Spieth looks to continue historic season at Players

A year ago, Jordan Spieth had the makings of golf’s next star, yet the vulnerabilities of a 20-year-old finding his way on the PGA Tour.

Spieth since has evolved into a Tiger Woods-like closer and leaderboard fixture

Winning last month’s Masters by four strokes, Spieth joined Woods as the only player since World War II to win three times, with at least one major, prior to turning 22.

“Jordan at his age to be doing what he’s doing, it’s very special,” longtime NBC analyst Johnny Miller said. “It’s amazing to watch. It really is.”

This week, Spieth returns to The Players Championship looking to do what he did last month at Augusta National, where he purged the previous year’s disappointment and won during just his second appearance in the event.

A month after he shared the 54-hole lead at the 2014 Masters, Spieth was in the same position at TPC Sawgrass. But after going bogeyfree through three rounds, Spieth slipped out of contention again, carding five final-round bogeys to finish three shots behind winner Martin Kaymer.

Immediately after his round, the fiery Spieth did not hide his emotions.

“I’m not mature enough to be extremely positive,” he said at the time. “I will be in about an hour, but right now it’s just really, really stings.”

Designer Pete Dye’s tricky layout long has stung the game’s best players, including Woods and Phil Mickelson. Each has won the event, but has combined for just seven top-10 finishes in 36 starts.

Before he rose to world No. 1, Rory McIlroy skipped the 2011 Players after he said the previous fall, “I don’t like the course.”

But until his final-round 74 last May, Spieth tamed TPC Sawgrass and left Ponte Vedra Beach with generally good vibes.

“I was extremely comfortable on this golf course,” he said.

Dye’s par-72 layout measures 7,215 yards — meager by today’s standards on Tour. TPC Sawgrass demands a player hit fairways, continually shape shots and be spot-on with his short game.

No player right now manages his game or sinks more putts than Spieth, who leads the Tour in putts per round and scoring average.

“The rarest thing in golf is the guy who makes the pressure putts,” Miller said. “If he keeps the putter going, really the sky’s the limit.”

Ranked behind only McIlroy, Spieth has been candid that he plans to supplant the world’s No.1 player, setting the stage for a rivalry for years to come.

Miller, a 25-time winner during his Hall of Fame career, favors Spieth’s consistency slightly over McIlroy’s explosiveness. During a recent four-week stretch, Spieth won the Masters and Tampa’s Valspar Championship, and finished runner-up in San Antonio and Houston.

When McIlroy, a fourtime major champion at age 25, is on his game he eventually overwhelms the competition.

McIlroy came from behind during three straight matches to win the finals of this past weekend’s WGC-Cadillac Match Play. During the semifinals, McIlroy was 4-under on the final three holes to chase down veteran Jim Furyk.

“Rory on certain weeks might dust Jordan Spieth,” Miller said. “But I think day in and day out, Jordan’s probably a little better player than Rory right now.”

Spieth failed to get out of pool play and advance to the round of16, losing 2-down to former world No. 1 Lee Westwood. But Spieth was 16-under par during three matches at San Francisco’s difficult Harding Park and is primed to contend at TPC Sawgrass.

“I’m happy with the way I’m playing and I’m excited for next week,” he said.

The world of golf is equally excited to see what Spieth does next. Based on the past six weeks, it could be historic, akin to Woods, McIlroy and Jack Nicklaus at the same age.

“I think four years from now we’ll be looking at Jordan Spieth and going, ‘Who is the next Jordan Spieth?’” Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee said.