Jordan Spieth enters Masters with new expectations, lessons learned

Jordan Spieth has accomplished plenty in a short amount of time as a professional so far, but he’s also learning his share from close calls.

One of Spieth’s closest calls came when he tied for second behind Bubba Watson in the 2014 Masters Tournament, finishing three strokes back as a rookie.

“Having been so close last year and having a little experience and riding some momentum, I hope to put myself in contention and use what I’ve learned since last year,” Spieth said. “I think last year’s event, I certainly took a couple things out of it, as well as the positives that came from closing out a couple of tournaments at the end of the year and a few weeks ago.”

The 21-year-old Texan said expectations are higher for him compared to a year ago, when he entered not knowing what to expect. At the same time, he wants to keep it simple.

“Part of me wants to improve on last year, and that’s my goal is to improve on last year’s finish,” Spieth said. “Another part of me says let’s not overthink this place, keep it simple and make it like a regular event, because that’s how I’ve had success in the last few tournaments.”

Spieth turned pro in 2012 and already has two PGA Tour victories to his name, most recently the Valspar Championship in mid-March. He has two consecutive second-place finishes since and enters riding a wave of scores in the 60s over the past few events.

He said the pressure of leading last year’s Masters on the front nine Sunday was the most he’s ever experienced, and he got anxious. He used the term “closing out” multiple times to describe what he failed to do last April.

“I played pretty much the entire round feeling different than I’ve ever felt on the golf course,” he said. “It was very disappointing, because I felt like the golf course was going to play into my hands.”

Spieth blew away the field in the Emirates Australian Open in November. He said the game is there and he’s riding momentum; it’s a matter of closing it out.

“Obviously, in a tournament like the Masters, I’m looking to just give myself a chance when the weekend comes around and see what I’m made of," he said.