Jordan Spieth Heads to Australia, Eager to Play Sand Belt Courses

Jordan Spieth knows how to mix business with pleasure. His business is playing great golf. His pleasure is playing great golf courses.

Spieth leaves this week for Down Under, where he defends his title Nov. 26-29 in Sydney at the Australian Open. The first stop is Melbourne and a chance to play the fabled sand belt courses. He has games lined up at Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath.

"I've heard Kingston Heath is unbelievable," Spieth said. "And then Royal Melbourne, I hear you get on the first tee and think, 'Piece of cake,' and then watch your tee shot bounce in the air. There and then Long Island, the courses there, are on my bucket lists of courses I haven't played yet."

Spieth surely has a long list. He's only 22 and just completed his third year as a pro.

What intrigues him about Melbourne's sand belt and Long Island (Shinnecock, National Golf Links) is "that style of golf was meant for that area."

He missed his chance at Long Island in August during The Barclays, although that was never the plan even before he missed the cut. He was supposed to play with Justin Thomas at Pine Valley the Monday after the tournament. When he missed the cut and had an extra day on his hand, Spieth chose to play Baltusrol with Rickie Fowler (who also missed the cut) to see it ahead of next year's PGA Championship, and then headed to Boston to work on his game.

Not to worry. That's an easy trip to plan.

After that?

"I've done pretty much everything I want to do," Spieth said. "I still haven't played Oakmont (next year's U.S. Open). We have Royal Troon coming up. I haven't played Carnoustie. But sought after? Sand Hills in Nebraska, the Coore-Crenshaw. I've heard it's supposed to be that good, from Crenshaw and everyone down there."

One area he failed to mention was Chicago Golf Club, one of the five founding courses of the USGA.

"Chicago Golf and Butler, I don't have as much of a desire. I heard they're great, and it will happen at some point," Spieth said. "But for a style of golf that is so unique to the area, that's what I'm looking for."

And that's what he's about to get in Melbourne.

Highlights from the 2014 Australian Open

• 
  Jordan lines up his putt before sinking it for a birdie on the first hole of the 2014 Australian Open. It might have been Jordan’s first visit to Australia but not his first connection with Australia. His coach Cameron McCormack is from Melbourne and joined Jordan on the trip to Sydney.
  

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  Jordan’s bunker shot helped him save par on the par-3 11th to keep him at 2 under. Jordan was paired with Adam Scott and Nick Cullen, the newly crowned Australian Masters champion, for the first two rounds.
  

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  Jordan makes his approach shot on the par 5 14th hole. He birdied the hole on his way to a round of 67 and the top spot of the leaderboard in tough weather conditions.
  

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  Jordan’s one-over 72 on the second day was punctuated by an incident on the par-3 4th hole. After Jordan’s long iron tee shot rolled just over the back of the green into light rough, an inattentive tournament official disturbed the ball, causing it to move. A frustrated Jordan ended up with a bogey. “I was not happy going to the next hole.” Read More
  

• 
  Jordan got back on track with birdies on holes 8 and 9 but wound up with a one-over 73 for the day, his highest round of the tournament. Here he tees off on the par-4 16th.
  

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  On Saturday, Jordan roared back with a two-under 69 in difficult weather conditions. “It was a tough track today — almost every hole has a side wind,” said Jordan. Read local coverage of the third round conditions.
  

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  Jordan was one of the few players to master the wind-swept course on a day that only eight players were under par. After his round, Jordan said, ”I almost prefer it, wind and a very difficult golf course, I feel like plays into my hands.”
  

• 
  Starting off the day sharing the lead with Greg Chalmers and Brett Rumford, Jordan quickly pulled away from the Australians with the best round of the tournament — and his career. Here he acknowledges the crowd after holing out on the 9th, going 4-under on the front 9.
  

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  With Greg Chalmers in the background, Jordan lines up his putt on the 17th green. With the outcome no longer in question, a calm and collected Jordan rolled in his putt for his 7th birdie of the day.
  

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  Jordan sinks his birdie putt on 18 and celebrates his first title of 2014, becoming the first American to win the Australian Open since Brad Faxon in 1993, when the 21-year-old Spieth was four months old. 
  

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  Jordan acknowledges the crowd after putting on the 18th hole and winning the 2014 Australian Open. Throughout the tournament Jordan praised the fans at the The Australian Golf Course for their thoughtfulness and support. It's one of the reasons why Jordan said, "Yes, I'm certainly coming back to Australia."
  

• 
  Jordan Spieth's Final Round Scorecard

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  Jordan holds the Stonehaven Cup, the trophy awarded to the winner of the Australian Open. Seeing that his name will go right under Rory McIlroy, last year’s Open winner, Jordan said, "If I had the follow-up year that Rory had this year, I'd be pleased this time next year.”