Spieth will relish shivers down the spine on first tee
JORDAN SPIETH can’t wait to be announced on the first tee at Carnoustie as he sets about defending his Open crown. The words ‘Champion golfer of the year’ will send a shiver down the American’s spine after he heard Henrik Stenson being described as such 12 months ago at Royal Birkdale.
He said: ‘That title doesn’t get used on the PGA Tour as we are teeing off. But when I heard those words spoken at Birkdale, it just kind of hit me.
‘It was like someone had punched me in the gut in the best possible way. You need to realise how special this is and embrace what it means, feel the chill go through you.’
Spieth has yet to get a sight of Carnoustie but he is not expecting the world-famous Angus links to be any less demanding than the set-up at Shinnecock Hills for last month’s US Open, where he missed the cut.
‘I don’t think I should prepare myself for anything easier,’ he said. ‘I’ve seen Opens at Carnoustie and why the golf course has a reputation and the nickname “Carnasty” among the players for being so difficult.
‘Although it won’t necessarily be the golf course itself, the conditions can obviously create scores similar to those at the US Open. But I thoroughly enjoy links golf and The Open has always been one of my favourite events, so I am looking forward to the challenge I know Carnoustie presents, especially the finishing holes.
‘As a competitor, you look forward to that tough-but-fair type of challenge, knowing you can expect a little bit of everything over four days in Scotland, in terms of the conditions.
‘Mentally it’s a grind. No matter how much you throw out the noise, stick to what you love to do, accept the challenges and not think about what that means, it’s the toughest thing to do in tournament situations.’
Spieth is following a similar path to 12 months ago, arriving at Carnoustie today to begin his final preparations in earnest tomorrow.
He said: ‘That’s no different from previous Opens or majors — other than the Masters — for courses I haven’t seen.
‘You can get a lot of work done within three days and totally understand the golf course and what it presents.
‘My form has been on-off and results haven’t been up to my own expectations. It’s been putting the majority of the year.
‘But I’ve been working so much on my putting and it’s started to come round and I’m seeing and hitting my lines better. So I’ve no doubt in my ability to defend.’
Watching the 2007 Open at Carnoustie on TV coincided with Spieth starting to fall in love with the game.
He added: ‘I remember watching Sergio (Garcia) and Padraig (Harrington) going at it on the 18th hole.
‘I also remember the routes they took and how good a score par was on probably one of the toughest holes in The Open and will continue to be for Opens going forward.
‘It creates some drama when it comes to Sunday, for sure, and I don’t think it will be any different this year.’