Rory McIlroy struggles to 8-over 79 at The Open

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. - To explain the smile on Jordan Spieth's face and the ease in his manner was simple. He's in his element, about to play competitive golf at one of his favorite courses alongside his great friend, Jake Owen, in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. His love of playing Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hills, and Monterey Peninsula Country Club's Shore Course has reflected in a brilliant resume - one win, one second (in 2022), one third, and three other top 10s in 13 starts. He made his debut here in 2013 and hasn't missed a year, so it is safe to say that Spieth - a former FedExCup champ and three-time major winner - clearly is here for the love of it. But it turns out that the smile didn't fade one bit even when he talked about something that you'd think was out of his element - his role as a supporting actor in the highly-anticipated Netflix documentary series "Full Swing." "I had a blast. I gave access in places I don't normally and shared a lot of it with Justin (Thomas)," said Spieth. "We really, really enjoyed that process." Spieth confirmed that his decision to join in the production of "Full Swing" was motivated by his reaction to "Formula 1: Drive to Survive," which showed on Netflix to rave reviews when it debuted in 2019. "I'm an F1 fan because of ‘Drive to Survive,' " said Spieth. Spieth, Thomas and a handful of other PGA TOUR stars - Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler and Matt Fitzpatrick among them - agreed to take part in "Full Swing," which begins airing on Netflix on Feb. 15. Gabe Spitzer, documentary series director at Netflix, said it was a "no brainer" to jump into the "Full Swing" project after the PGA TOUR and those who run golf's major championships pledged their support. "(‘Drive to Survive') gave us a sort of hint what our 230 million members across the globe love. They love authenticity. They love getting deeper into stories," Spitzer added. And with "Full Swing," said Chad Mumm, chief creative officer with Vox Media Studios, "you're going to see golf in a way that no one's ever seen before. We were really lucky to have amazing access, not just from the governing bodies of the sport, but from players like Jordan and his peers who let us into their lives in a way that I don't think anyone's ever seen before." From Spieth's perspective, "this should have a pretty profound effect (for golf fans) and help grow the game, too." At 29 and in his 11th year on TOUR, Spieth conceded he was "a smart husband" and included wife Annie in all conversations before opening the door to his life. Yes, ground rules were set, but Spieth couldn't have been more emphatic when insisting, "I never felt uncomfortable. Everyone was high class." That trust in one another - player and Netflix personnel - made for what Spieth said was a rewarding experience. "It was quite a bit of access and some good access, at that," he said. Spitzer agreed. "We're incredibly happy with the level of access and I think it's about trust and building trust with athletes," he said. "For us, it's characters first. When the athletes grant access, storylines flow, and we want to tell stories that average fans don't know. The goal is to bring (the PGA TOUR and its players) to a whole new audience." All of which begs the question, with Season 1 about to be released, are there plans for Season 2? Spitzer smiled and said, "When we get into these, we hope for not one, but 10 years."