Jordan Spieth a finalist for Dallas Morning News’ Texan of the Year

Jordan Spieth might have lost out to Serena Williams as Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year, but he’s still in the running for Texan of the Year.

The Dallas Morning news, which began naming a Texan of the Year in 2003, has never chosen an athlete. George W. Bush was its choice in 2003 and the ebola warriors, as the newspaper identified them, were selected last year.

The Morning News takes nominations from readers, winnows the finalists to a manageable number, and makes its choice based on “a Texan (or Texans) who has had uncommon impact – either positive or negative – over the past year.”

Spieth on Monday was identified as a finalist based not only on his two major championships and PGA Tour Player of the Year award, but on how gracefully he handled defeat. “And that class in defeat, as well as victory — as much as the millions of dollars and fancy trophies — is what puts Jordan Spieth on anyone’s list of distinction.”

So far, the only other finalists identified by the Morning News are the entry of Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne and Ahmed Mohamed, “each a lightning rod for opposite sides on one of 2015’s defining issues, the future of Muslims in America.”