Jordan Spieth thinks Austin Country Club will be a 'fantastic match play course'
Wednesday 23 March 2016 16:28, UK
World No 1 Jordan Spieth hopes familiarity with conditions will give him an edge at this week's WGC-Dell Match Play.
Spieth is a Texas native and the tournament is taking place at Austin Country Club for the first time this year.
And the 22-year-old Masters champion knows the course well from his days in the Texas golf team.
"It's a place I'm very familiar with and feel I have an advantage at," he said.
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"They made some changes, but for the most part it's the same golf course, with newly sodded areas. They've done just a phenomenal job with it, and I think it's going to be a fantastic match play course.
"It's always been a difficult track, it was a tough track in college for us. I think it's going to suit position players, at least the first few days, and then that could change on the weekend.
"We're going to get up to 30 mile an hour winds and the front nine this week gets very, very narrow.
"And, with the way the greens have their shelves, position is very important off the tee, to be able to even have a chance to hit it on to the correct shelf.
"Par is going to be a very good score, especially the front nine when the wind is up, and we're going to see two different nines as well."
The 64-man field has been split into 16 pools and Spieth will be playing his good friend Justin Thomas, plus European Ryder Cup hero Jamie Donaldson, and former Match Play runner-up Victor Dubuisson, who has also played for the European Ryder Cup team.
"There's no easy group, but I thought I got a difficult draw," said Spieth. "Justin is a great player.
"We'll have fun on Friday afternoon, unfortunately only one gets to advance.
"Victor, obviously with the success at this tournament, and I think with tougher conditions it's an advantage to him, it's an advantage to his game.
"He's Seve-like in what he can do around the greens. And then I've watched Jamie, first-hand watched Jamie in that final match of the Ryder Cup. A tough match play bracket."
