Thursday 24 May 2018 10:22, UK
Jordan Spieth says the aftermath of his final round collapse at the 2016 Masters "haunted" him, but believes such experiences have helped define his mindset.
Spieth held a five-shot lead with five holes to play at Augusta National two years ago but after consecutive bogeys on the 10th and 11th, carded a quadruple-bogey seven at the par-three 12th, with Danny Willett making the most of the opportunity to secure an unlikely Green Jacket.
Despite missing out on joining Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as a back-to-back Masters champion, Spieth did earn victory - seven weeks later - at the Fort Worth Invitational, then called the Dean & Deluca Invitational, at Colonial Country Club.
"When I won here in 2016 the first question was 'Does this make up for the Masters?'" Spieth said, ahead of this week's stop on the PGA Tour. "This was a totally different experience.
"I've gotten pretty down on myself at certain moments, say, after the '16 Masters as being like a low point in my golf career.
"Even though it was still a tremendous week and still a really good year, that kind of haunted me and all the questioning and everything and I let it tear me down a little bit."
"Even though it was still a tremendous week and still a really good year, that kind of haunted me and all the questioning and everything and I let it tear me down a little bit.
"I kind of a lot a little bit of my own freedom, thoughts on who I am as a person and as a golfer.
"I shouldn't let that happen based on an experience I've had happen to me many times. There have been a lot of tournaments where I've held leads and not won going back to junior golf.
"Just because it happened to be on a bigger scale and I was thrown into the limelight based on 2015 and just interest in myself, it was created into a huge deal."
Spieth is without a victory this season but says he has realised the importance of maintaining a positive focus over the past three years, during which he has won three majors.
"I've just tried to really be selfish in the way that I think and focus on being as happy as I possibly can playing the game I love; not getting caught up in noise, good or bad," the world No 3 said.
"I've had experiences a lot of guys have over the course of 25 years within three years, ups and downs and everything in between, but the majority of it very positive.
"It's still a learning experience. I've found the easiest way to enjoy what you're doing is to try and look at it from a bigger picture, look at each challenge as an opportunity.
"There was a time where I loathed going to the golf course for a little while and I'm certainly not there now. I'm loving all the challenges and the opportunities I have ahead for the next 20 years."
Watch the Fort Worth Invitational throughout the week, live on Sky Sports Golf, starting with the first round from 6pm on Thursday
