Spieth feels no pressure at last major of season
The rough at Quail Hollow has Jordan Spieth’s attention at the 99th PGA Championship. The need to hit fairways is a concern. Doing battle with the likes of Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Dustin Johnson and others is definitely on his mind.
But the weight of expectation? The pressure inherent in trying to become at 24 the youngest to complete the career Grand Slam? Not even on his radar. Instead of fretting about joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players to win all four majors, the world No. 2 is the picture of relaxation amid all the noise around him. Since he delivered back- nine heroics to win the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale last month, the threetime major winner has been regularly questioned about being on history’s doorstep. The answer has been the same.
“I just don’t feel any ( pressure),” Spieth said Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s start of the last major of the season. “I believe I’m going to have plenty of chances, and I’m young enough to believe in my abilities that it will happen at some point. Do I have to be the youngest? No, I don’t feel that kind of pressure. Would it be really cool? Absolutely. ...
“There will be pressure. This is a major championship. This is one of the four pivotal weeks of the year that we focus on. I’m simply stating, there won’t be added expectations or pressure.”
It’s much the same feeling he had at St Andrews heading into the 2015 British Open. Having won the Masters and U. S. Open, Spieth was on a historical march in pursuit of the single- season Grand Slam. Instead of feeling pressure, he felt free that week, he added, because he had reached so many of his goals for that year. He wound up one shot short of a playoff.
Instead of dwelling on a mistake or pouting when his game is off, he improvises, overcomes and adapts. Spieth also isn’t thinking about history. “It’s not a burning desire to have to be the youngest to do something, and that would be the only reason there would be added expectations. If I don’t win one in the next 10 years, then maybe there’s added pressure. Hopefully we don’t have to have this conversation in 10 years.”