Spieth defends at Travelers with eye to keeping Claret Jug

NEW YORK: Fifth-ranked defending champion Jordan Spieth sees this week’s US PGA Travelers Championship as a crucial step ahead of defending the British Open championship next month at Carnoustie.

The 24-year-old American, who won the 2015 Masters and US Open titles, captured his third major crown last year at Royal Birkdale just a month after a spectacular chip-in from a bunker to defeat Daniel Berger in a playoff for the Travelers title.

Despite missing the cut in last week’s US Open at Shinnecock, Spieth remains confident after making the short trip to TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, for Thursday’s opening round.

“I feel like there are good scores coming,” Spieth said. “In order for (my game) to be major championship ready for the Open Championship, I think being in contention this week would be a big key.

“It’s tough to go win a major championship if you’re not at least coming off top-10 finishes in tournaments where you had a chance to win. The three that I’ve won, I came off two seconds going into The Masters. I came off, I think, a third at Muirfield before the US Open, and maybe a second at Colonial to a second and a third, and the Open last year off of a win here.

“Those go a long way for me in my confidence to work up a leaderboard in a major.”

Speith will be tested by a field that includes fourth-ranked Brooks Koepka, coming off his second consecutive US Open victory, as well as secondranked Justin Thomas, who won last year’s PGA Championship, and Australia’s ninth-ranked Jason Day.