Jordan Spieth aiming to ignite his season at The Players Championship
Tuesday 8 May 2018 19:06, UK
Jordan Spieth is looking to kick-start his season with a victory in this week's Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
The world No 4 is yet to win this year and has taken a break since finishing third at the Masters, with his only appearance in the last four weeks seeing him miss the cut when he teamed up with Ryan Palmer at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
Spieth is now starting a run of four successive tournaments and is hoping to be in contention at The Players Championship, despite failing to make the weekend in each of his last three appearances in the event.
He said: "I haven't won this year, and I really haven't had a chance to win.
"The Masters was the closest chance I've had and only real opportunity on a Sunday near the lead this year, which makes it kind of the toughest start that I've had in my career to a season, but also I was not at full strength for a lot of the season.
"So I'm struggling a little with how should I actually rate it and when do I reset goals and what should they be the rest of the season now? Because from the beginning of the year, the idea is peak at the Masters.
"I want to prove to myself that 2018 can be a really good season, and I've got a lot of time to do so.
"I've struggled a little this year with kind of rushing my thoughts into why aren't I playing - if I look and just give myself a little bit of time and some leeway, that's been the best route in the past, so I'm trying to do that now.
"I've got a four-week stretch here now that I really enjoy. This is the only time I play four in a row in a season, and I like doing that. It's fun.
"I've got an opportunity in these four weeks to have a lot of fun playing golf and potentially give myself a chance to win. That's what I'm looking forward to here."
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Spieth finished fourth on his debut in The Players Championship and believes patience is the key this week as he looks to rediscover his best form at TPC Sawgrass following his struggles there in recent years.
The Open champion added: "I don't have a great history the last few years here, but I also have played the course really well before and had a chance to win.
"I love this place. I love the golf course. But if you're not on there's a lot of small areas, small areas to hit your tee shots, small areas to hit your second shots, and you've really got to think through the place and let it come to you.
"This is not a place to go out and try and force birdies, and I think that's kind of where I've gone the last few years that's got me in trouble. Kind of approach it from a more patient viewpoint this year."
Justin Thomas will be playing alongside Spieth in the opening two rounds, with Rory McIlroy the third member of the star three-ball.
"It will be a fun group," said the world No 2. "I enjoy playing with both of them. They're both really good friends of mine and fun to go out and play with, especially at a place like this.
"Going to draw some pretty big crowds. That's something I really enjoy about this tournament. It has a very major-like feel."
Thomas, last year's PGA Championship winner, failed to make into the final round last year after shooting a 79 in the third round, but he closed with a 65 in 2016 to finish in a tie for third place, while he also carded a 65 in the third round in 2015.
"It's a shot-maker's course," he added. "I think you look at the list of winners here, and it's all over the place. You have some guys, some of the best players in the world, you have some guys that maybe haven't had the same amount of success as the top players, but it's just - it truly is whoever is playing the best.
"You have to be in total control of your ball. You have to be working it one way off the tee, working it another way into the green, have your distances down to where you're putting from the right spots.
"You can't short-side yourself. You have to be good around the greens and around the par-fives in two. It really is a total package golf course, and I've always said I love this design.
"I think it's just a well-designed, great-designed golf course, and it just requires a lot of different shots, a lot of different trajectories, a lot of different decisions while you're out there."
