The Masters: Jordan Spieth has high expectations at Augusta National
"I just have a love for it here, a love to learn more about the place and find new and improved ways to play the course a bit better"
Tuesday 9 April 2019 22:58, UK
Jordan Spieth says he is going into the Masters with high expectations despite his poor form over the last 12 months.
The 2015 Masters champion finished third behind Patrick Reed at Augusta National last year after firing a 64 in the final round.
However, the 25-year-old American has recorded only one top-10 finish since then - when he tied for ninth at The Open at Carnoustie - and is without a top-20 finish so far this year, although there were some encouraging signs in the first two rounds of last week's Valero Texas Open.
"My expectations are high this week," said Spieth, who opened with back-to-back 68s at TPC San Antonio before slipping into a tie for 30th after rounds of 73 and 72 over the weekend.
"I feel great about the state of my game right now. I feel like my recent results aren't a tell of where my game is actually at, and I feel I've made a lot of strides in the last couple days in the tee‑to‑green game, really just off the tee, my long game, which has been the only separation from being able to win golf tournaments over the last month or so.
"So I feel really good about my game, where it's at, heading into this week. It's just a matter of trust in the stuff that I'm working on, and I don't feel like I have to play well.
"I don't feel like there's any added pressure this week. I feel kind of under the radar, which is really nice, and that changes day‑to‑day out here, though."
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Spieth, whose last win came at The Open back in 2017, has four top-three finishes in five appearances at the Masters and is keen to continue his love affair with Augusta National this week.
"It's my favourite tournament in the whole world," he added. "I took a love for this game because of this tournament. I think it was in 2005 when Tiger (Woods) chipped in there on 16 and just seeing kind of the creativity and imagination on that shot and that win, and just the history of the tournament itself.
"And then kind of becoming a nerd for the golf course architecture and knowing this place is unlike any other.
"I just have a love for it here, a love to learn more about the place and find new and improved ways to play the course a bit better, and just feel my way around it."
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