’s currently 18th on the money list with earnings of $2,058,820 and 11th in the FedEx Cup standings.

Link: http://siouxcityjournal.com/sports/golf/northwestern-grad-greller-carrying-bag-for-rookie-sensation-spieth/article_1510dbb3-8e98-59a5-93c8-c462e83da63c.html