Jordan Spieth chasing Ryder Cup place, with or without spectators
Wednesday 10 June 2020 21:15, UK
Jordan Spieth would welcome the opportunity to represent Team USA in a fan-free Ryder Cup, although admits the contest "wouldn’t be the same" without spectators.
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The three-time major champion has featured at the last three Ryder Cups but is struggling to qualify for Steve Stricker's side this time around, with Spieth currently outside the world's top 50 and without a win since The Open in 2017.
Uncertainty still remains around whether the biennial contest at Whistling Straits will be able to go ahead with crowds, with Rory McIlroy among the players to speak out against the idea, although Spieth would be happy to still play if given the opportunity.
"I feel like I'm in control of my own destiny, which is great, but I'm on the outside looking in, which is a place that I haven't been for Ryder Cups in the past," Spieth said about his chances of making the team.
"As far as a Ryder Cup without fans, that would obviously be extremely unusual, and I think every single player and everyone involved certainly wants them. I'd still like to play in it, even if there aren't fans.
"It's still a competition, you still have your team-mates and you're playing for your country, and there's certainly plenty of interest in people watching it. But it would 100 per cent not be the same."
Spieth is part of a star-studded field at the Charles Schwab Challenge, live on Sky Sports, the first PGA Tour event since the Players Championship was cancelled after the opening round on March 12 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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The former world No 1 was struggling for form before the enforced stoppage, with Spieth hoping the break will spark an upturn in results.
"[The break] was a strong focal point of the last few months, how can I get better physically, mentally and within the mechanics of my golf game, and then what's the right process to start to put that in place?" Spieth added.
"It's not something that clicks and all of a sudden you're just automatically the best player in the world. It's certainly a process. But creating the right little habits that get me back on track was a big emphasis.
"I looked at it as a big-time opportunity for myself and didn't take it lightly. I was certainly grateful for the time. "It's not a positive situation in general, but for me personally, I tried to look at how can I make this an advantage to myself.
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"I feel like I'm progressing in the right direction, and the things that I'm working on are working towards getting things looking and feeling as good as they have in the past for me. That's different, I would say, than a lot of the last couple years where I would be working on something and it wasn't necessarily moving in the right direction."
