One year, two major wins, a Fed-Ex Cup victory and $22m in on-course earnings removed from his previous visit to The Australian Club here, Jordan Spieth still feels able to call the closing 63 with which he claimed the 2014 Australian Open, “one of the best rounds I’ve ever played in my life.”
Which is no surprise to any of those who witnessed the then 21-year old Texan’s dismantling of the Jack Nicklaus-design in blustery conditions that provoked defending champion Rory McIlroy to claim his successor’s final-round performance was nothing short of “awesome.”
But a lot has happened to Spieth since that special round, most recently visits to two of Australia’s finest courses, Kingston Heath and Royal Melbourne. Unlike Tiger Woods, who professed “admiration” for Melbourne’s famous Sandbelt courses without ever taking a look at any of them other than the one he was playing that week, the Masters and U.S. Open champion is a golfer, not just a professional golfer.
He aims for the stars and challenges himself to get there.
“They were two of the last places to play on my bucket list,” he said. “They were great and unique and I really enjoyed them. I really do love Oz and I love this course and the city.”
The rest of 2015 hasn’t been too shabby either. While Spieth was quick to dispel any impression that he may already have had the best year of his still-fledgling career, he is also mature enough to know that such an eventuality is distinctly possible.
“I don’t know if I’ll actually raise the bar on what I accomplished in this year – I don’t know if that is realistic,” he said. “You have to approach every year believing you can actually do better. I could go without missing a cut. I missed four this year. I like playing on weekends, so there’s ways to improve on that.
“Plus, there’s a chance it can all come together and I can improve on the last year. I believe that, otherwise there would be no point in me setting lofty goals. I believe that my best is forward. I believe that my prime is ahead of me. I have to believe that – but I actually do.
“Having said that, if I had to pick the three most lucrative tournaments for me to win, I won all three. That was the plan and it just came together. If I could somehow duplicate that year for the rest of my career I would be pretty pleased.”
Photos From the 2015 Emirates Australian Open
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"I just told him that was one of the best-fought wins I've ever seen, to come through what he did on 2, 9 and then that par he made on 12," Jordan said about Matt Jones' performance on Sunday
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Jordan reacts to his second shot on the 72nd hole of the tournament. It would give him an eagle putt attempt to win, or extend, the Emirates Australian Open
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Jordan and Michael celebrate the day's turnaround
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Jordan reacts after holing his approach shot. He would add a tap-in birdie on 18 to go three-under on the final two holes
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As the TV announcers noted, his shot was on the flag the entire way, and you could tell from his body language while the ball was in the air that he really liked it
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After bogeys on three of the first four holes, Jordan said that a talk with his caddie helped him refocus. "He said: 'Enough of this crap. No bad self-talk. Let's hit some greens, you've got some easy holes coming up'. That's all I really needed to hear to help turn it around.''
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After a three-under round of 68, Jordan remains four back from second round leader Matt Jones
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Jordan acknowledges the crowd after his birdie putt on the seventh hole
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For the second day in a row, the fluky winds made life difficult for Jordan. "It's the cross winds,'' he said. "It's a guessing game. You really have a 50-50 shot."
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In blustery conditions reminiscent of 2014, the Masters and U.S. Open champion made three birdies and three bogeys in what he called “pretty boring golf”
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Jordan hits his approach shot on the 12th hole
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"It’s been a while since I’ve played in wind like this. The toughest part is deciding what shot to hit. It’s hard to pick the shot. You can use the same club and end up with a 30-yards difference based on if you hold the ball up or ride the wind," Jordan said after his opening round
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Jordan eyes the ball after his bunker shot in the Wednesday pro-am
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Jordan and Australian cricket legend Shane Warne check out a cricket bat on the first tee of the pro-am
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Jordan hosted a golf clinic for 60 junior Australian golfers ahead of the 2015 Emirates Australian Open
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The camera caught a pretty funny moment when Jordan attempted a flop shot. Watch the video
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The clinic was sponsored by Under Armour Australia and Golf Australia
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In his comments to the press after his practice round, Jordan talked about playing the sand belt courses in Australia. Read more
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Jordan and his coach, Cameron McCormick, talk over the course
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A focused Jordan returns to defend his title at The Australia Golf Course, home of the 2015 Emirates Australia Open
